Product Details

Description

SYMBICORT is an inhaler that contains a combination of two medications — budesonide, and formoterol. SYMBICORT is prescribed for the treatment of asthma in children over 6 years old and adults. It can also be prescribed as a maintenance medication for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Asthma and COPD are chronic conditions where a person has difficulty breathing either due to spasms of muscles in the lungs or obstruction of the airways. SYMBICORT helps to treat these conditions by relaxing the airways.

Directions

The usual dose of SYMBICORT is 2 inhalations twice daily.

The standard inhaler sizes are SYMBICORT 80/4.5 mg and SYMBICORT 160/4.5 mg. Your doctor will determine the correct starting dose based on symptom severity and condition being treated.

After inhalation, rinse your mouth with water and do not swallow it. SYMBICORT contains the steroid budesonide, which can increase the risk of thrush if not washed from the mouth.

Ingredients

The active ingredients in SYMBICORT are the medications budesonide and formoterol.

Budesonide

Budesonide is an inhaled corticosteroid with anti-inflammatory activities. Corticosteroids are signaling molecules that send messages between the cells of the body. Budesonide works by reducing inflammation, swelling, and spasms in the lungs.

Formoterol

Formoterol is a long-acting beta2-agonist (LABA) that works quickly once inhaled. By activating beta-receptors on the surface of muscle cells in the lungs, formoterol causes these muscles to relax and increase breathing capacity.

Cautions

SYMBICORT is a maintenance medication and not a rescue inhaler. For episodes of acute bronchospasm, a short-acting beta2-agonist (SABA) inhaler like albuterol should be used.

Medications like SYMBICORT that contain formoterol or another LABA should be used with extreme caution in patients with asthma. In clinic trials, other LABAs have been shown to increase the risk of asthma-related death. Therefore, inhaler combinations that contain a LABA should be reserved for more extreme cases of asthma and used for as little time as possible.

Corticosteroids may increase the risk of infections like thrush and pneumonia.

Speak with your doctor or pharmacist for a full list of cautions.

Side Effects

Common side effects of SYMBICORT inhaler include:

• Back pain
• Headache
• Influenza
• Nasal congestion
• Nasopharyngitis
• Oral candidiasis
• Pharyngolaryngeal pain
• Stomach discomfort
• Upper respiratory tract infection
• Vomiting