Can You Use an Expired Inhaler? An Overview of the Risks
Key takeaways:
It’s not recommended to use an expired inhaler. It might not be safe and effective for your symptoms. Some inhalers also shouldn’t be used after they’ve been out of their foil packaging for a certain period of time — even if it’s before the labeled expiration date.
Make sure to store your inhaler at room temperature (68°F to 77°F) and away from humidity. Humidity and fluctuating temperatures can affect how well your inhaler works. Proper storage helps maximize your inhaler’s shelf life.
Expired inhalers can generally be discarded in the trash or at a drug take-back location. But know that some inhalers aren't safe to toss in your regular household trash. To be sure, call your local waste company and ask what’s allowed.
Table of contents
Inhalers are used for a number of health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Some are meant to be used every day, while others only need to be used on an as-needed (PRN) basis. With varying ways to use an inhaler, there might be times when your inhaler still has doses left, but it’s past the expiration date.
In general, you shouldn’t take expired medications. But what about inhalers?
Can you use an expired inhaler?
No, you shouldn’t use an expired inhaler.
Just like with any other medication, drug manufacturers give their inhalers an expiration date. This is the last day they can guarantee an inhaler is still safe and effective to use. Past that, the inhaler might not work as well. This is because the medication inside an inhaler can break down or change over time. The inhaler’s quality can’t be guaranteed at that point.
There are three main types of inhalers:
Metered-dose inhalers (MDIs): MDIs, such as Ventolin (albuterol), contain a liquid medication inside a canister. These devices propel the medication out as a breathable spray.
Dry powder inhalers (DPIs): DPIs like Advair Diskus (fluticasone / salmeterol) contain an inhalable dry powder inside a capsule or disk.
Soft mist inhalers (SMIs): SMIs, such as Combivent Respimat (ipratropium / albuterol), contain a liquid medication. These devices spray out medication like a mist.
Expiration dates: All medications and supplements have expiration dates — not just inhalers. Learn more about expiration dates for other types of medications.
Over-the-counter (OTC) inhalers: Most inhalers require a prescription, but there are a couple of asthma inhalers that are available OTC.
How to clean inhalers: It’s important to clean your inhaler on a regular basis. This helps make sure it works well until it expires.
All three types of inhalers shouldn’t be used past their expiration date. Always double check the packaging your inhaler came in for the expiration date. You can even use a permanent marker to write down when it expires on the inhaler itself.
What’s more, some inhaler brands are packaged in a foil pouch. These products shouldn’t be used after they’ve been out of their pouch for a certain amount of time — even if it’s before the labeled expiration date.
How long do inhalers usually last?
There isn’t one answer on how long inhalers usually last. There are many inhalers available. Different inhalers last for different amounts of time.
In general, an inhaler is good until it runs out of doses or hits its expiration date — whichever comes first. Some inhalers have a dose counter that reads “0” when they run out. You can find the expiration date for an inhaler on the box it comes in. In many cases, it’s on the top or bottom of the box and is next to the lot number.
However, some inhalers are only good for a certain amount of time after you take them out of their foil pouch or put in a new cartridge (the container of medication for an SMI). You shouldn’t use these inhalers past then, even if they haven’t expired or you still have doses left.
Here are some common examples:
Advair Diskus: lasts for 1 month after you take it out of the foil pouch
Combivent Respimat: lasts for 3 months after you put in a new cartridge
Any Ellipta inhaler, such as Anoro Ellipta (umeclidinium / vilanterol): lasts for 6 weeks after you take it out of the foil pouch
Symbicort (budesonide / formoterol): lasts for 3 months after you take it out of the foil pouch
You can find this information on the inhaler’s packaging or on the patient information sheet that comes with the inhaler. If you’re not sure, you can ask your pharmacist.
Many of these products even have a place on the inhaler for you to write down the day you started using it or the last day you should use it. This is an easy way to make sure your inhaler remains safe and effective to use.
What are the risks of using an expired inhaler?
You likely won’t be directly harmed if you use an expired inhaler. While expiration dates are chosen to guarantee a products’ effectiveness and safety, one study showed that many expired albuterol inhalers were still effective after they expired. But this isn’t something you should risk.
If you need to use a rescue inhaler for something like an asthma attack, it’s important for the inhaler to work. If you try to use an expired inhaler that’s not working effectively, your breathing symptoms may not improve, and it could become an emergency.
