Symbicort Information Budesonide is a popular steroid that has proven itself to be able to effectively reduce inflammation and pain in the organism. Formoterol is a well known bronchodilator that is supposed to relax the airways’ muscles in order to improve breathing. Symbicort is a combination between these two medicines. Symbicort Indications Symbicort is a popular medicine that is generally prescribed to patients who are suffering from COPD or from asthma, in order to prevent bronchospasms. However, this medicine could also serve some other medical purposes that have not been listed in this guide. Ask your personal health care provider for more information about this medicine. Symbicort Warnings Symbicort should not be employed to stop an asthma attack that is in progress, as its actions are not fast enough to reverse the attack’s symptoms. Ask your doctor to prescribe you a short-acting medicine to treat your asthma attacks. It is known that some patients who have followed a long term treatment with this medicine have suffered from asthma-related death. If you feel that your medicines are not working properly, you should alert your personal health care provider as soon as possible, as this could be an early sign of a very severe asthma attack. Patients who are suffering from allergic reactions to Symbicort should not be allowed to start to follow a treatment with this medicine. Before you start taking this drug you should alert your personal health care specialist if you are allergic to any foods, dyes, preservatives or any other substances (this is known to include other medicines apart from Symbicort). Some medical disorders are known to sometimes harmfully interact with a treatment with Symbicort. Patients who are suffering (or have recently suffered) from any of the medical conditions that are listed below might not be allowed to start a treatment with this medicine or might have to be prescribed a lower dose of Symbicort. Their intake of this medicine should be closely monitored by an authorized health care specialist to see if any complications have appeared due to their intake of Symbicort. * heart disease; * diabetes; * high blood pressure; * herpes eye infection; * epilepsy; * any active infection; * a thyroid disorder; * tuberculosis; * a metabolic disorder; Symbicort is a category C FDA pregnancy drug. Therefore, intake of this medicine during pregnancy (especially during the first few months of pregnancy) could trigger some severe birth defects or complications. You should not start a treatment with this medicine if you are pregnant (you should ask your personal physician if it is safe for you to start one). During your intake of this drug you should use an effective birth control method in order to avoid an unwanted pregnancy (your doctor will probably recommend you condoms or diaphragm). It has been clearly determined that Symbicort’s main components are able to and do pass into the patient’s breast milk. Female patients who are currently nursing an infant are not allowed to start using this drug (Symbicort) without their personal physician’s approval. Consult with a pediatrician before you give this drug to a child. It is known that both elderly patients and children are more prone to developing this drug’s most dangerous side effects. Do not give this medicine to a child under 12 without consulting it with a pediatrician. A long-term treatment with Symbicort (or with any other steroid) could trigger osteoporosis (bone loss). Patients who are smokers, who do not exercise enough, who do not eat properly are in a greater risk of developing this medical disorder. Symbicort Intake Guidelines We strongly advise you to ask your personal doctor to give you a set of detailed directions regarding your future intake of Symbicort. Do not deviate from any of your doctor’s instructions. Ask him or her to give you extra tips and / or pieces of advice. If you did not understand some of your physician’s directions you should ask a nurse or a pharmacist for additional and more detailed explanations. In case you want to know more about this product we recommend you to carefully read the drug’s label. Symbicort Dosage Ask your personal physician / doctor to calculate the dose of Symbicort that should suit your medical condition best. The correct dosage is known to generally vary from one person to another, as it depends on a couple of factors. During your intake of this medicine, your personal health care specialist could want to sometimes change your dose of this drug, depending on how your organism responds to the treatment. Symbicort Overdose If you suspect that you might be suffering from an overdose with this medicine (Symbicort) we strongly advise you to seek medical care as soon as you can. Alert your personal physician and your local poison control centre as soon as possible. Try to go to the nearest emergency room in order to receive a treatment for your medical condition. Patients who are suffering from overdose with this medicine are likely to experience / develop nervousness, chest pain, nausea, dry mouth, sleep problems, vomiting, fainting, chest pain, tremors, irregular or fast heartbeats, light-headedness, feeling weak, or seizure (convulsions). Symbicort Missed Dose During your intake of this medicine you should avoid missing any of your scheduled doses of Symbicort. If you happen to miss one, we strongly advise you to immediately should contact your personal health care specialist and ask him or her for further directions. Do not take double doses of this medicine without your physician’s approval, as this increases your personal risk of developing an unwanted overdose. Symbicort Side Effects Alert your physician if you develop anything unusual during your intake of Symbicort. Symbicort Drug Reactions Ask your doctor if you may use other medicines during your treatment with Symbicort.