Confused regarding inhalers

[poppym12]

A few years ago I was half heartedly diagnosed with copd due to some lung scarring from pneumonia. I was given a brown and a blue inhaler and have been mostly fine. Odd major flare up if I've had a heavy cold or when hay-fever has been bad.

I have annual spirometry tests at my surgery and have been told to keep doing what I'm doing as my peak flow readings are very good.

Recently the practise had a new nurse and they're convinced I actually have asthma rather than copd due to spirometry and history.

I've still got the same inhalers and use them as I did. Two puffs of blue followed by two puffs of brown twice daily and blue as and when needed (oddly enough at around this time of day every day).

I've been reading on asthma UK that the ventolin is only to be used when needed as a reliever but I was originally told to use it before the preventer to open up the airways to allow the steroids to get into the lungs better. Is this common or am I doing it wrong?

Am I taking the blue one unnecessarily morning and evening so in effect using too much ventolin? Why does my chest feel tight and wheezy at around the same time each day when I'm often just sat relaxing?

What you’re doing is exactly what my son has to do, he sees the doctor regularly and that’s what they always tell me, if your asthma isn’t bad tho that seems a lot. My son he’s terrible asthma, his brown in 50mg strength, what’s yours?

My ds recently had an asthma check up & they told me that from now on to only use the blue when he was wheezing/struggling.

He's now on 100mg brown inhaler 2 puffs morning & 2 puffs evening.

So far so good but I'll see how he goes over the winter.

They told me if he needs the blue daily then the brown is the wrong one.

Mum son is a severe asthmatic too. I have been given the same advice as above. If you need your blue day to day, your preventer isn’t the one for you. My son has worked his way through light to dark brown, light purple to dark purple, to purple spiro inhaler to white sirdupla which touch wood is doing the trick.

When he has flair ups, we are told to give him blue before his preventer to open the airways up allowing the blue to get in more efficiently.

I could probably just check with your consultant that they meant to take blue daily.

I'm pretty asthmatic (I take the heftiest dose of inhalers that can be prescribed by my GP surgery, if anything worsens then I have to go back to respiratory consultants) - the latest guidelines say that using the "reliever" on more than three occasions in a week means your asthma isn't well controlled. If this is the case there are many other steroid inhalers (and other medications) that can be used instead in order to get to the stage where the reliever isn't needed.

I have a pink/purple inhaler which I think is a mix of reliever and preventer after using the brown one stopped being effective

Is this no blue inhaler daily a new thing? My ds has got appointment 2/11 so I’ll have to check :/ this is what I’ve always been told and he’s 12 now

@Studyinghell logically, if asthma is well controlled, the patient shouldn't need to be using drugs to further open their airway regularly - they need a different preventative medication instead

Thanks, will be talkin to doctor about this @ next appointment

Thank you. Food for thought. I was told that the brown one wouldn't go 'in' properly without using the blue one first. I didn't realise current guidelines seem to be not using the blue more than 3 times per week (if possible).

No idea when my next review is so I may try just using the brown twice daily without the blue to see how it works.

My brown one, Clenil modulite, is 100mcg studying.

OP, I’d definitely be using your inhalers how you’ve been told to. If you wheeze daily, then maybe it’s right for YOU that you need to open the airways before taking your steroid inhaler, in order to get the medication where it needs to be.
Everyone is different, and every patients medication is tailored specifically to them. Both my children are under respiratory consultants, yet neither are taking the same medication or dosage.
If concerned, maybe give your gp/nurse a call and discuss over the phone. That’s what they’re there for.

Thanks flossie. I didn't take blue ones last night or first thing but I soon began to feel tight and wheezy so I'll definitely carry on as I have at least until my next check at the clinic.