How do you know if an inhaler is empty if there is no dose counter?
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1. Counselling Conundrum: a real question from a patient
2. Concise Conclusion: a straight-forward patient-friendly answer
3. Quick Wrap-up
Clearly, there are nuances that may not be captured in this format. The goal here is to provide you with helpful counselling tips which often draw from multiple sources or those which are not commonly accessed by busy healthcare providers serving the community.
Counselling Conundrum: "My blue puffer doesn't say how much is left. How do I know it's empty? My friend who's an RN said it sinks in water when it's empty, is that true?"
Concise Conclusion: Unfortunately, the only reliable way is to keep track yourself, or use a device you can buy separately that tracks it for you. Trying to determine if an inhaler is empty by shaking or floating in water isn't reliable, and water can get into the inhaler and cause damage.
Quick Wrap-up: Many MDIs now have a dose counter, but older ones like salbutamol and fluticasone unfortunately still do not. For relievers, it's tricky as use is generally sporadic, but for controllers you can help by pointing out the day it was filled and subtracting doses based on that date.
Dive Deeper
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