Inhaler Use

To get the most from your INHALER you have to USE it right. Spraying it wildly around in the air is no help to you; the medication has to reach your lungs.

	Step 1: After shaking your inhaler, remove the cap and space it from your face about 2 finger breaths away.
	Step 2: Breathe out all the air you can from your chest.
	Step 3: Now press down the top of the canister and as the medication sprays out take as deep a breath as you can, then close your mouth and hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds if able. Repeat once.

Inhaler Care

Gas canister Inhalers are water tight and can be briefly washed with tap water and soap. For dry powder type inhalers it is safer to clean with a wet towel to avoid wetting the contents.

If you have recently had a cold you should clean the mouth area of your inhaler before putting it away for storage to prevent reintroducing the infection to yourself the next time you use your inhaler.

Gas canister inhalers are best stored out of the sun and heat to prevent loss of their propellant.

If you haven't had a recent asthma attack, you still need to remember to check your inhaler at least once every six months to see that it is still in working order and that its contents haven't expired - written numerically on the side of the canister.

How to know when your Inhaler has Run Out

Gas canisters can be hefted and shaken to feel their weight, but a more reliable method is take it out from the delivery shell and drop it in bowl of water. If it floats up at the top like a log it is empty. If it sinks to bottom like a submarine it is full.

Dry powder inhalers will show an indicator which should be specified in the literature that comes with your inhaler.

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