Inhaled bronchodilators
Open the airways to make breathing easier — the reliever type usually works quickly.
Why it gets prescribed
Used in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as relievers or as maintenance depending on type.
What to watch for
Needing the reliever more and more often is a sign the condition is NOT well controlled — a reason to be reviewed, not a reason to buy another inhaler.
Stopping — read this before you stop anything
The maintenance type must be used regularly even when you feel well — it works by being taken consistently, not by being taken when breathless.
Tell the prescriber and the pharmacist
Poor inhaler technique means the medicine never reaches the lungs — the most common reason an inhaler "does not work". Ask someone to watch you use it.
Worth asking
- Please watch my inhaler technique
- Which is the reliever and which is the maintenance one
- How many reliever doses a week is too many