Inhaled corticosteroids: managing side effects

She is unable to play with her children as much as she used to and is very short of breath. Despite not having any objective tests or a formal diagnosis of asthma, Jessica is togamultisportclub added to the asthma register. Look out for ‘Information points’ throughout the suboptimal and optimal journeys; these highlight the key themes of optimal care for asthma.

Her symptoms have been under control since her attack, and she is confident in managing her asthma and spotting risks.
This information is for parents or guardians whose child has attended the emergency department or been admitted to hospital after an asthma attack.
The most commonly reported adverse reactions in patients receiving this medicinal product were pneumonia (4.6%), headache (2.7%) and urinary tract infection (2.7%).
But if you need many injections, this could affect your bone strength over time and increase your risk of breaking a bone.
If montelukast has had no effect after your child has been taking it for four to eight weeks, you can talk about other treatment options.
However, dose equivalents are approximate, and the dose delivered will depend on other factors such as inhaler technique.

It is important that the dose of inhaled corticosteroid is titrated to the lowest dose at which effective control of asthma is maintained. Systemic effects may occur with any inhaled corticosteroid, particularly at high doses prescribed for long periods. These effects are much less likely to occur with inhalation treatment than with oral corticosteroids. Possible systemic effects include Cushing’s syndrome, Cushingoid features, adrenal suppression, decrease in bone mineral density, cataract and glaucoma.

Place in therapy

A nebuliser creates a mist of medicine that is then breathed in through a mask. Nebulisers are used if your child needs oxygen at the same time and can deliver higher doses of medication. These are medicines such as salbutamol which can be given with a blue inhaler and spacer or a nebuliser. They work by relaxing the tightened muscles around the breathing tubes and help the airways to open wider.

Prevention of methylcholine and acetylcholine-induced bronchoconstrictive effects was dose-dependent and lasted more than 12 hours.
If your child is on a high dose of steroid medicine for a long time, one of the side effects is an increase in appetite, which could mean they put on a bit of weight.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways which can result in coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Salmeterol doesn’t open the airways as quickly as short-acting beta 2 agonists such as salbutamol or terbutaline, however, it does keep the airways open for much longer.

Some parents tell us that when their child is taking steroid tablets (usually prednisolone) they notice they become overactive, irritable, have mood swings, or even temper tantrums. But there have also been reports of less common side effects, such as nightmares, sleepwalking, anxiety, depression, irritability, or extreme distress. If you notice any of these in your child talk to their GP as soon as possible. The most common side effects are diarrhoea, stomach-ache, sore throats, and infections.

Visiting our hospitals

Your doctor may suggest that your child uses an inhaler that provides budesonide together with another medicine called formoterol, which has the brand name Symbicort® and uses a Turbohaler®. One of the most potent corticosteroids, dexamethasone, also suppressed antigen-induced airway hyperreactivity and eosinophilic inflammation in this model. If we take a closer look at the Mt. Sinai research, it becomes apparent that it is remarkable for how thorough and robust its design has been all along.

Does my child’s preventer inhaler cause side effects?

These side effects can greatly impact quality of life, but both treatments may be necessary to prevent the disease from worsening. If you have any questions or concerns about your bone health, talk to your healthcare professional. You could also contact our specialist Helpline nurses for more information and support.

She successfully quit whilst pregnant but started again once she went back to work. She has tried to quit before but started gaining weight, so she continued to smoke. She has two children, aged four and 18 months old and works part time in a busy local supermarket. This scenario has been developed to support the improvement and management of asthma.

Steroid Treatment Cards – Inhalers

At the same time, chronic use of asthma drugs may be harmful or even fatal. Other asthma drugs, such as Serevent and Advair, have “black box” warning labels because of the higher rate of deaths tied to exacerbations of asthma in patients taking them. And according to a 2004 article in the Annals of Internal Medicine, regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma not only causes tolerance to the drugs themselves, but increases airway inflammation compared to placebo use. The GP briefly explains inhaler technique and advises Jessica to speak to her pharmacist for more information.

Are there any possible side effects?

The effects of salmeterol last for about 12 hours, whereas those of salbutamol or terbutaline last for about 3 to 5 hours. This means salmeterol is used to prevent asthma attacks, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath, rather than to relieve them. Particular caution is advised in severe COPD as this effect may be potentiated by hypoxia. Hypokalaemia may also be potentiated by concomitant treatment with other medicinal products which can induce hypokalaemia, such as xanthine derivatives, steroids and diuretics (see section 4.5).