How long inhaler

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Primary Care. Mental Health. More Button Icon Circle with three vertical dots. It indicates a way to see more nav menu items inside the site menu by triggering the side menu to open and close. Ashley Laderer. Inhalers expire after about a year. Expired inhalers are not dangerous to use, but they may be less effective, which may be dangerous in situations of an asthma attack. Is stress a trigger for asthma? You may receive prednisone if you have an acute asthma attack.

Learn how to prevent asthma attacks. Find out about alternative asthma treatments and what the research says about their effectiveness. If your asthma treatment regimen is no longer working, you may consider using an alternative. Find out if essential oils like peppermint and clove, or….

Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Type 2 Diabetes. Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm. How are medicine expiration dates determined?

Tips for proper storage. Safe disposal of unused medication. Read this next. Asthma Medications. Asthma Symptoms. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data.

Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. When you have asthma , it's important to know how long your inhaler medications will last and to be able to gauge when you are running out.

While some inhalers have a counter to help you keep track, others don't, leaving it up to you to calculate how much more use you can get out of them. This can be particularly challenging for rescue inhalers, which are used sporadically and only as needed. You'll know when a preloaded inhaler is empty; these inhalers typically contain from 50 to doses of medication and will eventually just run out, at which point you obviously should get a refill.

But metered-dose inhalers MDIs or HFCs contain a chemical that will continue to spray even after the medication is used up, meaning you may be using it without actually getting treated if you haven't been tracking your doses. How you store your inhaler and when it expires also factor into how long your inhaler will last you. Maintenance inhalers, also called controllers, are used regularly to prevent asthma symptoms. Rescue inhalers are what the name suggests—they contain medication to be taken to quell symptoms or assuage a sudden asthma attack.

Whether or not your inhaler has a counter to track doses depends on the specific medication you are prescribed, not which of these types of inhalers you are using. Inhalers with a counter will keep track of the amount of medication remaining in the device. The Flovent HFA inhaler , for example, has a counter that shows how many sprays of medicine are left in the device.

The counter starts at and counts down by one each time you spray the inhaler. The counter will stop counting at , at which point the manufacturer recommends that you don't use it anymore. Even if you only have to use salbutamol occasionally, keep your inhaler with you all the time in case you have a sudden attack.

Almost everyone who has asthma or COPD is prescribed a bronchodilator inhaler or "reliever" inhaler to help their breathing. Salbutamol and terbutaline work as well as each other. However, the inhalers may look different. If you have difficulty using a salbutamol inhaler talk to your doctor. Switching to a terbutaline inhaler may be an option for you. In most cases, you will also be given another inhaler to "prevent" your symptoms and you should use this regularly every day.

Salbutamol is a very safe medicine. There's no evidence that it does any lasting damage to your body even if you use it for many years. It's a good idea to keep a diary of how often you need to use your salbutamol inhaler. That way you can discuss how it's helping your asthma or COPD with your doctor or nurse. Keeping a diary will also help you know when to order a replacement inhaler. Some inhalers contain a fixed number of doses and it's not always obvious when they are empty.

There's no firm evidence to suggest that taking salbutamol will reduce fertility in either men or women. Salbutamol does not affect any type of contraception including the contraceptive pill and emergency contraception. Try not to smoke. Smoking irritates the lungs and will make your breathing problem worse.

Speak to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you're finding it hard to stop smoking. There is help available on the NHS. Salbutamol can make you feel dizzy or shaky. If this happens, do not drive, cycle or use tools or machinery until you feel better.

Page last reviewed: 23 October Next review due: 23 October Salbutamol inhaler - Brand names: Ventolin, Airomir, Asmalal, Easyhaler, Pulvinal, Salamol, Easi-Breathe, Salbulin On this page About inhaled salbutamol Key facts Who can and cannot use salbutamol inhalers How and when to use your inhaler How to use your inhaler Side effects How to cope with side effects of salbutamol inhalers Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about salbutamol inhalers.

About inhaled salbutamol Salbutamol is used to relieve symptoms of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD such as coughing, wheezing and feeling breathless. This medicine is only available on prescription.

Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today? Salbutamol inhalers are safe and effective with few side effects if you use them as advised by your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

Salbutamol inhalers are called "reliever" inhalers because they give you quick relief from breathing problems when you need it. In most cases, you will be given another inhaler to "prevent" your symptoms and you should use this regularly every day. If you need to use your salbutamol inhaler more than 3 times a week, it could be a sign that your breathing problem is not well controlled.

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Salbutamol is safe to use in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Salbutamol can be used by adults and children of all ages. Salbutamol is not suitable for people with certain health problems. Check with your doctor before starting salbutamol if you: have had an allergic reaction to salbutamol or any other medicines in the past take other medicines including ones you buy from a pharmacy, herbal remedies or supplements have a rare inherited digestive disorder of galactose intolerance, the Lapp lactase deficiency or glucose-galactase malabsorption.

This is because many salbutamol products contain lactose. Do not have lactose if you have these conditions If you have a lactose intolerance, however, the amount of lactose in salbutamol products is too small to cause you any problems.