What should you know about a brown asthma pump?

Brown is often used for inhalers containing an inhaled corticosteroid, although colours and devices vary between brands and countries. The medicine works in the airways over time; it is not designed to give rapid relief during a sudden attack. Some people need a separate reliever inhaler, while others have a combination inhaler prescribed for both prevention and relief. Check the label and ask a pharmacist if you are unsure which inhaler you have. Asthma may cause wheezing, cough, chest tightness, or breathlessness, and allergic rhinitis or house dust mite allergy can aggravate symptoms.

Use the inhaler on the schedule prescribed, even when you feel well. Follow the device instructions: prepare the dose, breathe out away from the mouthpiece, seal your lips, and breathe in as directed. A spacer can make a metered-dose inhaler easier to use. Rinse your mouth and spit afterwards if the medicine contains a steroid. Keep track of doses and arrange a review if symptoms continue, night waking develops, or you need your reliever more often. Do not stop a preventer suddenly without medical advice.

Call emergency services for severe breathing difficulty, inability to speak in full sentences, blue or grey lips, marked drowsiness, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening. Use your personalised asthma action plan if you have one. Arrange prompt medical review for repeated wheezing, persistent cough, chest tightness, or a brown inhaler that seems ineffective. Nebuliser treatment may be considered by clinicians in acute or urgent care, but it is not a substitute for an agreed asthma plan.

Ask which inhaler is your preventer, how many doses to take, whether a spacer suits your device, how to recognise poor control, and what to do if you miss a dose or develop an attack.