| Load a dose of medicine |
- For single-dose inhalers, load a dose by taking a pill out of its packaging and putting the pill into the inhaler. Then push 1 or more buttons on the inhaler to poke holes in the pill.
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- For multiple-dose inhalers, load a dose by sliding a lever or twisting part of the inhaler. Loading a dose should decrease the counter on the device by one. This means a dose is ready to be inhaled.
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- Once the dose is loaded, maintain your inhaler in the correct position - some inhalers need to be held upright, but others need to be horizontal. The dose may be lost or spilled if the inhaler is tipped over after loading.
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| Medication delivery |
- Open the device or take off the cap to expose the mouthpiece, if necessary.
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- While holding the inhaler away from your mouth, breathe out (exhale) fully. Do not exhale into the mouthpiece.
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- Put the mouthpiece between your lips. Breathe in quickly and steadily through your mouth, as deeply as possible. Do not breathe in through your nose. You might not taste or feel the medicine, even when you are using the inhaler correctly. If your device has air vent holes, do not cover those holes while inhaling through the device.
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- Remove the device from your mouth and hold your breath for about 10 seconds (or as long as you comfortably can).
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- Breathe out slowly (away from the mouthpiece).
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- If you are supposed to take 2 puffs of your inhaler, load/activate another dose and breathe it in.
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- Rinse your mouth out with water, gargle, and spit out the water.
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| Device maintenance and storage |
- After use, close your inhaler or replace the cover or cap. Make sure the device is fully closed before storing.
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- For single dose inhalers, you often need to dispose of the used dose. Please refer to the package insert.
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- Pay attention to the number of doses you have remaining. For multi-dose devices, observe the counter to determine when you need a refill on the device. For single dose devices, monitor the number of individual doses remaining.
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- Store your inhaler in a cool, dry place.
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- Dry powder inhalers generally do not require internal cleaning. The mouthpiece may be wiped off with a dry cloth. Please refer to the package insert for additional device-specific instructions.
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