The Role of Inhalers in COPD: Types and Proper Use
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
4 March, 2025
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a medical condition where a mutated gene causes less water to be used when producing mucus in the body. This results in the mucus being thick, which means it will clog up different parts of your body. The areas that get most affected include the pancreatic islets- impacting the production and secretion of insulin, in the lungs- preventing you from breathing freely and in the digestive system- where nutrients don’t get absorbed properly by the gut. Since breathing becomes hard, inhalers become a necessary tool of management.
How To Use A COPD Inhaler Correctly?
An inhaler is an instrument which dispenses a fixed amount of a drug when used. The drug normally helps in widening the airways or reducing inflammation and uses specialised ingredients to achieve this effect. For people with COPD especially, inhalers can be life savers because the drug is swallowed into the airway, like a puff of smoke and then it gets to work immediately. There are different kinds of inhalers that are used in different situations. But, here is how you should use an inhaler correctly-
You first need to shake the inhaler well. You should then press down on the canister with your index finger, so that medication can get released. Once you are confident that a white puff is coming out of the mouthpiece, put the inhaler in your mouth with the mouthpiece and press down on the canister. Breathe in deeply and then hold for 10 seconds. If you notice a white puff escaping from above, it means you have NOT inhaled the medication properly and you need to repeat the steps again. You should then wipe the mouthpiece clean and then close it with the cap given.
There are different kinds of inhalers available for use these days- metered dose inhalers (MDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and soft mist inhalers (SMIs) respectively. These inhalers may also be classified into short acting and long acting ones, where the drug you inhale acts for a short period of time or for at least 12 hours or slightly longer.
Difference Between Rescue And Maintenance Inhalers For COPD-
Rescue inhalers or short acting inhalers can be used when you are symptomatic, so that you can breathe and return to some normalcy. This means they will be used for emergencies only. Maintenance or long acting inhalers are used as a preventive measure, so that you won’t have to deal with a flare up and need to be used daily or as prescribed by the doctor. This is how long-acting and short-acting inhalers for COPD are used, to help manage symptoms effectively.
The drugs used generally help the airway stay open and reduce inflammation. Some examples include salbutamol, terbutaline which are beta-2 agonists, and ipratropium which is an antimuscarinic inhaler for short acting inhalers. Long acting inhalers contain more potent drugs like salmeterol, indacaterol, formoterol, aclidinium, tiotropium etc. Steroid inhalers can also be used if you still don’t notice an improvement in your symptoms.
Side Effects Of Inhalers Used In COPD Treatment-
Some common side effects include having a sore throat, having a headache, a dry mouth, tachycardia and not being able to sleep properly.
Conclusion
A COPD inhaler needs to be used only as prescribed by a doctor as the drugs can have side effects. There are different kinds of inhalers, depending on the type of the inhaler and how the drug is administered and how long the active ingredient can work in your system. Different kinds of propellants and sprays are used to deliver the medication into the lungs. It is important to use the right technique while using an inhaler as not doing so means your symptoms will get worse and the drug will not enter the lungs to do the needful.
