Where an asthma diagnosis has been made it is vital you are confident in self help. Speak to your nurse about a self help asthma management plan during your next routine asthma review. In an acute asthma attack it is vital to keep calm, go into a calm room, sit down and use your inhalers as taught before. If you have a volumatic or spacer always use it for all inhalers! This helps to bring significantly more medicine into your lungs (see also a video of a children’s asthma inhaler being used).  Put a puff of your blue inhaler into the spacer, take a deep breath and keep it down as long as you can.

Alternatively, if you are very short of breath, just breath slowly and steadily in and out through the volumatic spacer while puffing the blue inhaler. 5-20 puffs of blue inhaler via a volumatic are the same as a nebuliser and can quickly improve symptoms. Side effects are a fast heart beat. Always double your brown inhaler in an acute attack. If you do not improve significantly seek help urgently.