What should you know about inhalers for wheezing?

Wheezing is a musical or whistling sound caused by air moving through narrowed airways. Asthma and COPD can cause recurring wheeze; infections such as acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis can also contribute. Allergy-related swelling may cause wheeze, and sudden wheezing with facial swelling or difficulty swallowing may signal anaphylaxis. A reliever inhaler can open narrowed airways quickly when prescribed for that purpose. A preventer reduces inflammation over time and is not a substitute for urgent help during a severe attack. The same sound can have different causes, so a borrowed inhaler may delay the right care.

If wheezing is new, recurrent, or linked to exercise, dust, smoke, infection, or animals, book an assessment. Keep a record of triggers and associated cough, chest tightness, fever, or breathlessness. Use your own inhaler according to its written plan and check that your technique is correct. A spacer may improve delivery for some metered-dose inhalers. If a clinician recommends nebuliser treatment, follow the setting and instructions provided; it is not automatically stronger or safer than an inhaler. More background is available under [Wheezing](/symptoms/wheezing/) and [Asthma](/conditions/asthma/).

Call emergency services for severe breathlessness, inability to speak normally, blue or grey lips, collapse, confusion, or rapidly worsening wheeze. Treat wheezing with hives, throat or tongue swelling, vomiting, or sudden dizziness as an emergency because it may be anaphylaxis. Seek urgent advice if the prescribed reliever is not giving the expected relief or is needed more often than your plan allows.

What is causing my wheeze? Which inhaler is for immediate relief, and which is for prevention? Could I benefit from a spacer or a written action plan? How can I tell an asthma flare from an emergency allergy reaction?