Inhaler Swaps April 2022

Breathing better

At Parklands Medical Practice we really want to do the best for our patients with COPD and asthma, keeping you as fit and well as possible.  We also want to protect the environment, providing cleaner air for you to breathe and reducing carbon emissions.  To achieve all these goals we are planning to switch some of your inhalers to ones which are better for the environment, but which are still the same medication, doing the same job in your lungs. This is not a cost cutting exercise, as if anything these types of inhalers are slightly more expensive than your old ones.

The best swap is from an MDI (metered dose inhaler) to a DPI (dry powder inhaler).  It is the delivery system in MDI inhalers which is bad for the environment and so, in the long term, bad for your lungs.

The swaps

Inhalers which are bad for the environmentInhalers which are good for the environmentLink to demonstrate how to use the new inhaler
NEXThaler

How to use a NEXThaler inhaler | Asthma UK
 Turbohalers

How to use a Turbohaler inhaler | Asthma UK
  Easyhaler

How to use an Easyhaler inhaler | Asthma UK
 Accuhaler

How to use an Accuhaler inhaler | Asthma UK
 Ellipta

How to use an Ellipta inhaler | Asthma UK

We also want to change the device you use for salbutamol.  We realise that this is a difficult thing for many of you, so although the Easyhaler salbutamol would be the best for the environment, we will actually be changing you onto a salamol inhaler which has half the carbon content of Ventolin, but is still the same type of inhaler.  If you would like to change to Easyhaler instead, please let us know and we would be happy to do this.  Salbutamol inhalers are best used through a spacer device if you are having an acute asthma attack.

Worst for environment (26kg Carbon dioxide)Better (11kg carbon dioxide)Best (0.63kg carbon dioxide)

We hope you will find these swaps easy to use, but if you are having difficulties, please do get in touch with us.

Wishing you Good Health,

Parklands Medical Practice



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