To get the maximum benefit from your medicine, it is important to have the correct inhaler technique. Always ask your healthcare practitioner, nurse, pharmacist, or asthma educator to explain how to use your inhaler.
Note: Follow the instructions for how to use your inhaler, contained on the patient information leaflet inside each pack.
Dry powder inhalers are breath activated inhalers and contain medicine in a powder form, with no propellant or carrier added to the medicine. These inhalers do not need to be shaken before use.
Click below to find out how to use dry powder inhaler devices used for COPD:
A Respimat device is a disposable soft mist inhaler. There is no propellant or carrier added to the medicine. The medicine is converted into a fine mist for inhalation.
Read more about how to use this device here.
Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs) are sometimes called aerosol inhalers or “puffers”.
The medicine is contained within a canister in a gas form and housed by a small plastic inhaler device. This type of inhaler needs to be shaken immediately before use to ensure the medicine is mixed with the gas propellant before you use it.
When the inhaler is pressed, a measured dose of medicine is released from the canister, through the mouthpiece of the plastic inhaler.
It is recommended that MDIs are used with a spacer - no matter what your age. Spacers improve the clinical effectiveness of inhaled medications by increasing the deposition of medicine into the lungs, rather than in the mouth and throat.
Read more about how to use MDIs here.
Read more about how to use Spacers here.
