Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Overview
Ventolin is a brand name for salbutamol, a short-acting bronchodilator. It is a reliever (rescue) inhaler. It relaxes the muscles around the airways to make breathing easier when wheezing, chest tightness or shortness of breath start. Ventolin HFA is a pressurised inhaler that delivers 100 mcg of salbutamol in each puff.
Health Canada has authorized Ventolin HFA for adults and children 4 years and older. It relieves and prevents bronchospasm (airway tightening) caused by asthma, chronic bronchitis and other chronic lung conditions, and it prevents bronchospasm brought on by exercise.
Ventolin needs a prescription. BC residents can speak with a BC-licensed doctor by phone through Avee Health to ask whether it is appropriate for them. The doctor decides based on your health history. A prescription is not guaranteed.
In Canada, Ventolin HFA is authorized for adults and children 4 years and older for:
- Relief and prevention of bronchospasm caused by asthma, chronic bronchitis and other chronic lung conditions in which the airways tighten
- Prevention of bronchospasm brought on by exercise
Its safety and effectiveness have not been established in children under 4. It must not be used to stop premature labour. If your breathing is getting worse quickly, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Salbutamol
Short-acting beta2-agonist (reliever inhaler)
respiratory
Prescription required
Available
How Ventolin Works
When the airways tighten and narrow, you get wheezing, cough, chest tightness and shortness of breath. Salbutamol acts on beta2 receptors in the airway muscle and relaxes it. The airways usually start to open within 5 to 15 minutes. The effect peaks after 60 to 90 minutes and lasts about 3 to 6 hours.
Ventolin relieves symptoms. If Ventolin alone does not keep asthma under control, an anti-inflammatory (controller) medicine should be part of treatment. Your doctor decides this.
Dosage Instructions of Ventolin
Your doctor sets your dose. The usual doses in the Canadian product monograph are:
- Age 12 and older, for symptoms: 1 to 2 puffs as needed
- Age 12 and older, to prevent symptoms: 1 to 2 puffs every 4 to 6 hours as needed, up to 4 times a day
- Age 12 and older, before exercise: 2 puffs 15 minutes before exercise
- Children 4 to 11, for symptoms: 1 puff as needed. The dose may be raised to 2 puffs if required
- Children 4 to 11, to prevent symptoms: 1 puff every 4 to 6 hours as needed, up to 4 times a day
- Children 4 to 11, before exercise: 1 puff 15 minutes before exercise. The dose may be raised to 2 puffs if required
- Maximum in 24 hours: 8 puffs for people 12 and older, 4 puffs for children 4 to 11
Before the first use, and whenever the inhaler has not been used for more than 5 days, spray it into the air 4 times, away from your face.
Missed dose: Ventolin is usually taken only when needed. If you were told to use it on a schedule and you miss a dose, ask your doctor or pharmacist what to do. Do not take extra puffs to make up for it.
Call your doctor right away if a dose that used to work no longer gives the usual relief, or if the effect of one dose lasts less than 3 hours. This is usually a sign that asthma is getting worse. If you use Ventolin more than twice a week for asthma symptoms, your treatment may need to be reviewed.
Storage Instructions
Store Ventolin HFA between 15°C and 25°C and keep it out of the reach of children. Clean the plastic mouthpiece at least once a week, following the instructions in the package insert.
Side Effects of Ventolin
In two 12-week clinical trials in adults and adolescents with asthma, the most common effects were:
- Throat irritation: 10% with Ventolin HFA, compared with 7% with a placebo inhaler
- Viral respiratory infections: 7%, compared with 4%
- Upper respiratory inflammation: 5%, compared with 2%
- Cough: 5%, compared with 2%
- Muscle and bone pain: 5%, compared with 4%
Other possible effects include headache, feeling a little shaky, feeling anxious or irritable, feeling tired or weak, dizziness, drowsiness, muscle cramps or pain, nausea, flushing and trouble sleeping.
Tell your doctor as soon as you can if you notice a fast, pounding or skipped heartbeat, chest pain or discomfort, swelling in your ankles or legs, or muscle weakness, spasms or cramps that do not settle. These can be signs of a change in heart rhythm, high blood pressure or low potassium. If they are severe, get medical help right away.
In children, hyperactivity has been reported rarely, and sleep problems or hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) occasionally. Tell your child's doctor if this happens.
Get medical help right away if you have:
- Wheezing that gets worse right after a puff. Stop using the inhaler
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives or a rash, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat, or trouble swallowing or breathing
- An irregular heartbeat
- Breathing that keeps getting worse even after using the inhaler. Call 911 if you cannot breathe well
Important Safety Information About Ventolin
- Do not use Ventolin if you are allergic to salbutamol or to any ingredient in the inhaler.
- It must not be used to stop premature labour or a threatened miscarriage.
- Worsening asthma: needing your reliever more often means asthma control is getting worse, and a doctor should reassess your treatment.
- Overuse: do not take more puffs than prescribed. Deaths have been reported with excessive use of this type of inhaler in people with asthma.
- Heart and blood pressure: Ventolin is used with care in people with coronary artery disease, an irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure.
- Tell your doctor if you have thyroid problems, diabetes, seizures or low potassium.
- Low potassium: salbutamol can lower the potassium level in the blood. The risk is higher during a severe asthma attack and in people who also take theophylline-type medicines, steroids or diuretics (water pills).
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Ventolin is used in pregnancy only if the expected benefit is greater than any possible risk to the baby. It is not known whether salbutamol passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor.
Drug Interactions
Tell your doctor and pharmacist about everything you take, including non-prescription products. The main interactions are:
- Beta-blockers: can block the effect of salbutamol.
- Other bronchodilator inhalers of the same type, and epinephrine: using them together can cause harmful effects on the heart.
- MAO inhibitors and tricyclic antidepressants: can increase the effect of salbutamol on the heart and blood vessels.
- Diuretics (water pills): can lead to low potassium and changes in heart rhythm tests.
- Digoxin: salbutamol can lower the level of digoxin in the blood.
Brands & DIN Number of Ventolin
Brand Names
Ventolin
Key Takeaways
- 1Ventolin is salbutamol, a prescription reliever inhaler that opens the airways when breathing symptoms start and can prevent symptoms brought on by exercise.
- 2The usual dose for people 12 and older is 1 to 2 puffs as needed, up to 8 puffs in 24 hours.
- 3For children 4 to 11 the usual dose is 1 puff, raised to 2 if required, up to 4 puffs in 24 hours.
- 4It usually starts to work within 5 to 15 minutes and lasts about 3 to 6 hours.
- 5Call your doctor right away if a dose lasts less than 3 hours or no longer gives the usual relief. Call 911 if you cannot breathe well.
- 6Using Ventolin more than twice a week for asthma symptoms means your treatment may need to be reviewed.
- 7BC residents can ask a BC-licensed doctor by phone through Avee Health whether Ventolin is appropriate. A prescription is not guaranteed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a prescription for Ventolin in Canada?
How do I get Ventolin in BC?
How much does Ventolin cost in Canada, and does BC PharmaCare cover it?
How many puffs of Ventolin can I take?
How fast does Ventolin work, and how long does it last?
What if Ventolin does not help or I need it more often?
Is salbutamol the same as Ventolin?
Can I use Ventolin while pregnant or breastfeeding?
Avee Editorial
Avee Editorial Team