Chronic disease · Asthma · Conversation prep
This tool helps you prepare for a preventer conversation with your GP. It does not pick an inhaler, and it does not tell you to start, stop, switch, or change a dose — that is a decision to make together with your doctor.
Just to check — is the breathing trouble happening right now, or is it something to discuss with your GP?
If your reliever isn’t helping, you can’t speak a full sentence, or you’re struggling to breathe — call 000 now or go to your nearest emergency department. Don’t wait to finish here.
This tool helps you prepare — it can’t tell if your asthma is dangerous right now. If your reliever isn’t working or you can’t breathe easily, call 000 or get urgent help.
In your words
The one thing to know
The picture your GP will recognise
Blue puffer + maybe a daily brown one
An anti-inflammatory reliever
One low-dose ICS-formoterol puffer, used only when symptoms come on. No daily routine.
Recommended starting approach for adults and teens. Australian Asthma Handbook — treatment levels (Level 1).
Take it every day and use the same inhaler for relief.
Next step up if symptoms aren’t controlled on AIR-only. AAH — adjusting treatment (Level 2).
A preventer every day, plus a separate reliever for flare-ups.
Listed as the alternative option, not the default first choice. AAH — initial treatment.
This grid is education about categories of approach drawn straight from the Australian Asthma Handbook treatment levels — it presents what the guideline describes, never “you should be on X.” Brand and dose are deliberately left out.
Three preventer approaches. One: the as-needed anti-inflammatory reliever, AIR-only, is the recommended starting approach for adults and teens. Two: a daily preventer used as both preventer and reliever, called MART, is the next step up. Three: the older approach of a daily preventer plus a separate blue puffer is listed as the alternative option, not the default. These are categories the guideline describes, to discuss with your GP, not a recommendation for you.
The honest bits no inhaler ad leads with
Preventers contain a corticosteroid, and they can cause a hoarse voice and oral thrush (a mouth/throat infection). Using a spacer and rinsing your mouth with water after each dose lowers that risk. At normal low doses, more serious side effects are uncommon but possible. National Asthma Council — medicines and treatment.
And the catch that decides everything: most of the benefit is in the technique, not the brand. Studies keep showing many people don’t use their inhaler correctly — so “which puffer” matters less than “am I actually getting it into my lungs?” NAC — inhaler technique. Ask your GP or pharmacist to watch you use it.
You’ll get a clean, printable summary of the three preventer approaches, the honest side-effect notes, and your questions to ask — ready to put on the desk.
That doesn’t look like an email — mind checking?
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This is the general version. The full Asthma decisions kit walks through your exact step-up/step-down questions, an inhaler-technique checklist, and an action-plan template to build with your GP. → See the kit
See the questions-to-ask generator for your preventer decision. Want to understand what a risk-reduction number means? Try the NNT / risk-numbers visualiser.