Does a brown inhaler usually work this quickly?

[Embelline]

Background: DS (4) had chronic cough in 2022 after getting Covid. Eventually got a blue and brown inhaler. Improved massively, came off inhalers early 2023 and has been fine ever since bar the occasional mild cough he shifted pretty quickly. His immune system has also got a lot better as he isn’t sick as much.

however end of December he got a nasty chest infection that came with a cough - DH And I Had it and it’s brutal. He couldn’t shake the cough even after two rounds of antibiotics. The cough then got really nasty, was constant and he was exhausted so they’ve put him back on the blue and brown inhalers temporarily. They think he may have a seasonal asthma which manifests as a cough if he gets triggered by a virus or something.

hes had a dose of the brown last night and this morning and is so much better already. Still coughing but nothing like before and I’m really surprised. I was wondering if this is likely to be down to the brown inhaler as I understood that it took weeks to make a difference?

I only take my brown one when I am ill, otherwise it's not necessary. I find it provides relief by the next day.

I was told it can take 2 weeks to work. But after changing from the brown one to a different one I really noticed a difference.

Interesting thanks. I was wondering if it had had a speedy kind of anti inflammatory affect.

The brown one is a steroid so it is a very quick working 'anti inflammatory' so to speak, so although it doesn't reach it's maximum level immediately, it will definitely help with inflammation which is likely causing the cough.

Ah thank you, I was a bit worried that the cough was getting better on its own so the inhaler wasn’t actually needed as I hate the idea of him being on steroid medicine while he’s still growing but it seems likely as it’s been a very quick improvement

The asthma nurse I used to work with said that brown steroid inhalers should be taken on a regular basis by asthmatics in order to be truly effective.
The blue ventolin inhaler is the 'rescue inhaler'.

It's a steroid so yes it does work quite quickly to help a bad chest.

I was told the same

Yes the blue one gives immediate relief. The brown one is more of a slow burner but helps to control symptoms of taken regularly as the amount of steroid in each puff is low so it accumulates over time.

That was my understanding!