If you use an inhaler every day to treat a chronic condition like asthma or COPD, using an expired inhaler that’s not working well means that your condition isn’t being treated properly. This could put you at risk for an asthma attack or COPD flare-up. Either of these could land you in the hospital.
Inhalers can also become contaminated with bacteria over time, especially if you don’t clean them regularly. It’s not exactly known how dangerous this is, but it could increase your risk of infection.
How to safely dispose of expired inhalers
How to throw away your expired inhalers depends on the type of inhalers you have.
Some drug take-back locations take inhalers. Many places, such as pharmacies and other healthcare facilities, have take-back boxes that you can bring your expired medications to. The FDA’s drug disposal page includes links to help you search for a location near you. Otherwise, you can usually throw away expired inhalers in the garbage.
However, some inhalers, such as MDIs, can’t always be thrown in the trash. The pressure inside the canisters means that the inhalers can burst if they get punctured or exposed to heat (like if they get thrown into an incinerator). Contact your local trash company to check if it’s safe to put your inhalers in your regular household trash.
And if you’re still not sure how to safely dispose of your inhaler, ask your pharmacist.
How to store inhalers to maximize shelf life
Storing your inhaler as directed will help ensure it’s safe and effective until it expires. Keep it at room temperature (68°F to 77°F) and out of humid environments, such as the bathroom. Heat and moisture can break down the medication inside the inhaler. Freezing temperatures can also change the medication inside. If this happens, your inhaler likely won’t work as well.
Different types of inhalers are extra sensitive to different temperatures and humidity. For example, MDIs use pressurized canisters, and heat can make the canisters explode. And both high temperatures and low temperatures can make it harder for the aerosol to come out of an MDI. With DPIs, moisture — even just humidity in the air — can make the powder medication clump together. This can make it harder for the powder to reach your lungs or even clog up your inhaler.
The expiration date the manufacturer sets relies on proper storage. If you’re not storing it correctly, it may expire early.
You should also clean your inhaler regularly to make sure it doesn’t clog up. Follow the cleaning instructions for your specific type of inhaler. Different inhalers have different maintenance instructions. And if you use a spacer, make sure to clean that, too.
Frequently asked questions
The FDA started to require medications to have expiration dates back in 1979. This was done to help protect people and ensure that medications are safe and effective. The FDA also makes manufacturers perform testing to determine their expiration dates. The expiration date on your inhaler is the last day the manufacturer and the FDA can guarantee it’s still working properly. After it expires, your inhaler might not be as effective.
Medication expiration dates are usually written as a month and year — for example, “Aug 25” or “08/25,” which both mean August 2025. The actual expiration date is the last date of that month. So if your inhaler’s expiration date is August 2025, the last day you should use it is August 31, 2025. It’s considered expired starting on September 1, 2025.
If you use an expired inhaler just one time, it’s likely not going to cause any major harm. But an inhaler that’s past its expiration date might not work like it’s supposed to. In a situation like an asthma attack, using an expired inhaler could mean your symptoms won’t get better. And without proper treatment, an asthma attack could turn into an emergency. If you notice that your inhaler is expired, contact your pharmacy to ask for a new one.
The bottom line
It’s not recommended to use an expired inhaler. When an inhaler has passed its expiration date, it might not be safe and effective to use. Some inhalers can only be used for a short window of time once they’re taken out of their foil packaging. After this, they should be thrown out, even if they haven’t technically expired yet.
Expired inhalers themselves are probably not harmful. But an expired inhaler might not work as well. That means that the condition you use an inhaler for might not get treated properly. This can be risky in situations like an asthma attack.
Depending on the type of inhaler you have, make sure to store and dispose of it correctly and safely. And if you find that your inhaler is expired, reach out to your pharmacy to ask for a new one.
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References
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Hoye, W. L., et al. (2005). Effects of extreme temperatures on drug delivery of albuterol sulfate hydrofluoroalkane inhalation aerosols. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
Kutty, R. G., et al. (2022). Determination of albuterol and montelukast post-expiry drug strength by HPLC. Heliyon.
Lyon, R. C., et al. (2006). Stability profiles of drug products extended beyond labeled expiration dates. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Shetty, N., et al. (2019). Physical stability of dry powder inhaler formulations. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery.
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2024). Drug disposal: Drug take-back options.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). Expiration dates - Questions and answers.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2025). Where and how to dispose of unused medicines.
