April 15, 2004
Knowing Your Inhalers
In an emergency, knowing which inhaler to use can save your life. There are two kinds of inhalers: maintenance inhalers and rescue inhalers. Maintenance inhalers should be used on a regular basis, while rescue inhalers can be used in emergencies when you can't breathe or prior to strenuous activities.
Maintenance inhalers are used every day to control symptoms and prevent attacks of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or other breathing problems. Maintenance inhalers include corticosteroids such as fluticasone (Flovent®), flunisolide (Aerobid®), and triamcinolone (Azmacort®), long acting beta-agonists such as salmeterol inhaler and discus (Serevent®), or a combination of both such as fluticasone/salmeterol (Advair®).
Rescue inhalers are used to relieve asthma/COPD symptoms such as shortness of breath, wheezing and chest tightness. Albuterol (Proventil®), ipratropium (Atrovent®), and ipratropium/albuterol (Combivent®) are rescue inhalers that work by relaxing the muscles in your lungs and opening your airways so that you can breathe better.
The best way to control asthma is to prevent it. You can do this by using your maintenance inhalers regularly. Then, if necessary, use your rescue inhaler. The way you use your inhaler can affect how much medicine you actually receive and how well your asthma is controlled. If you're not sure if you're using your inhaler correctly, ask your pharmacist to show you. Also tell your doctor or pharmacist if you feel your inhalers are not controlling your asthma symptoms.