Inhaled Medications
Most COPD medications are delivered by an inhaler. When you breathe
You can find explanations in the medication through the inhaler, it goes right into the airways of
of how each of these the lungs. Inhaled medications work to open airways by:
medication delivery systems •
•
•
work on the following pages.
Relaxing tight muscles around them
Decreasing swelling in the airways
Reducing mucus
A complete list of all brand name and generic inhaled COPD medications is included in
the pocket at the back of this guide.
There are four types of inhaler delivery devices:
• Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs), pressurized devices that release medication in
a fine spray
• Dry powder inhalers (DPIs), breath-actuated devices that release a fine,
powdered medication (single dose and multi dose)
• Soft mist inhalers (SMIs) (Respimat ® ), propellant-free devices that release a
metered dose of medication in a fine mist
• Nebulizers, which break liquid medication into a fine mist that can be inhaled
slowly
How each delivery system works is explained on the following pages.
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