Fact: Using your inhaler like a perfume spray will not help relieve your asthma or COPD symptoms.
Our Respiratory Health Team sees a lot of different interpretations of how a person understands they should use their asthma medication. The problem is that some of these techniques result in a person not getting the full benefit of their medication or they experience unexpected side-effects.
Fortunately, little adjustments to their technique, such as the timing or strength of their breath, can make a significant difference to how much of their medication is reaching their lungs.
Here are some examples of what NOT to do…
- Spraying medication into a glass of water and drinking it as they did not like the taste of it in their mouth
- Spraying medication in front of their mouth and just breathing in the air – either because they did not like putting the device in their mouth, or this is how they were shown as by someone demonstrating without a device on them at the time.
- Running a nebuliser under a blanket while they sit under it, as it felt like an easier way to give it to a child
- Spraying their reliever medication around their dog, as they were told to use their reliever medication “around their triggers”
Some of these may have you chuckle or shake your head, but they do demonstrate how important it is to have your device technique checked properly as small miscommunications or explanations can lead to medication errors that can have a serious impact on a person’s health and general wellbeing. If you have poor control of your asthma or COPD, or it’s been a while (or never at all) since you had your device technique reviewed book in for a free consultation with one of our experienced Respiratory Health Nurses or Educators by calling (08) 9289 3600 or complete our online form.