What is the difference between the albuterol in my new nebulizer and the albuterol in my rescue inhaler?
I am speaking in general here, this is not medical advice specifically for you as you should ask your health care provider….BUT albuterol in your nebulizer and in your rescue inhaler is the same medicine with a different delivery method. Research indicates they both work equally well, experience says the nebulizer works better than the inhaler when the patient is having an asthma exacerbation. Not everyone has a nebulizer, usually only pateints with asthma bad enough to warrant it. Typically the rescue inhaler is used on a “regular basis” meaning you carry it in your purse for a “flare up” and the nebulizer is researched for the inhaler does not seem to be helping enough. The inhaler is more convenient, too. The guidelines state that a patient who is using their rescue inhaler more than twice a week does not have his/her asthma under good control and probably needs preventative treatment and should be re-evaluated by their practitioner.
