In: Nursing
Rescue inhalers and maintainence inhalers contain two different types of medicines for different purposes.
A rescue inhaler is one used to provide quick relief when asthma symptoms flare up, making it feel like it's hard to breathe all of a sudden. It can relief acute symptoms like chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath etc. A rescue inhaler is used for short-term relief, but doesn’t improve any long-term asthma issues. Rescue inhalers mostly contain albuterol that are short acting and provide instant relief for acute attack of asthma.
However, on the other hand the maintenance inhalers work by reducing airway inflammation, which helps to breathe easily. On using every day, they reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks, but they cannot treat an attack once it has started. This is mostly inhaled corticosteroids.
Hence, to reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks maintainence inhalers are used. But once an acute attack has started, rescue inhalers containing short acting bronchodilators prove instant relief. However, it has no long term benefits. This explains the use of both inhalers.