How Asthma Inhalers Work

What are Asthma Inhalers?

Asthma inhalers are hand held devices used for the treatment of asthma, and are considered to have transformed asthma care. They consist of a pressurized canister containing the medication, which seats in a plastic body which has a mouthpiece. The medication itself is released from the inhaler in the form of a fine mist, by squeezing the canister or by direct inhalation. These Metered Dose Inhalers deliver the correct amount of medication to the lungs with an improved chance of it reaching the airway.

Metered-dose asthma inhalers use a chemical propellant to push the medication out of the inhaler, and into the mouth. The asthmatic needs to know the correct procedure for breathing in and out in order to affect an efficient deployment of the medication into the lungs and airway.

Dry powder inhalers, work by the patient placing their lips on the mouthpiece and then inhaling extremely rapidly. Some people find this type of inhaler easier because hand-lung coordination is not required with the dry powder inhalers, as it is with the metered-dose inhalers.

These inhalers can be used to deliver a wide variety of medications, with the most common being: short-acting bronchodilators, long-acting bronchodilators, corticosteroids, cromolyn or nedocromil, and corticosteroid plus long-acting bronchodilator.

Instructions for the use of an inhaler will depend upon which type of inhaler you are using, and it is incredibly important, that inhalers are used properly. Many people don't find it possible to take their asthma medication regularly, but no matter how difficult it may seem, it is necessary to avoid more serious problems later on. If necessary, you can always consult your physician and ask them for a demonstration on how to use the inhaler properly.