LIVING WELL WITH ASTHMA
Instructions for Using an MDI Without a Holding Chamber
To make your breathing better, you
MUST take your medicine as explained
below. Following these instructions
puts more of the medicine into your
lungs. This will help you breathe
easier and feel better.
Ask your health-care provider or
pharmacist to show you how to place
your inhaler into or in front of your
mouth and how to coordinate your
inhalation with the spray. Also ask
how many doses of medicine your
MDI contains when it is full. If it does
not have a built-in dose counter, keep
track of how many doses you use so
you can refill your prescription before
you run out of medicine. Before using
your MDI, please read the instructions
that came with it, and follow the
priming and cleaning directions
carefully.
1
5
SHAKE WELL
STEP 1: Take the cap off your MDI.
Check for and remove any dust, lint,
or other objects. Shake the MDI well, if
instructed in your patient information.
HOLD BREATH
STEP 5: Hold your breath for 10
seconds. If you cannot hold your breath
for 10 seconds, hold your breath for as
long as you can.
6
2
WAIT 1 MINUTE, SHAKE
EXHALE FULLY
STEP 2: Sit up straight or stand up.
Exhale fully, emptying your lungs as
much as possible.
3
STEP 6: If you need to take another
puff of medicine, wait 1 minute. After 1
minute, shake the MDI again if patient
instructions recommend it, and repeat
steps 2 through 5.
7
HOLD UPRIGHT
STEP 3: Hold the inhaler upright with
the mouthpiece at the bottom and
the top pointing up. Position it in or
in front of your mouth as instructed
by your health-care provider or the
medication’s patient instruction sheet.
Some recommend holding the inhaler
1 to 2 inches away from your open
mouth; others recommend putting the
MDI mouthpiece between your teeth and
closing your lips tightly around it. Be
sure to keep your tongue out of the way
of the spray.
4
INHALE SLOWLY
STEP 4: Begin to inhale slowly, then
activate the inhaler a split-second later.
If you wait too long, you won’t have
enough breath left to inhale the medicine
deep into your small airways. Continue
inhaling slowly for 3-5 seconds or until
your lungs are full.
20
RINSE IF CORTICOSTEROID
STEP 7: Recap the MDI. If your
medicine is a corticosteroid, rinse
your mouth with water after you have
taken your last puff of medicine. Make
sure you spit the water out – DO NOT
SWALLOW IT.