Inhalers are small, portable containers that dispense inhaled medication for the treatment of respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Inhaled medications are beneficial because they can be applied directly to the inner tissue of the lungs, bypassing the processing that normally takes place in the digestive organs (with pills or other ingested medication). Because the medication takes such a direct route, side effects are generally much less severe with inhaled medications.

In addition, inhalers are able to deliver medications to the specific area where it is needed most – lung tissues. This allows a person to take a lower dose of medication in an aerosolized form than they would with a tablet or capsule (because the dose is not diluted as it travels through the rest of the body).

A device known as a spacer may be used with some inhalers to increase their effectiveness. A spacer is a small tube that fits over the mouthpiece of an inhaler. When the inhaler is used, the medicine is sprayed into the spacer, where it becomes an even finer mist. It is then inhaled out of the spacer and into the lungs.  Spacers can also make it easier for young children or the elderly to use certain inhalers.

For individuals who have difficulty using inhalers, a physician may recommend a nebulizer. Nebulizers use pressurized air to convert liquid medicine into a mist but the medicine can be inhaled gradually with several breaths.

Inhalers are used to deliver several different types of medications, including:

• Short-acting bronchodilators. Medications that quickly relieve asthma symptoms by opening breathing passages. These are considered “rescue” medications because they are designed to instantly relieve the symptoms of an asthma attack. They are usually not taken long-term.
  
  
• Long-acting bronchodilators. Medications that open airways less quickly than short-acting bronchodilators but for longer periods of time. They are designed to minimize inflammation and prevent asthma flare-ups before they occur and are usually taken long-term.
  
  
• Corticosteroids. Medications that reduce the inflammation associated with breathing problems by enhancing the body’s ability to counteract symptoms. They are used to treat asthma symptoms over long periods of time.
  
  
• Mast cell stabilizers. Medications effective at treating mild or moderate inflammation in the bronchial tubes. Formerly common, these medications are now rarely used in asthma treatment.
  
  
• Corticosteroid plus long-acting bronchodilator. Medications that combine corticosteroids with long-acting bronchodilators to be used in the long-term treatment of asthma and other lung-related problems.

Metered dose inhalers (MDIs) that administer the drug albuterol (a type of bronchodilator) are currently being phased out of the U.S. market. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered their removal from the market by 2009 because they contain an environmentally dangerous propellant known as chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), which damages the ozone layer. A new type of inhaler, known as the hydrofluoroalkane-based (HFA) inhaler, offers the same albuterol in a different delivery vehicle (one that does not damage the environment). This will not lead to any significant change as far as the patient is concerned.