Do Asthma Inhalers Work as Well as Nebulizers?

Experts have said there is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating asthma.

My 3 kids and I all have asthma, and all have different inhalers that we feel work best for us.

But with asthma medicines - what works best? 

 

Do you prefer an inhaler or a nebulizer? 

There are researchers who have shown that an asthma inhaler works just as well as a nebulizer for treating asthma.

Do I think they are right? 

Nope.

I know they are researchers and they have their professional opinions and the science to back it up. But did they include people with different types of asthma? Mild, moderate and severe? 

 

Did they include people who have been hospitalized for asthma, or just someone who uses their inhaler once a year? 

 

Asthma is different for everyone, and what may work for one person may not work for another.  

I know what's best for me and my body 

There are times when I am so sick that I can only breathing shallow (I can't take in a deep breathe). 

 

In fact, if I try to breathe deeply, I will start coughing so hard I can't seem to catch my breathe and I almost throw up.

So, when that happens, I literally CAN'T use my inhaler because I can't breathe in deep enough to inhale the medicine. But -  I can sit on the couch and slowly breathe in the mist from the nebulizer while I try to stay calm. 

 

(Staying calm is not easy when you are desperately trying to breathe....)

Yes, I know that a nebulizer takes more time. But, if you can't breathe in deeply to use an inhaler, what choice do you have?!

 

My kids also do better with a nebulizer

When they were little and either headed to the hospital/or had just been discharged from the hospital, they were very weak and breathing was a BIG job. They couldn't breathe in deep enough to use an inhaler. So, we used the nebulizer.

I also liked being able to give them a breathing treatment while they were sleeping. We had an oxygen monitor, and I would check on them often during the night when they had pneumonia. If their oxygen level was low, I would plug in the nebulizer near their bed, hold the mask to their face while they slept and give them a breathing treatment.

 The nebulizer is our Go TO when asthma flares up.

So, what works best for you? Inhaler or nebulizer? 

 

Talk to your doctor and she can help you decide what's best for you. Even if it's not what the researchers say you should be using...you can be a rebel like me and disagree!