Introduction [edit]. A carboxyl group consists of a carbon double-bonded to an oxygen and also bonded to a-OH group. Compounds with carboxyl groups are called carboxylic acids or organic acids. The carboxyl group can act as an acid when by donating a proton (H +) to a solution and becoming ionized.
It therefore makes perfect sense to use the bronchodilator first, wait a few minutes, and then to use the steroid inhaler, after the airways have been opened up and are more relaxed. This way, the steroid can penetrate the lungs more effectively, and get down to decrease inflammation in your smaller airways.
I first learned how to use an inhaler in 1980. Back then, and even as recently as 1995, when I attended respiratory therapy school, I was taught that you should wait one to five minutes between puffs of your rescue inhaler (such as albuterol). The reason I was given: