Asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, and obstruction in your airways in response to triggers making it hard to breathe and causing symptoms...
Asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation, and obstruction in your airways in response to triggers making it hard to breathe and causing symptoms like breathlessness, wheezing and coughing. Asthma attacks are relieved and prevented by inhalers, handheld medical devices that deliver vaporised medication straight to your airways and help control symptoms.
There are two main types of asthma inhalers, preventers (brown) and relievers (blue). Blue reliever inhalers deliver medications called Short Acting Beta Agonists (SABAs) to your lungs to relieve symptoms of breathlessness and wheezing when asthma attacks do occur. In contrast, brown preventer inhalers are used daily, regardless of symptoms and help control inflammation in airways to prevent asthma symptoms from occurring. This article goes into depth and describes some nuanced differences between the two.
At Meds For Less, we have many asthma inhaler types. This includes preventers, relievers, combination therapies and much more. They come as Metered Dose inhalers (MDIs), dry powder inhalers or nebulisers. You can buy these medicines easily, conveniently and reliably from our website and expect next day home delivery.
Asthma inhalers are handheld medical devices that deliver medications straight to your lungs to relieve or prevent symptoms of asthma. Asthma inhalers are extremely important in the condition’s management and they come in various types, each one serving a specific purpose. This is a brief overview of the common types of inhalers:
Brown Reliever inhalers (Quick relief) – these inhalers provide immediate relief to the airways during an acute asthma attack by relaxing the muscles around the airways and stop symptoms like wheezing, coughing or breathlessness.
Blue Preventer inhalers (maintenance) – these inhalers use steroids to reduce airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms of occurring over time. Blue inhalers are used daily, even when symptoms are not present.
Purple Combination inhalers (Long term control) – These inhalers are used for regular and ongoing control of moderate to severe asthma and contain medicines such as Formoterol (Long acting beta agonists) and Corticosteroids. These are also used daily regardless of symptoms to prevent asthma exacerbations from occurring.
As well as having different types of inhalers for different purposes, there can be different modes of delivery mechanisms amongst inhalers. These can include metered dose inhalers, dry-powder inhalers, soft mist inhalers or nebulizers.
For more information on asthma inhalers, including different blue and brown inhaler names, their purposes, brands, types and uses, please see our catalogue on asthma products.
Blue Inhalers are the most commonly used short term relieving treatment for asthma. They are designed to provide quick relief from asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. They do this by using medicines called short-acting beta agonists (SABAs) which help relax airway muscle walls during the acute asthma attack.
Although their purpose is to be used as relievers in the case of an acute asthma attack or exacerbation. They can also be used preventively in certain situations such as before exercise (to prevent exercise induced asthma) and also before exposure to known triggers like allergies or cold air.
Blue inhalers are to be used as directed during an asthma attack, this usually involves taking 1-2 puffs if needed. The effects of these inhalers typically lasts for 4-6 hours after use which is typically sufficient time to relieve asthma attack symptoms.
Brown inhalers , also known as preventer inhalers are used to manage and control asthma long term. Preventer inhalers contain medicines like steroids which reduce airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms and attacks from occurring. These preventer inhalers also prevent the remodelling of airways to a more constricted state which can occur due to repetitive asthma attacks and they reduce airway sensitivity to asthma triggers over time.
The most common medications in brown inhalers are inhaled corticosteroids such as Beclomethasone, Budesonide or Fluticasone.
These brown preventer inhalers are meant to be used daily, and for long term regular use. They are meant to be used regardless of the presence of symptoms as their main purpose is to control the chronic effects of asthma.
The benefits of the brown preventer inhalers are that they reduce the need for the blue reliever inhalers, they lower the frequency and severity of asthma attacks and improve overall control of asthma sympytoms.
Both Blue and Brown Inhalers serve distinct purposes in asthma management. Some of the key differences are summarised below.
When looking at the purpose of both inhalers, one must ask what does a blue inhaler do vs what does a brown inhaler do.
Blue inhalers (relievers) use medicines called Short Acting Beta Agonists (SABAs) such as salbutamol or terbutaline to provide quick relief during an asthma attack or when symptoms such as wheezing or shortness of breath occur.
Brown Inhaler preventer are used daily regardless of asthma symptoms and function to prevent asthma symptoms from developing by reducing airway inflammation. These inhalers use inhaled corticosteroid medications (ICS) such as beclometasone, budesonide or Fluticasone to chronically manage airways, reduce inflammation and sensitivity to triggers.
The blue inhalers work within minutes of administration as their function is to provide relief from asthma attacks. The positive effects of these reliever inhalers lasts around 4-6 hours after use. The brown inhaler preventer medicines become effective after days or weeks of cumulative use. The consistent use of steroids in your airways provides long lasting effects against remodelling and airway inflammation.
The blue inhalers should be used on an as needed basis, whenever asthma symptoms or exacerbation occur. The brown inhaler should be used everyday, morning and evening regardless of asthma symptoms to maintain good asthma control.
The correct technique and consistent use of both brown and blue asthma inhalers is essential for effective asthma management. Improper medication use can lower efficacy of the medicines and worsen symptoms. The following is a brief guide and overview on how to use asthma inhalers.
Most asthma inhalers use the metered dose inhaler (MDI) mode of delivery. This is an inhaler attached to a small canister which you press while breathing in to take in the medicine. The following steps demonstrate how to use this MDI.
Some people may need to use a spacer along with their MDI. A spacer is a chamber that holds the inhaler medicine after its release and allows easier delivery into your lungs. The administration technique with a spacer is as below.
For more comprehensive instructions on how to use inhalers, including any special adjustments that need to be made for you; please discuss with your healthcare provider or check the asthma inhaler guide, included with the patient information leaflet.
Both the blue and brown asthma inhalers are generally safe to use when prescribed, however like all medications they can cause some side effects. Understanding these side effects and necessary precautions to be taken when using these inhalers allows safe and effective use.
Common side effects of Blue Reliever Inhalers include:
Less common side effects of Blue reliever inhalers include:
Precautions of blue inhaler use:
Common side effects of brown preventer inhalers include:
Precautions of use with brown preventer inhalers include:
Choosing the right inhaler for you depends on factors such as your asthma symptoms, triggers, frequency of attacks and overall health management plan. You should work in consultation with your healthcare provider to determine which inhaler is right for you, some factors you can consider when doing so include:
Blue inhalers (Relievers)
The Blue inhaler purpose is to provide relief from immediate asthma attacks. These inhalers are best for occasional use during an asthma exacerbation. They can provide you relief from symptoms like wheezing or coughing by relaxing the muscles of the airways. Sometimes they can be used preventivley, (i.e before exercise or known trigger exposure). Therefore blue inhalers may be right for you if you are using them sparingly to treat an asthma attack.
Brown Inhalers (Preventers)
The brown inhaler use is ideal for long term control and prevention of asthma symptoms. While these inhalers are not used in immediate settings for the relief or your asthma attacks, they are taken consistently every day regardless of symptoms to reduce airway sensitivity and prevent attacks from occurring.
These inhalers are best if you have persistent attacks (more than once or twice a week) or if nighttime asthma symptoms disturb your sleep. They are optimal to reduce the need for blue inhaler use or to prevent regular flare-ups. You may also use brown inhalers if there are persistent triggers for your asthma such as persistent allergens, pollution or respiratory infections.
Combination therapy
For moderate to severe asthma symptoms, your doctor may prescribe you both the blue and the brown inhaler. The blue inhaler will be used during asthma exacerbations whereas the brown inhaler will be used daily to prevent flare-ups from happening. This combination of treatments can be very effective in managing asthma.
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe you a purple inhaler, these are combination therapy inhalers and can help manage your asthma better. Combination therapy inhalers contain both beta agonists for muscle relaxation (as in reliever inhalers) and corticosteroids to reduce airway inflammation (as in preventer inhalers). These inhalers may be needed if you have more severe asthma that needs more control
When choosing your inhaler, you may also wish to consider costing and prices offered by different companies. For more information on prices offered at Meds for Less you can check out our catalogue page with inhaler products such as Blue Inhaler Clenil or Brown Inhaler Bricanyl and others. You can also compare prices with other brands such as the superdrug asthma inhaler and that of other companies to determine which one suits you the best.
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