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Original poster

Is inhaling with a nebulizer in any way better than inhaling with a spacer?

36 replies

emkana · 01/11/2006 19:21

Because I own a nebulizer now and I was wondering whether I should ask the doc to prescribe the medication for ds to be used in the nebulizer?
Does anybody know?

OP posts:

singersgirl · 02/11/2006 20:18

And just to clarify, we certainly didn't use the nebuliser for maintenance, but only for exacerbations. And he was always checked by the doctor. Mind you, I got very good at checking respiration rate and wheeze after 3 hours etc.

The first time DS2 was admitted to hospital at 18 months he needed hourly nebs plus oxygen for 3 hours, then 2 hourly etc.

BonfireNemo1977 · 02/11/2006 20:40

Agree that neb is not for day to day/a little chesty. Also can empathise with emkana as DD is 10mths now and have had the asthma probs form 3wks old resulting in number of hospital stays, steroids and trips just to use neb when inhaler/spacer combo have not dont anything to relieve breathing. I think in very young babies the spacers are very difficult to administer as half the struggle can be to keep the spacer face mask over your childs face to encourage breathing. With nebuliser because it is administered with a slight mist you can hold the mask by the face without it having to be right over mouth and nose. I do agree about seeking advice from gp/consultant as we will be doing but am waiting for DD to be a little older before I stop the hospital runs.

nightowl · 02/11/2006 20:54

ds was so poorly when he was younger and in hospital every couple of months, one of my family bought him a nebulizer. dr then told us he wouldnt prescribe anything to put in it, we shouldnt have been allowed to buy it and it sat unused ever since. so what's that all about then?

Original poster

emkana · 02/11/2006 22:49

You shouldn't have been allowed to buy it?
Wtf?
I can see this happening with us now, shame my mum bought it for us.
You could sell it on ebay, German doctors like to prescribe meds for home nebulizer use.

OP posts:

Original poster

emkana · 02/11/2006 22:51

Nemo1977, has it ever been discussed with you to give a longterm course of low-dose antibiotics? The doc at the hospital said that the specialist might prescribe this for ds.

OP posts:

mooshy · 03/11/2006 00:32

Nebuliser is def. a lot stronger than spacer.My gp advised us to buy a neb. but we did a lot of research and decided to refuse.Basically i thought i would be tempted to use it maybe when not entirely necessary, and that if dd was wheezing that badly anyway we would rather she was seen by a doctor and not treated at home.We did occassionally put 10 puffs of ventolin into a spacer as that is a stop gap to get through night ect. before seeing gp in the morning.Otherwise a&e for required treatment.

singersgirl · 03/11/2006 11:46

Home nebulisers are common in the US and certainly in Singapore - again, not for maintenance, but for acute exacerbations. I know there are risks attached to their misuse, but it was fantastic for us.

singersgirl · 03/11/2006 11:54

Oh, and I also meant to add that once we had the home nebuliser, DS2 never got so bad that he needed oral steroids again - whereas he ended up needing them with each attack beforehand. He had 4 courses of oral steroids between September and May, when, after his second hospital admission, we got the home nebuliser. He was then getting a higher does of inhaled steroid as well as the bronchodilator.

He is 5 now and has not needed a nebuliser for 18 months - we didn't use it all last winter, though he is still on 3 types of preventer.

suedonim · 03/11/2006 16:26

We were given a nebuliser by the hospital for ds2 because his asthma was so bad. (He had brittle asthma which is difficult to control) He used it regularly for years, upping the dose when he was really bad. The main side effect was that having extra doses of ventolin made him shaky at times. He also took nebulised steroids. It kept him out of hospital though was a PITA in that we had to lug it everywhere with us and it even went on a week's school trip!

Original poster

emkana · 03/11/2006 19:37

I will ask the lung specialist what he thinks when we finally get to see him.
Still five weeks to go until then.

OP posts:

mixformax · 07/11/2006 20:11

Iwas given a nebuliser for DS3 (age 5). GP was concerned that he/I might use it just for convenience when really he needed medical attantion but I just have to bear that in mind. Still better than being hospitalised on Boxing Day cos we couldn't use nebuliser n GP's half-manned surgery! I only use it when DS3 is so distressed in an attack that he can't use inhaler/spacer properly anyway.

It does enable me to get the wheeze under control so that he can take a big enough breath to get some inhaler.

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