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Monthly Feature
Are you taking your medication correctly?
October, 2007
Are you taking your asthma medication correctly? According to a new study presented at the American College of Chest Physicians 2007 Symposium, 1 out of 3 patients with asthma or COPD use their dry powder medication incorrectly.
Dry powder medication, also referred to as your diskus inhaler or your long acting inhaler, relies on the patient inhaling quickly to activate and deliver the medication to the lungs and into the airways. Frequent misuse of the asthma medication can lead to incorrect doses and increased the risk of an asthma emergency.
Dr. Wieshammer and colleagues from the University of Heidelberg in Germany observed 224 patients with asthma or COPD using one of four common DPIs - Aerolizer, Diskus, HandiHaler, and Turbuhaler. They found that about 32% used their inhaler incorrectly and misuse increased with age.
If you are using an inhaler for asthma of COPD, make sure to bring your asthma medications with you to your doctor appointment and ask your doctor or asthma educator to show you how to use your medication. Even if you have been taking your asthma medication for a while, it’s still helpful to ask.
*It’s also important to remember that your quick relief inhaler might be changing soon. Due to laws regarding the use of CFCs, pharmaceutical companies are now producing quick relief medications that are safer for the environment. These inhalers, while very similar to the CFC inhaler, are different and you should talk to your doctor about how to use it correctly. As of December, 2008, you will no longer be able to obtain the CFC inhaler.
