આ પાનું મશીન દ્વારા અનુવાદિત છે
આ અનુવાદ હજી કોઈ ડૉક્ટરે તપાસ્યો નથી. અર્થ સાચો હોવો જોઈએ, પણ કંઈ અસ્પષ્ટ કે ખોટું લાગે તો અંગ્રેજી મૂળ વાંચો.
અંગ્રેજી મૂળ વાંચોMost people whose inhaler seems not to work are using it wrongly, and the medicine lands in the mouth instead of the lungs. A spacer fixes most of the problem by itself.
પરિચય
- Shake the inhaler, then breathe out fully before you start
- Press and breathe in slowly at the same moment — not one after the other
- Hold your breath for about ten seconds afterwards
- Wait about half a minute to a minute between puffs
- Use a spacer if you have one, and rinse your mouth after a steroid inhaler
An inhaler only helps if the medicine reaches the small airways. Studies of technique consistently find that a large share of people using a pressurised inhaler get much less than the intended dose into the lungs, and the usual reason is timing: the puff is released and the breath comes a moment later, so the spray hits the back of the throat and is swallowed.
The sequence that works is this. Shake the inhaler. Remove the cap and check the mouthpiece is clear. Breathe out gently but fully, away from the inhaler. Put your lips around the mouthpiece and seal them. Then press the canister and begin a slow, deep breath in at the same instant, continuing to breathe in for several seconds. Take the inhaler out, close your mouth, and hold your breath for about ten seconds — or as long as is comfortable — before breathing out.
If a second puff is prescribed, wait about half a minute to a minute, shake again, and repeat the whole sequence. Two puffs fired back to back behave like one wasted puff.
A spacer — the plastic chamber the inhaler plugs into — makes all of this much easier, and if you have been given one, use it. The puff goes into the chamber first and you then breathe it in over two or three slow breaths, so the exact timing no longer matters. It also cuts down how much medicine lands in the mouth. For children and for older people, a spacer is not an optional extra; it is usually the difference between a dose that works and one that does not.
Dry powder inhalers work the other way round. They need a quick, forceful breath in rather than a slow one, because your own breath is what lifts the powder. If you have been switched between the two types, check which you have, because the correct technique is opposite.
After any inhaler containing a steroid — the brown, orange or purple preventer inhalers, as opposed to the blue reliever — rinse your mouth with water and spit it out. This prevents a fungal infection called thrush, which shows up as white patches and a sore mouth and is the commonest avoidable side effect of preventer inhalers.
Two practical points. Check the dose counter if your inhaler has one; the old trick of floating it in water to guess how full it is does not reliably work and can block the valve. And if you find yourself reaching for the blue reliever inhaler more than about twice a week, that is a sign the underlying asthma is not controlled — it is a reason to see a doctor, not a reason to carry a spare.
વારંવાર પુછાતા પ્રશ્નો
How do I know if I am using my inhaler correctly?
The two commonest errors are not breathing out fully first, and pressing the canister before starting to breathe in. Ask a doctor, nurse or pharmacist to watch you use it — this takes a minute and is the single most useful thing you can do, because technique is almost impossible to judge from the inside.
What is a spacer and do I need one?
It is a plastic chamber that the inhaler fits into, so the puff sits in the chamber and you breathe it in over a few slow breaths. It removes the need for precise timing and delivers more of the medicine to the lungs. For children and older adults it makes a substantial difference, and anyone who has been given one should use it.
Why should I rinse my mouth after using an inhaler?
Only after a steroid preventer inhaler. Some medicine inevitably settles in the mouth and throat, where it can allow a fungal infection called thrush to develop. Rinsing with water and spitting it out prevents this. A blue reliever inhaler does not need it.
Can I take two puffs one after the other?
Leave about half a minute to a minute between them and shake the inhaler again. Two puffs fired immediately together largely waste the second one.
How do I know when my inhaler is empty?
Use the dose counter if there is one, and keep a rough note of when you started it. Floating the canister in water to judge the level is unreliable and can let water into the valve. If an inhaler feels like it is doing less, replace it rather than relying on the feel.