How long does inhaler therapy take to work for asthma?

Reliever inhalers relax the muscles around narrowed airways, so wheeze, chest tightness and breathlessness may improve quickly. Preventer inhalers reduce airway inflammation over time and are taken regularly even when you feel well. A lack of improvement can reflect the wrong inhaler, an incorrect technique, an untreated trigger or another cause of breathlessness.

Use each inhaler at the prescribed time and ask a clinician to watch your technique, including spacer use if recommended. Keep a record of daytime symptoms, night waking and reliever use. Do not stop a preventer because you feel better without discussing it. Read more about Asthma and Inhaler Therapy.

Follow your written asthma action plan during worsening symptoms. Seek emergency help if breathing is severely difficult, you cannot speak normally, your lips look blue, you become drowsy, or your reliever is not helping. Arrange a review when symptoms repeatedly return, disturb sleep or require more reliever than advised.

Ask which inhaler is for immediate relief, how to use it correctly, when improvement should be reviewed, and what signs mean your plan needs changing. Check whether allergies, smoke, workplace exposure or exercise are contributing triggers.