Quick-relief inhalers

Do they work?

Yes, a quick-relief inhaler is the best way to help your child's breathing when they get asthma symptoms. These inhalers are called relievers and are usually blue. They contain medicines such as such as salbutamol or terbutaline.

If your child has mild asthma, one of these inhalers may be the only treatment they need. They'll be able to use their inhaler whenever they get asthma symptoms.

What are they?

Quick-relief inhalers (salbutamol or terbutaline) are the main treatments used to improve breathing in children with asthma. They act fast so your child should find it easier to breathe within a few minutes of using their inhaler. But their effects don't last very long.

If your child gets wheezy during exercise, a puff or two from one of these inhalers before they start may help prevent the wheezing. In general, though, quick-relief inhalers such as salbutamol or terbutaline are for treating asthma symptoms, not preventing them.

Your doctor may refer to these drugs as bronchodilators because they open up (dilate) the airways (bronchial tubes).You may also hear them called either fast-acting or short-acting inhalers.

Quick-relief asthma treatments such as salbutamol and terbutaline are usually breathed in through an inhaler (puffer). They also come as tablets or syrup. But they work faster as inhalers because the drug gets straight to your child's lungs, which is where it is needed.

There are many different quick-relief inhalers. The common ones are (with brand names):

• salbutamol (Ventolin, Airomir)
• terbutaline (Bricanyl).

These inhalers are usually blue.

Sometimes a doctor may give a child a dose of salbutamol or terbutaline to help diagnose asthma. If the drug helps the child's lungs work better, then this is usually a sign that he or she has asthma.

Your doctor may also ask you to keep a record of how often your child needs to use a quick-relief inhaler. If your child needs a quick-relief inhaler three times a week or more, they may need a preventer medicine too (probably a steroid inhaler).[1]

Young children usually need a spacer device attached to an inhaler or nebuliser to take their inhaled drug. That's because it can be hard for them to use the same inhalers as older children. It can take quite a bit of coordination to press down on an inhaler and breathe in at the same time. To learn more, see How to take asthma drugs.

How can they help?

When your child gets asthma symptoms such as wheezing, a quick-relief inhaler should make their symptoms better and help them breathe more easily. Salbutamol and terbutaline inhalers work fast: usually within a few minutes. But their effects last only a few hours.[2]

Why should they work?

Can they be harmful?

Your child may get headaches and trembling, especially of the hands, and your child's heart may beat faster. More rarely, children taking these drugs get dizzy or light-headed. Inhalers are less likely to cause side effects than pills or syrup, because very little of the inhaled drug gets into your child's bloodstream. However, side effects are more likely if your child inhales a high dose.[2]

Children who use a quick-relief inhaler (salbutamol or terbutaline) can become 'high' and hyperactive. Don't be surprised, for example, if your child has trouble getting to sleep if he or she uses an inhaler just before bedtime.

What's the evidence for quick-relief inhalers for asthma attacks?