A practical guide to inhalers (COPD)

Hi my name’s Debra and I have a respiratory condition and my GP has prescribed me the Easyhaler. The information that I’m going to give you is a quick basic guide. First off, I recommend that you read and keep the instructions that come with your inhaler. First I’m going to cover a few important points about my inhalers, then I’m going to talk you through how to use it, before I show you how to use it. At the end I’ll talk to you about how I clean and store my inhaler. How I know when it’s empty, and when to order another, what to do if I accidentally miss a dose, or take too much. Or what to do when you actually go to the clinic or the hospital. Some inhalers are given to prevent flare-ups, so take them regularly. They will not prevent flare-ups if only used when your condition gets worse. This is because they can take a few days or more to work. The Easyhaler is a dry powder inhaler. This means that the drug is in the form of a powder which you inhale into your lungs. So this is your inhaler. It has a dust cap And it has a section at the top which actually dispenses the medicine. Check the expiry date on the box. If expired, return to the pharmacist. You should take your inhalers at the same time everyday. And you can take your inhalers with or without food. Stand, or sit upright. And make sure that your head’s in a neutral position. Remove the dust cap, by pulling it away from the inhaler. Shake the inhaler vigorously up and down, 3 to 5 times. Hold your inhaler with your thumb at the bottom and the index finger at the top. Press the top of the inhaler down with your index finger, this releases the dry power into the inhaler. (In this case it is orange but your inhaler maybe another colour) You should hear a loud click. Hold the inhaler away from you and breathe out as much as you can. Do not breathe back in yet. Do not breathe into the inhaler, because this may actually scatter the powder within the inhaler. Put the mouthpiece between your teeth and seal with your lips. Do not bite down on the inhaler. Inhale quickly and deeply. Once you’ve inhaled all the way, remove the inhaler from your mouth. And hold your breath for as long as you can, for a maximum of 10 seconds. And then breathe out slowly. Wipe the mouthpiece with a clean dry tissue. Replace the dust cap And it’s important that you brush your teeth and / or rinse your mouth with water or mouthwash to prevent side effects. This is because your inhalers can cause voice hoarseness or mild mouth infections. (CLICK CLICK, EXHALES, INHALES, EXHALES) If you need to take another puff, then just repeat those steps. Once a week, take a tissue and wipe round about the mouthpiece. You should keep your inhaler somewhere, where it will not get moist or wet. Keep it somewhere, where you’ll remember to take it. So somewhere like your bedroom or the living room, somewhere where you’ll see it, is a good idea. If you forget to take your inhaler and you remember within the next hour or 2 then you can go ahead and take it. However, if it’s longer than this then miss the dose. And get back on track with the next dose. Do not take the missed dose. If you press the top of the inhaler twice by accident. (CLICK CLICK), what to do is just tap the powder out into your hand. And start from the beginning. If you’ve taken too much of your inhaler you must contact a health professional for advice. Your inhaler has a dose counter on the side. And this will count down from 200 or 100, in increments of 10 to 0. Once it gets to 20 it’ll be highlighted in red and this is an indication of when to actually replace your inhaler. It’s important that you actually only order your inhaler when you actually need them, because the drugs can expire. When you’re going to the hospital or the clinic it’s really important that you take all your medicines with you, and your inhalers. Normally what I do is I’ll take a repeat prescription with me, because that’s usually the easiest way.