Lungs · 4 min read · 2026-02-05

How to use an inhaler so the medicine arrives

A large share of ‘inhalers that do not work’ are inhalers that never reached the lung. The medicine hit the tongue.

This page is general education for families in Gurugram. It is not a diagnosis, a medicine list, or a reason to skip a clinician. Doses are deliberately not given.

In plain language

Metered-dose inhalers need a slow, deep breath at the moment of the puff, then a hold. Dry-powder inhalers need a fast, hard breath. These are opposite techniques. A spacer with a puff inhaler removes the need for perfect timing and is the right tool for children and for many adults. Rinsing the mouth after a steroid preventer prevents thrush.

Signs worth noticing

These are the clues families usually notice first. One of them, on its own, is not a diagnosis.

You taste the spray and feel nothing change.
The preventer was prescribed twice a day and is used twice a week.
White patches in the mouth.
You are unsure which inhaler is the reliever and which is the preventer.

What usually sits underneath

The particles have to be small and slow enough to turn the corner into the lungs. A fast puff onto a closed throat lands in the mouth. That is why technique is checked, not assumed.

Care that is reasonable at home

Bring the inhaler to the visit. Demonstrate, do not describe.
If you use a puff inhaler and struggle, ask for a spacer.
Rinse and spit after steroid inhalers. Do not swallow the rinse.
Mark the reliever with a rubber band so a night panic is not spent shaking the wrong device.

These steps are for someone who is otherwise stable. If the picture is changing quickly, skip the home trial and come in.

When waiting is a bad idea

An attack that is not responding. Technique advice is not for that moment. Use the reliever you were shown and seek urgent care.
A child who is distressed and breathing fast.
You have run out of the preventer and are having night symptoms.

How Rao Lokram Charitable Trust fits in

OPD can watch you use the device and correct it in two minutes. Bring both inhalers and the spacer if you have one. OPD runs Monday to Sunday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM at Near Rockford School, Anaj Mandi Chowk, Kadipur Road, Shakti Park, Sector 10A, Gurugram, Haryana. Call 98185 48492 or 70423 28047. There is no appointment form on this website.

Questions people ask

Is a spacer only for children?

No. Adults who struggle with timing do better with one.

How do I know the canister is empty?

Some have counters. Others keep working as propellant after the drug is gone. Know the number of puffs in the device and replace it on that count.

Can I share an inhaler?

No. And do not wash a spacer with a harsh scrub that creates static. Follow the cleaning line you were given.

If this sounds like you, bring the article on your phone if you want, but let the clinician examine you. Old reports and a list of current medicines make the visit shorter.