If you have a lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inhalers can help you breathe easier by getting medications straight into your lungs. To make sure your inhaler works best, it’s important to know how to use it correctly.
Types of inhaler devices
There are a few types of inhalers:
- Metered dose inhalers (MDIs): These release a puff or spray of medicine. Breathe in slowly and steadily. You can use a spacer (see below) to help get more medication into your lungs
- Soft mist inhalers: These release medicine as a very fine mist. Breathe in slowly and steadily
- Dry powder inhalers (DPIs): These release a very fine, dry powder. You need to take a quick, deep breath in with this type of inhaler.
Inhalers can contain one or more medications. Your doctor will choose the right inhaler for you, considering your medication needs, how well you can breathe it in, and which is easiest for you to use.
Get to know your inhaler
For each of your inhalers, make sure you know:
- How to use it
- When to use it
- How many puffs to take
- What side effects to watch out for
- How to check if it’s low, empty or expired
- How to clean it
- If you need a spacer.
If you’re not sure, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
How to check your inhaler technique
Did you know that up to 90% of people don’t use their inhaler correctly1? Using your inhaler correctly is the best way to get medication into your lungs. This means you get the right amount and have fewer side effects.
It’s a good idea to check how you use your inhaler if:
- Your inhaler doesn’t seem to help your symptoms
- You haven’t had your inhaler technique checked in the last 12 months, face to face by a health professional. Even if you’ve had the same inhaler for a long time, it’s easy to make small mistakes
- Your doctor has prescribed a new type of inhaler
- A mist of medication comes out of the top of the inhaler when you use it
- A mist of medication comes out of your mouth when you breathe out after using your inhaler
- You mostly feel the inhaled medication on your tongue, in your mouth or in the back of your throat
- You’re finding it hard to use your inhaler. A different type may be easier for you to use
- You’re having side effects from your inhaler
- You have any questions about using your inhaler.
Who can check your technique?
Your doctor, pharmacist or nurse can check how you use your inhaler. Get them to show you the right way to use it, check your technique, or suggest a different inhaler. Ask them to check at least once a year, or whenever you get a new inhaler.
Watch how to use your inhaler
Learn how to use your specific type of inhaler correctly with our how-to videos. They’ll help you feel confident that you’re using the right technique and getting the full dose of your medication.
Spacers
A spacer is a tube or chamber between your mouth and your inhaler. It makes it easier to take asthma or COPD medicine from an MDI inhaler. Spacers help you get the most medication into your lungs. This way, less of it ends up in your mouth and throat, which can lead to irritation or mild infections.
A spacer can also make it easier to time when you breathe in after you press your inhaler. They are useful if you have trouble taking in one big breath and holding your breath. If you use a spacer with your puffer, you can use the four breathe technique, breathing in and out gently on the spacer, which you may find easier.
There are many different brands and sizes available. Ask your health professional which spacer might be best for you. Look for one that’s easy to put together and is convenient for everyday use.
How to clean a spacer
Clean your spacer every 2-4 weeks, and always after a cold or flu.
- Take it apart
- Wash it with warm soapy water and let it drip-dry. Don’t rinse it or dry it with a cloth, as this can build up static inside the spacer
- Put it back together once it is dry.
New spacers (such as Able Spacer Universal and Volumatic) need to be washed before their first use. Spacers made from antistatic polymers (such as Able A2A, AeroChamber Plus, Breathe Eazy, La Petite E-Chamber, La Grande E-Chamber and OptiChamber Diamond) do not need to be washed before first use. Neither do disposable cardboard spacers.
Sources
- National Asthma Council Australia (2018), “Inhaler technique for people with asthma or COPD”
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