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Salbutamol

Medication short-acting beta-2 agonist respiratory
Aka: Ventolin, albuterol, Airomir
Brands seen in Singapore: Ventolin, Buventol, Azmasol, Salbuair, Ventamol
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Relief of wheeze and breathlessness · before exercise
When to take
Label: 1–2 puffs when needed · no more than 4× in 24 h
Take with
Inhaled through the mouth — an aerosol, not a tablet
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Acts on demand — NHS: 1 or 2 puffs when you need it
  • NHS: safe and very effective medicine if used properly
  • A before-exercise dose is on the SG label
Cons
  • Prescription-only in SG — every inhaled brand (HSA)
  • Shaky, faster heartbeat, headache: >1 in 100 (NHS)
  • Needed >4× a day? NHS says contact a doctor
Sources
  1. HSA — Listing of Registered Therapeutic Products (data.gov.sg dataset d_767279312753558cbf19d48344577084, Health Sciences Authority), Forensicclassification column; all 5,511 rows pulled via the datastore_search API on 27 Aug 2026 · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “VENTOLIN EVOHALER 100 mcg | SIN11359P | Prescription Only; BUVENTOL EASYHALER | SIN08676P | Prescription Only — all 8 inhaled salbutamol rows Prescription Only, the 6 oral syrup/tablet rows Pharmacy Only; no AIROMIR row.”
  2. MOH National Drug Formulary (Singapore) — VENTOLIN EVOHALER 100 mcg [SIN11359P], salbutamol, GlaxoSmithKline Pte Ltd · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “SALBUTAMOL … AEROSOL, SPRAY … PRESCRIPTION ONLY MEDICINES … On demand use of VENTOLIN EVOHALER should not exceed four times daily … 200 mcg before challenge or exertion … contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity”
  3. NHS medicines A–Z — How and when to use salbutamol inhalers · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “1 or 2 puffs when you need it … up to a maximum of 4 times in 24 hours … Contact your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if: You need to use your salbutamol inhaler: more than 4 times”
  4. NHS medicines A–Z — Side effects of salbutamol inhalers · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “More than 1 in 100 people … Feeling shaky … Faster heartbeat … Headaches … Call 999 … if: you have new or worsening breathlessness … Salbutamol is a safe and very effective medicine if you use it properly”
  5. NHS medicines A–Z — Who can and cannot use salbutamol inhalers · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “under 18 years old can use salbutamol in a nebuliser only if it's with advice from a specialist … any heart problems … an overactive thyroid … low levels of potassium in your blood … diabetes”
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Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.