What’s It Like to Take the Rescue Inhaler Albuterol for Asthma?
Key takeaways:
Albuterol (ProAir, Proventil, Ventolin) is a rescue inhaler used to treat asthma attack symptoms like wheezing, coughing, and difficulty breathing.
People who use it tell GoodRx that albuterol can bring relief in just a few minutes.
The rescue inhaler works by relaxing the muscles around the airway, which widens the airway.
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An asthma attack can make you feel like you can’t breathe. If you have asthma, you may be prescribed a rescue inhaler — such as albuterol (ProAir, Proventil, Ventolin) — to relieve symptoms of an attack.
Albuterol works by relaxing the muscles around the airway. That widens the airway, which allows people to breathe more easily. Here’s how three people describe what it’s like to use this rescue inhaler.
Exercise-induced asthma slowed her down
Becky Timbers, a 37-year-old blogger and mountain bike coach from Rhode Island, says the first time she felt asthma symptoms, it was like breathing through a straw.
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She felt like she couldn’t get enough air through her lungs.
She was mountain biking with friends, and the feeling caught her off guard. She’d grown up as a high school athlete who was a goalie in soccer and lacrosse. As she got older, she stayed active with yoga and then mountain biking. Yet, at the age of 31, she was suddenly having a difficult time breathing while riding her bike uphill.
“At first, not being able to keep up with everyone else was tough because I wasn’t sure what was going on with my body,” she says.
Becky decided to see her doctor, who diagnosed her with exercise-induced asthma and gave her a prescription for albuterol. The first time she used an albuterol inhaler before her next mountain bike ride completely changed her breathing.
“I felt like I had a lung transplant after using an inhaler,” she says.
“The albuterol made a world of difference for my breathing on bike rides. I don’t need it every day. But if I’m going on a bike ride, I always have an inhaler with me.”
Becky has no negative side effects from taking albuterol outside of a slight boost in her heart rate. She also makes sure to use a spacer (a clear plastic chamber with a mouthpiece) to help the medication reach her lungs. She says the hardest part about taking albuterol is simply remembering to take it.
“Adventure has always been important to me. I’ve kind of built my life on being able to do that,” she says. “Figuring out that there’s a reason why it feels harder sometimes has been a game changer.”
Keeping an inhaler on hand is a safety net and precaution
Paul Connolly, a 60-year-old marketing and sales professional from San Francisco, doesn’t like to go anywhere without his albuterol inhaler. Paul will keep an inhaler in his car, one in his backpack, and a few around his house so he’s prepared.
“Albuterol is an insurance policy for me when I do have an asthma attack,” he says. “My asthma isn’t debilitating, but I like to bring an inhaler with me everywhere I go.”
Paul has been taking albuterol for more than 20 years and finds his asthma is usually triggered by his allergies to things like cats and pollen. While he can’t control the allergens that trigger his symptoms, keeping an inhaler with him gives him the same reassurance that an EpiPen (epinephrine) does for people with severe allergies. It’s a precaution.
But, there have been a few times where Paul wasn’t prepared with an albuterol inhaler. On a trip to Amsterdam, he stayed the night at a friend's house. He slept on the couch, and in the middle of the night, he had trouble breathing. His friend’s cat did a great job of hiding while Paul was visiting.
“That really ruined my whole vacation because I was there for a week and this happened on day 3. I couldn’t do much the rest of the vacation and was kicking myself because I didn’t have my albuterol with me,” he says.
Now, he always brings a rescue inhaler as travel insurance. It helps him to go from wheezing to breathing in a few minutes.
“The only challenge with albuterol is remembering to bring it with me,” he says.
Albuterol gives her a feeling of ‘relief’
Lisa Sass, a 31-year-old public relations account executive from Arizona, has lived with asthma since she was 4 years old. Asthma runs in the family, and someone always had a rescue inhaler on hand.
Today, Lisa also takes a medication called Trelegy Ellipta (fluticasone/umeclidinium/vilanterol). Trelegy is a maintenance inhaler that she takes daily to help prevent symptoms. But it doesn’t replace a rescue inhaler. Lisa uses albuterol as needed for asthma attacks.
“When I need to use albuterol, I really need to use it,” Lisa says. “When I don’t use albuterol and have difficulty breathing, it’s almost like something is stuck in my throat.”
Lisa says her triggers for asthma range from hiking to cold weather, dust, or allergies.
Having albuterol on hand makes her worry less about having an attack.
“I would use the word ‘relief’ to describe how I feel after taking albuterol, mainly because I feel like I’m not holding anyone up anymore."
What does the pharmacist say?
Christina Aungst, PharmD
Pharmacy Editor
Albuterol is a commonly prescribed rescue inhaler known as a bronchodilator. It’s an essential medication for people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It works fast to help relieve sudden symptoms like wheezing or trouble breathing. And it can be life-saving when people experience severe asthma attacks.
Albuterol typically kicks in within 15 minutes and can last for up to 6 hours. Typically, people use 1 to 2 puffs at the first sign of symptoms. But if you’re taking it to prevent symptoms triggered by exercise, you should take your dose about 5 to 10 minutes beforehand.
Many people with asthma take both a rescue inhaler and a maintenance inhaler. Both play important roles in asthma treatment. Maintenance inhalers are taken every day to help prevent symptoms. Rescue inhalers, like albuterol, are taken only when symptoms happen.
Albuterol is generally well-tolerated. Many people are able to use this rescue inhaler without problems. But tremors, nervousness, and a rapid heartbeat are all common side effects. These are temporary and should go away as your dose wears off.
If you have a history of heart problems, your healthcare provider may ask you to watch your heart rate at home after using your inhaler.
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