The middle of summer usually brings with it warmer days and nights with little cool respite between days. The heat of the season can be a trigger for many people with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Anecdotal reports from our consumers seem to indicate that this season has been particularly bad for people with respiratory conditions and as the days heat up, so is the danger of having your medications overheating, effecting their efficacy.
Many people store their asthma meds in a close by and convenient spot, which is often on a windowsill or worse in their car; these are two of the most damaging places to leave your medication in summer. Medications can lose their efficacy if they are overheated, hence most advice on the packaging is to store in a cool, dry place. Extreme heat (or cold) can render the medication ineffective. In addition to this, temperatures over 50 degrees, which the inside of a car often reaches, can not only affect the medication, but the propellant in asthma puffers can cause the canister to burst.
It’s recommended to ensure your inhaler is at room temperature when you use it. If it is too hot, give it as much time as possible to cool down naturally before administering the dose. Do not put it in the fridge or freezer to accelerate it to cool down. A quick trick to warm it is to use the residual heat from your hands by holding the inhaler between your hands before use to bring it to room temperature.
As a final reminder, just remember an asthma rescue kit can’t rescue you if it’s tucked away in a hot glove box. Keep cool in the heat everyone!