If you have asthma, you know how important it is to have an inhaler that gets you back to breathing normally. Even when you do everything right, an asthma attack can come out of nowhere and stop you in your tracks. It doesn’t help that sometimes the inhaler you’ve been prescribed has stopped keeping your symptoms at bay the way it used to.

To help you keep your airways clear, Pharmacy Planet has compiled a guide to the best inhalers available to buy online in 2024.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a long-term, chronic inflammatory disease that makes it difficult to breathe. When you breathe, air is taken in through your nose or mouth where it then travels down the throat and into the airways before reaching your lungs. The lungs are the stars of your respiratory system and are responsible for getting oxygen into your bloodstream.

If you have asthma, your airways become inflamed and make it harder for you to take in enough air and oxygen to breathe clearly. There are different types of asthma, and the symptoms can vary in their level of severity. Some people may experience persistent, daily symptoms while others only have occasional symptoms.

When asthma symptoms flare up, the airways swell up further, the muscles around them tighten, and mucus fills the airways. Also known as an asthma attack, the airways become so narrow that air struggles to pass through. Most people imagine an asthma attack coming on suddenly, but it’s possible for the symptoms to develop slowly over the course of several days.

Signs that you may be suffering from an asthma attack include:

• Your asthma symptoms (coughing, chest pain, wheezing) are significantly worse than usual
• Being too breathless to speak
• Trouble catching your breath
• Breathing faster than normal
• A low peak flow score
• Medicine isn’t relieving your symptoms

You’re at a higher risk of further flare-ups in the days after an asthma attack so you should avoid your triggers and frequently use your peak flow meter.

Asthma Classifications

Asthma is classified by the severity of the symptoms and how often they occur. Knowing the classification of your asthma can help with determining your best course of treatment. You should regularly check in with your GP because your asthma can change over time, requiring treatment adjustments.

• Mild Intermittent Asthma: Mild symptoms that occur up to two days per week and up to two nights per month.
• Mild Persistent Asthma: Symptoms that occur more than twice per week but not more than once per day.
• Moderate Persistent Asthma: Symptoms once each day and more than one night per week.
• Severe Persistent Asthma: Symptoms that occur throughout the day on most days, with frequent symptoms at night.

Asthma Treatment

If you’re on the right asthma treatment, your symptoms will be highly manageable and you’re your chances of experiencing an asthma attack will be significantly reduced. Long-term control and prevention are the cornerstones of managing asthma and preventing asthma attacks. You’ll also need to identify your triggers and take steps to avoid them. Medications are vital to keeping your asthma symptoms at bay, with most asthma sufferers using a device called an inhaler. Inhalers spray medicine into your mouth while you breathe in, allowing it to enter your airways quickly and easily.

There are two main types of asthma inhalers:

1. Preventer inhalers
2. Quick relief inhalers

Preventer Inhalers

These are used on a daily basis to keep your asthma under control. They can’t be used to treat sudden, acute asthma symptoms or asthma attacks. You may need to take them for several days or weeks before you notice a difference in your symptoms. They contain a low dose of steroid medicine called corticosteroids that reduce swelling and inflammation in your airways. Preventer inhalers are usually brown in colour.

Quick Relief Inhalers

These inhalers are used to treat acute symptoms of asthma and asthma attacks. You may also use them before participating in exercise. They contain a short-acting bronchodilator medicines that widen the airways and are usually blue.

If you’re finding you have to use your quick relief inhaler on a regular basis, make an appointment with your GP to discuss changing your preventer inhaler. Keeping a diary or using an app to record how many puffs you use each week can help you monitor this.

Poor management of asthma can lead to a serious condition known as airway remodelling. This causes the lungs to become permanently scarred, making it difficult for air and asthma medicine to move through your airways.

The Best Asthma Inhalers

Finding the right asthma inhaler can make all the difference in managing your symptoms and enjoying a better quality of life. We have a selection of the best asthma inhalers available on the market. From better effectiveness to user-friendly design, these inhalers are proven to provide immediate symptom relief and improve the quality of life for asthma sufferers.

1. Ventolin Inhalers: Ventolin inhalers are reliever inhalers that provide effective short-term relief from asthma symptoms and asthma attacks. They can also be used to prevent symptoms caused by exercise-induced asthma. It contains salbutamol, a bronchodilator, which can eases breathing within five minutes of use. Ventolin is available as an Accuhaler, a plastic device with a 60-blister strip, and as an Evohaler, a pressurised metal device.
2. Clenil Inhalers: Clenil inhalers are preventative inhalers that are used daily to provide long-term control of asthma symptoms. It contains a corticosteroid that works by reducing inflammation in the airways to ease breathing.
3. Trimbow Inhalers: Trimbow Inhalers are a triple therapy preventer inhaler that contains three different ingredients to treat asthma, including a corticosteroid. The recommended dosage is two puffs twice a day, usually taken as two in the morning and two in the evening.
4. Airflusal Forspiro Inhaler: Airflusal contains two active bronchodilators, salmeterol and fluticasone. Together they keep the airways open and improve breathing. It’s a preventer inhaler that can help with the long-term control of asthma as well as reduce the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

Where Can I Buy Asthma Inhalers Online?

You can find these inhalers and more at Pharmacy Planet. We stock several effective and affordable asthma inhalers to help you breathe easier. Visit us today to buy a nebuliser, a Ventolin Inhaler and an Accuhaler online in the UK.