What should you know about combination inhalers for asthma?

The anti-inflammatory component helps control swelling and sensitivity inside the airways. The long-acting airway-opening component relaxes airway muscle and helps keep the passages open. These inhalers are usually controller medicines, not a substitute for every person's rapid-relief inhaler. The exact device, dose and schedule depend on your asthma pattern and other medicines. Cough, wheezing and chest tightness may signal asthma activity, but those symptoms can have other causes too.

Use the inhaler exactly as prescribed, even when you feel well, and ask a clinician or pharmacist to watch your technique. Check whether it needs shaking, priming or a spacer, and rinse your mouth after a steroid-containing inhaler when instructed. Keep track of symptoms, night waking and use of your reliever. Reduce triggers such as smoke and known allergens; Allergic Rhinitis and House Dust Mite Allergy may be relevant. Do not change the dose or stop suddenly without advice.

Arrange review if symptoms are increasing, you wake at night, activity is limited, or you need your reliever more often than your plan allows. Seek urgent help if breathing is very difficult, you cannot speak comfortably, lips look blue or grey, or your reliever is not providing the expected improvement. Nebuliser Treatment may be used by a clinical team in some urgent situations, but it is not a replacement for an asthma action plan.

Which inhaler is my controller and which is my reliever? Can you check my technique? What should I do during an asthma flare? Could my cough or wheeze have another cause?