Budesonide Inhaler

A preventer inhaler for asthma

Asthma is a long-term condition where the airways stay inflamed and narrow, so moving air in and out of the lungs takes more effort. Budesonide inhaler is a corticosteroid that is breathed in and settles on the lining of those airways, calming the swelling that builds between attacks. It is a preventer, not a reliever. When wheezing or tightness flares suddenly, this inhaler will not turn it around; a fast-acting reliever does that job, while the budesonide keeps background inflammation down. Some people with COPD (a long-term lung disease that blocks airflow) use an inhaled corticosteroid too.

Taking it

Most adults use one or two puffs twice a day, morning and again in the evening. The effect builds slowly over days and weeks, so it only holds symptoms back if it is used every day — including the days you feel perfectly well. After each dose, rinse your mouth with water and spit it out; that is the simplest way to avoid a sore throat and the white patches of oral thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth) that inhaled steroids can encourage. A spacer — a plastic chamber held between the inhaler and your mouth — helps more of the medicine reach the lungs and less hit the back of the throat.

Side effects

Most people notice a croaky voice, an irritated throat or a headache, and these usually ease with time. Oral thrush is common enough that rinsing after each dose is worth making routine. Swelling of the face, lips or tongue, a spreading rash, or difficulty breathing or swallowing is a severe allergic reaction and needs urgent treatment; so does wheezing that gets worse straight after a puff. Over years, a strong inhaled steroid can slow growth slightly in children, and higher strengths can weaken the bones of adults.

Other medicines and storage

Budesonide is cleared by liver enzymes, and some medicines block those enzymes: the antifungals ketoconazole and itraconazole, the antibiotic clarithromycin and HIV medicines such as ritonavir all raise the amount of budesonide in the body. Keep the inhaler upright in a cool, dry place, and never puncture the canister or throw it into a fire, even when it feels empty.

Which budesonide product

Pulmicort is the branded budesonide inhaler, sold in the same 100mcg and 200mcg strengths. Budesonide also comes in other forms for other problems: Budesonide Caps 3mg are swallowed for Crohn's disease, and Rhinocort is a 100mcg nasal spray for allergic rhinitis (a blocked, runny or itchy nose caused by allergies). The budesonide page covers the ingredient across all its forms.