How to Use Your Ventolin HFA
(albuterol) inhaler
What is my prescription? Special Instructions
If rescue medication is needed
more than 2 times a week, call
your doctor.
What can I expect while I take this medication?
Ventolin HFA is a quick-relief (rescue) inhaler. It relaxes the muscles around
your airways to prevent or treat bronchospasm. Ventolin HFA will work within
minutes and make breathing easier. After you take your medicine you might
feel jittery.
How and when to prime your Ventolin HFA:
Prime inhaler if new or has not been used in 2 weeks.
Remove cap, shake inhaler for 5 seconds, and spray it once away from you,
repeat for a total of 3 sprays.
How to use your Ventolin HFA:
1. Remove Ventolin HFA cap. Place middle or index finger on top of canister
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and thumb underneath the mouthpiece of the inhaler.
2. Shake inhaler for 5-10 seconds.
3. Breathe out fully (in preparation to breathe in medication).
4. Put the mouthpiece in your mouth and close your lips around it. Do not
block the mouthpiece with your teeth or tongue.
5. Push the top of the canister all the way down one time while breathing in
deeply and slowly through your mouth.
6. Hold your breath for 5-10 seconds, and then breathe out.
7. If your physician has prescribed more than one dose (puff), wait 30
seconds and repeat above.
8. Put the cap back on.
How to clean your Ventolin HFA:
Clean 1 time per week after your evening dose to prevent medicine from
building up and blocking the spray.
1. Remove the cap.
2. Use a clean, dry swab to clean the small circular opening where the
medicine sprays out of the canister.
3. Wipe the inside of the mouthpiece with a clean tissue.
4. Put the cap back over the mouthpiece.
How to use a Spacer: (If recommended for use with your inhaler)
1. Remove mouthpiece cap from your inhaler and shake inhaler for 5-10
seconds.
2. Attach inhaler to spacer and then remove mouthpiece cap from spacer.
3. Hold spacer with the inhaler canister upright.
4. Breathe out fully (in preparation to inhale medication).
5. Tilt head back slightly and put spacer to mouth and close lips around the
mouthpiece (tongue and teeth should not block the mouthpiece opening).
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6. Release medicine into spacer; squeeze down canister one time.
7. Breathe the medication slowly and steadily. Continue to breathe in deeply
until lungs are full (do not breathe out).
8. Hold your breath for 5-10 seconds, and then breathe out. (Repeat as
directed)
Ventolin HFA is used to treat sudden symptoms of your health
condition. Always carry your rescue inhaler with you.
• To learn more about your health condition visit:
[Link]
• To learn more about the Ventolin HFA (albuterol) inhaler visit:
[Link]
Disclaimer: This document contains information and/or instructional materials developed by
Michigan Medicine for the typical patient with your condition. It may include links to online
content that was not created by Michigan Medicine and for which Michigan Medicine does not
assume responsibility. It does not replace medical advice from your health care provider
because your experience may differ from that of the typical patient. Talk to your health care
provider if you have any questions about this document, your condition or your treatment plan.
Patient Education by Michigan Medicine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Last Revised 10/2017
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