Asthma & COPD Treatment | SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Inhalation Aerosol (2024)

FAQs

How often can you take budesonide and formoterol fumarate dihydrate? ›

Adults and children 12 years of age and older—Two puffs in the morning and another 2 puffs in the evening. Each inhalation contains 80 or 160 micrograms (mcg) of budesonide and 4.5 mcg of formoterol. Children 6 to 11 years of age—Two puffs in the morning and another 2 puffs in the evening.

Budesonide and formoterol combination is used to help control the symptoms of asthma and improve lung function. It is used when a patient's asthma has not been controlled sufficiently on other asthma medicines, or when a patient's condition is so severe that more than one medicine is needed every day.

You should also tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or suffer from high blood pressure. SYMBICORT can also cause other serious side effects, such as increased blood pressure, increases in heart rate, and changes in heart rhythm.

While taking SYMBICORT, never use another medicine that contains a LABA. SYMBICORT is not, and will not replace, a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms.

Side effects are more likely if you're on a higher dose of budesonide for a long time (more than a few months). Speak to a doctor if you get "moon face" (a puffy, rounded face), and weight gain in the upper back or belly. This happens gradually and can be a sign of Cushing's syndrome.

Budesonide is in a class of medications called steroids. It works by reducing swelling in the airways. Albuterol is in a class of medications called bronchodilators. It works by relaxing and opening air passages in the lungs, making it easier to breathe.

TRELEGY is the only FDA-approved once-daily medicine that combines 3 long-acting medicines in 1 inhaler. TRELEGY is used to improve symptoms of COPD. TRELEGY's 3 medicines are also proven to significantly reduce flare-ups.

Budesonide is a synthetic steroid with potent local anti-inflammatory effects and low systemic bioavailability due to high first-pass hepatic metabolism.

Possible side effects: Side effects can include yeast infections (in the mouth or female reproductive organs), urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, weight gain, stretch marks, acne, rounding of the face (moon face), facial hair, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, and psychiatric ...

Side effects of albuterol include nervousness or shakiness, headache, throat or nasal irritation, and muscle aches. More-serious — though less common — side effects include a rapid heart rate, called tachycardia, or feelings of fluttering or a pounding heart, called palpitations.

Can Symbicort cause heart failure? ›

Talk with your doctor if you have a history of heart problems, such as arrythmia and heart failure, before starting Symbicort. Symbicort can cause heart problems, and this risk is increased in people who already have a history of heart issues.

On the one hand, studies have shown that formoterol, one of the two active ingredients in Symbicort, may improve sleep. Inhaled budesonide might also improve sleep by reducing night-time asthma symptoms. Taking too much Symbicort, however, may cause insomnia or problems with sleep.

Notes for Consumers: Grapefruit juice can increase the amount of oral Budesonide (Entocort-EC) that your body absorbs. Grapefruit juice and grapefruit-containing foods may increase the side effects of oral Budesonide.

Symbicort and caffeine can both cause heart-related side effects, such as a fast heart rate. Taking them together can further increase your risk of these side effects.

Rinse the mouth out with water following a dose of Symbicort, then spit the water out (do not swallow). Doing this reduces the risk of oral thrush developing.

Overdose symptoms may include chest pain, fast heartbeats, and feeling shaky or nervous.

The usual dose for budesonide inhalers as a preventer for asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is 1 or 2 puffs, once or twice a day. Your doctor or asthma nurse may tell you to have more than 2 puffs at a time from your inhaler. It depends on how bad your breathing is and which inhaler you're using.

Symptoms of overdose may include: shaking (tremors), chest pain, fast/irregular heartbeat, seizures. Lab and/or medical tests (such as lung function, blood pressure, bone density tests, eye exams) may be done while you are using this medication. Keep all medical and lab appointments.

For moderate-to-severe asthma, the standard dosage is one to two puffs of Symbicort 160 inhaled daily or twice daily, then one to two puffs inhaled every four hours, as needed.