Buy Asthma Inhalers straight from your pharmacist

Your Pharmacist is now qualified to sell you a salbutamol (blue) asthama inhaler after a short consultation in the private consultation room.

This is not an NHS service and you will be required to pay for the inhaler, but there is no need for an appointment and provided you are suitable for the product you can leave with it straight away.

Salbutamol (sal-bue-tar-moll) is a medicine which is used in asthma and bronchospasm.

The information in this Medicine Guide for salbutamol varies according to the condition being treated and the particular preparation used.

Your medicine

In breathing disorders, Salbutamol relaxes muscles in the air passages of the lungs. It helps to keep the airways open, making it easier to breathe.

Inhaled preparations of Salbutamol are fast acting. They can make your breathing easier and relieve bronchospasm within minutes.

Always have your inhaler with you in case you need it. Ask your prescriber or nurse for advice on what to do if you have an asthma attack.

You can use Salbutamol to prevent asthma attacks caused by triggers such as house dust, pollen, cats, dogs and exercise.

When you are having an asthma attack you should use a fast acting preparation of Salbutamol as directed by your prescriber. If your normal inhaled dose of Salbutamol does not give you the same amount of relief then you should contact your prescriber for more advice. They may want you to have additional treatment.

You need to use Salbutamol as prescribed in order to get the best results from using it. The pharmacy label will tell you how much you should take.

Other information about Salbutamol:

• in certain situations your prescriber may advise you to use a higher dose of your medicine than normal
• Do not share your medicine with other people. It may not be suitable for them and may harm them.
• The pharmacy label on your medicine tells you how much medicine you should use. It also tells you how often you should use your medicine. This is the dose that you and your prescriber have agreed you should use. You should not change the dose of your medicine unless you are told to do so by your prescriber.
• If you feel that the medicine is making you unwell or you do not think it is working, then talk to your prescriber.

Whether this medicine is suitable for you

Salbutamol is not suitable for everyone and some people should never use it. Other people should only use it with special care. It is important that the person prescribing this medicine knows your full medical history.

Your prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all if you:

are allergic or sensitive to or have had a reaction to any of the ingredients in the medicine
have a low level of oxygen in the blood
have heartdisease
have thyrotoxicosis
Furthermore the prescriber may only prescribe this medicine with special care or may not prescribe it at all for a child under four years of age.

As part of the process of assessing suitability to take this medicine a prescriber may also arrange tests:

to check that this medicine is not having any undesired effects
Over time it is possible that Salbutamol can become unsuitable for some people, or they may become unsuitable for it. If at any time it appears that Salbutamol has become unsuitable, it is important that the prescriber is contacted immediately.