How to Use Your Inhaler with a Spacer
Inhaled medicine only helps if it reaches your lungs, so the way you use your inhaler matters. This page shows adults how to use a metered-dose inhaler with a spacer, with a short video and six simple steps.
Dr. David KupferbergPulmonary & Critical Care Physician
Why inhaler technique matters
Many people use their inhaler in a way that leaves much of the medicine in the mouth and throat instead of the lungs. When that happens, an inhaler can seem not to work, even when the medicine is right for you.
That is why Dr. Kupferberg checks how you use your inhalers at your visits.
What is a spacer?
A spacer, also called a holding chamber, is a plastic tube that fits onto a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), the kind that releases a puff of medicine each time you press it. The inhaler goes into an opening at one end, and you breathe the medicine in through the mouthpiece at the other.
A spacer makes the puff easier to breathe in at the right moment and helps more of the medicine reach your lungs.
Video: using an inhaler with a spacer
This video from the Canadian Lung Association shows how to use a metered-dose inhaler with a spacer and mouthpiece.
Using your inhaler with a spacer, step by step
Each time you use your metered-dose inhaler with a spacer:
- Take the cap off the inhaler and shake it well.
- Fit the inhaler into the opening at the back of the spacer.
- Breathe out all the way, away from the spacer.
- Put the spacer’s mouthpiece in your mouth and close your lips tightly around it.
- Press the inhaler once.
- Take one slow, deep breath, and then wait 60 seconds before doing it again.
Bring your inhalers to your visit
Dr. Kupferberg checks inhaler technique at visits. Bring all your inhalers, and your spacer if you use one, so you can show him how you use them.
If you use another type of inhaler, such as a dry-powder inhaler, bring it too: each type of inhaler is used differently.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a spacer?
Spacers are used with metered-dose inhalers, the kind that releases a puff when you press it. A spacer makes the puff easier to breathe in and helps more of the medicine reach your lungs. Spacers aren’t used with dry-powder inhalers. Dr. Kupferberg can tell you whether a spacer suits your inhaler.
Should I stop my inhalers before my appointment?
No. For a regular visit, keep taking your inhalers as usual. Only patients who know they are booked for spirometry or lung volumes stop some inhalers beforehand, and the Breathing Tests page explains how. Bring all your inhalers with you.
How do I know if I’m using my inhaler correctly?
The simplest way is to have it checked. Dr. Kupferberg checks inhaler technique at visits, so bring your inhalers and spacer and show him how you use them.
Sources
Have your inhaler technique checked
Book a visit in Jerusalem or Efrat and bring your inhalers and spacer, and Dr. Kupferberg will check how you use them.
In an emergency, such as severe shortness of breath or chest pain, call Magen David Adom at 101 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Related pages
Asthma
Diagnosis and follow-up of asthma in adults, with breathing tests in the clinic and a written plan.
COPD
Evaluation and long-term care of COPD, with breathing tests, an oxygen check while walking and a plan for flare-ups.
Breathing Tests
Spirometry, lung volumes and walking oximetry in the clinic, with spirometry and oximetry also offered at home visits, plus clear instructions on how to prepare.