Inhaler Users' Biggest Mistakes

Many people who take medicine for asthma and other lung disease patients are using inhalers incorrectly, new studies show. WSJ's Sumathi Reddy explains on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero. Photo: iStock

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[Ash-ywkz]

The worst part is when you are coughing so bad and have to hold your breathe for some seconds after using it : )

[mintybusby]

I should mention one important thing: People use inhalers a lot in movies. I've never once seen them use one correctly. Do not assume you know how to use an inhaler because you've seen them used in the movies.

[DMarie-ygmb]

This upsets me. I was hospitalized with asthma, was given a spacer to attach to the inhaler....for several years using the spacer made my symptoms 90% better. Recently lost the spacer and now using the inhaler without my asthma is awful. Doctors should give EVERYONE a SPACER!!!!

[geraldreeves]

Thanks for telling us we’re doing it wrong but not telling us how to do it right

[LaFaveBros]

"Not taking a deep enough breath" haha no shit! If I need to use my inhaler in the first place how can I take a deep enough breath? Comical.

[sulla]

Step 1: Shake inhaler (If you can flick it like a tin of chew, even better)
Step 2: Exhale as far as possible
Step 3: At the bottom of your exhale, push the med canister down and simultaneously inhale as deeply as possible
Step 4: Hold breath for 20 seconds
Step 5: Slowly exhale with a final deep inhale after the exhale
Step 6: Enjoy your new lungs

Also, that new attachment for inhalers may seem all fine and dandy but for the price you’re better off getting a nebulizer and paying a 6th of the cost for an on the go inhaler.

[theripleyeffect]

I would add rinsing your mouth and gargling with water after exhaling the medication. Drink a sip of water after your mouth is clear and this protects the vocal cords from powder and or steroids.

[BleedForOdin]

Been using my inhaler but I'm not thrilled with the resoults, maybe I should take the cap off before using it

[JennHeartsYou]

It’s kind of hard to have precise coordination when someone is struggling to breathe.

[PlayRightParent]

A doctor prescribed me an inhaler, I never used one before. I asked her how to use it and she didn’t know, she said ask the pharmacist. And this was an MD in the US.

[mynameisawesomeman]

what this tells me is that someone needs to come up with a better medicine delivery mechanism...

[CitadelRunner]

LOL. Not a single description of how to do it properly.

[dorasmith]

How in God's great name, can you POSSIBLY have an entire piece on "Inhaler users biggest mistakes" and never illustrate a mistake, and spend NO time showing us how to properly use the meter! Just literally yada yada yada, two women chatting or something, on and on, no meaning whatever, never gets to the point.

[SassyO]

I’ve had asthma since I was 5. I’m now 46. I’ve just found out via a routine chest X-ray I have a slight scolitoic thoracic spine - which will cause issues with being able to take deep breaths. Of If I had known this as a kid I could have had corrective treatment to assist with correcting my spine. I may have had asthma because of my physiology.

[ashleyervin]

I have sensonal asthma. (When the air gets cold I do not breath deep enough causing asmatic problems and even fluid build up) At first I cannot breath deep enough to get all the meds. Here is what I do. First puff breath in and out three times and then take the five minutes. During the five minutes I concentrate on breathing deeply. Then I take the second puff in which I am able to breath deeply and hold my breath. When I exhale no medicine is lost. When you exhale there should be no material leaving the mouth.

[frbny]

Please rinse your mouth with water after using your inhaler, every time! Nobody told me this and my asthma medication was eating away at the enamel on my teeth. I’ve had issues with my teeth my entire life, no matter how hard I try to take good care of my teeth, and not understanding why until a dentist told me a couple years ago.

[joelmorder]

The biggest problem is it seems like every year they charge more for the same dose, same amount, and same product. Been using Flovent and just paid over twice the copay I did last year. Same insurance too.

[davidzugspitzfan]

I'm using a spacer - and have it always in my bag (thats no problem because i always have my bag with me)! My debut was 15 years ago where iI was hospitalized. Then 15 years with nothing, no - then in March 2023 i was hospitalized, and then the doctor insisted, that i would have to use a spacer. And since then i have had ZERO asthma attacks! SO now i´m told from my doctor to use the spacer for life! (Mornings and Evenings). Result: not a single asthma attack!
For me the right treatment is Innovair/Foster in a spacer!

[Astrogamezz]

Hey- chronic brittle asthmatic here, it’s the worst asthma you can get and I have been hospitalised for 3 years.. the reason why people don’t use an inhaler properly is because we can’t breathe properly in the first place.. we take the inhaler because we cannot breathe properly… you cant expect us to take a massive breathe when wheezy, especially people like me, I only have one working lung and it’s very hard to take a deep breathe, I recommend a spacer because it is so much easier to use and it’s way more efficient, I always use the spacer and you should too

[janellelin]

Watching this video because I haven't used an inhaler in ages but my asthma relapsed😐