As part of a weekly series, in association with LloydsPharmacy, Suresh Bagga from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor answers your common medicine queries…
Suresh Bagga, from LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor, gives expert advice
Q: I seem to need a new reliever inhaler more often than before. Should I be worried?
If your asthma is well controlled, your blue reliever inhaler – used when you have asthma symptoms – should last four to six months. Guidelines issued by the British Thoracic Society and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), state that a reliever inhaler should not be used more than two to three times a week. If you’re using it more than that, or if you need it when you are being active or at night time, see your GP, as this is a sign your asthma is not as well controlled as it could be. You might need to change your inhaler or drug dose, or it may be you’re not using your inhaler correctly.
Q: My friend has two inhalers, a brown and blue one; why do I have just a blue one?
Under the latest guidelines, all patients should be on a steroid inhaler – the brown one – to prevent asthma symptoms. If you only have a blue one, this could be because your symptoms are very mild and you rarely get them. However, as having a brown inhaler is now step one of the asthma management programme, talk to your GP.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.