Inhalers for Asthma Rescue Albuterol (a.k.a. salbutamol), a short-acting beta-agonist that relaxes the airways so they may open more readily, is the most commonly recommended rescue drug for children (and adults). Inhalers are easy to use and can be administered multiple times per day if necessary. They work by delivering very small doses of the medication directly into the lungs. Children's inhalers usually come in two forms: single-dose or multi-dose. Single-dose inhalers require the patient to read the label carefully and take the correct amount of medicine at the right time each day to get the maximum benefit from the treatment. Multi-dose inhalers are pre-loaded with a specified amount of medicine that does not need to be readjusted during the course of treatment. These are useful if your child is having difficulty managing their asthma or if you want to give them a fixed dose throughout the day. The choice of inhaler for children will depend on factors such as age, weight, condition of the disease, etc. But generally speaking, children under 18 years old should use multi-dose inhalers and those over 18 years old should use single-dose ones. For example, the Diskus inhaler is designed for use by patients 12 years of age and older and is available in 10- and 20-mcg doses.