How to Treat Asthma With a Nebulizer
A nebulizer is a machine used to treat asthma symptoms. Like an inhaler, a nebulizer delivers medicine directly to your ailing lungs, but that's where the similarity ends. While an inhaler relies on a patient's ability to coordinate taking a deep inhalation with depressing the aerosol tube to deliver a metered-dose of medication, a nebulizer does the work for you. That's why it's often used to treat asthma in children and to treat severe asthma symptoms.
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Instructions
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Talk to your doctor about the benefits and disadvantages of treating your asthma with a nebulizer. For some people, using the medicated-mist delivery system of the nebulizer is the best treatment option, while others may get more medical benefit from oral asthma medications or dry-powder inhalers. Your doctor can help you determine which will help you breathe best.
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Ask for prescriptions not only for the liquid medications to use in the nebulizer, but for the nebulizer itself. Many insurance companies will pay for necessary medical equipment, but only with a valid prescription and authorization from a physician. Ask your doctor's office to help you push through an authorization if you are having difficultly getting permission for purchase from your insurance company.
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Purchase the type of nebulizer that best fits your needs and lifestyle and read the directions carefully. Assemble all the parts and test the machine before you will need to use it. Likewise, make sure you know how (and which) medications to mix in the nebulizer cup and whether or not you will need to add saline to them.
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Treat severe asthma attacks with the nebulizer. When you don't have the strength to use your emergency inhaler, or need to ease your breathing quickly, place your "emergency" medicine in the nebulizer cup. Put the mask over your face or place the mouthpiece between your lips and turn the machine on, letting the mist settle in your lungs as you inhale and exhale slowly.
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Prevent asthmatic flare-ups by using the nebulizer for preventive daily treatments. One of the benefits of a nebulizer is that it delivers medicine slowly and evenly, which allows the medicine to settle in your lungs. For this reason, many patients with asthma use the machine for daily treatments of anti-inflammatory medications.
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Tips & Warnings
Store liquid asthma medications out of the reach of small children, even if it is their medication. Accidentally drinking the medicine instead of inhaling it can be dangerous.
