How to know when metered-inhaler is 'empty'?

[n***@gmail.com]

These days asthma treatment commonly uses 2 different inhaled medications:
1. a long-term 'preventer' eg. Beclate;
2. a short-term 'reliever'.

The reliever normally gives immediate symptoms.
So you could know if your inhaler was just 'blowing air' because of the
medication being used up.

But the 'preventer' gives no immediate signs.
So you can't know if the med-contents is depleted.

Or is the concentration of medication in the expelling-gas constant;
so that while the gas still comes, there's medication delivered.
And you only discard it once the gas-expulsion is 'too' weak ?

== TIA.

[H***@LowLifeISP.gov]

Post by n***@gmail.com
1. a long-term 'preventer' eg. Beclate;
2. a short-term 'reliever'.
The reliever normally gives immediate symptoms.
So you could know if your inhaler was just 'blowing air' because of the
medication being used up.
But the 'preventer' gives no immediate signs.
So you can't know if the med-contents is depleted.
Or is the concentration of medication in the expelling-gas constant;
so that while the gas still comes, there's medication delivered.
And you only discard it once the gas-expulsion is 'too' weak ?

Some "long-term" (i.e. maintenance) inhalants such as SymbiCort have a
dosimeter built in. It counts your puffs and when you reach the limit
shown on the inhaler you throw it away. Others lack this obvious
refinement so for them you have to count the number of puffs yourself
and compare the number to the limit.

Same with short-term (i.e. rescue).

If you exceed the total the inhaler sends out a message to the
National Pharmaceutical Association and the storm troopers break down
your doors the next day and incarcerate you for reducing their obscene
profits. <Just joking.> What really happens is the same thing that
happens when you're at the end of anything: you get propellant and
decreasing quantities of medication until that too runs out. It's
unlikely you'd know when the puff is too weak.

To count the puffs buy one of the counters used in baseball or to
count attendance at sporting events. They'll count up to 999 based on
the number of times you hit the mechanical button: one push for one
puff, two pushes for two. Cost about $10 for a dual one so you can
have one counter for maintenance and one for rescue. You'd think that
given the prices of these drugs big pharma could include a counter for
free even if they don't want to redesign the packaging to have
something automatic.

[Ted Edwards]

Post by n***@gmail.com
1. a long-term 'preventer' eg. Beclate;
2. a short-term 'reliever'.
The reliever normally gives immediate symptoms.
So you could know if your inhaler was just 'blowing air' because of the
medication being used up.
But the 'preventer' gives no immediate signs.
So you can't know if the med-contents is depleted.
Or is the concentration of medication in the expelling-gas constant;
so that while the gas still comes, there's medication delivered.
And you only discard it once the gas-expulsion is 'too' weak ?

My 200 puff (rated) rescue inhaler has no indication of the number of
puffs taken. So, I cut off a piece of sticky mailing label, stick it on
the inhaler and mark each usage using the old method of four vertical
lines and a diagonal line through to give easily countable blocks of five.

Ted