Contents
- What is Symbicort? What is Advair?
- Are Symbicort and Advair same thing?
- How do they work?
- Symbicort and Advair Uses
- Symbicort and Advair available dosages and forms
- Symbicort side effects
- Advair side effects
- Can you buy Symbicort and Advair over the counter?
- Symbicort and Advair price
- Who can use these products?
- How should Symbicort and Advair be used?
- How many times and how often can patients take Symbicort and Advair?
- How long does it take for Symbicort and Advair to be effective?
- What if I overdose Symbicort and Advair?
- What if I missed the dose of Symbicort or Advair?
- Can I drink alcohol while taking Symbicort and Advair?
- When you cannot absolutely use Symbicort and Advair?
- What are the alternatives for Symbicort and Advair?
What is Symbicort? What is Advair? |
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Symbicort is a Brand name for an inhalation aerosol preparation that contains a combination of 2 active substances: budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide is a corticosteroid drug that reduces inflammation in the body. Formoterol is a bronchodilator drug that works by relaxing airways muscle and improving breathing.
Advair is a Brand name for inhalation aerosol preparation that contains fluticasone and salmeterol as active ingredients. Fluticasone is a corticosteroid drug that reduces inflammation processes in the body. Salmeterol is a bronchodilator drug that works by relaxing airways muscles to improve breathing. |
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Are Symbicort and Advair same thing? |
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Symbicort and Advair are not the same thing, but they are very similar as they both contain a combination of steroid and bronchodilator. Symbicort and Advair should work the same, however their active ingredients are different and some people may find that one works better for them than the other. Both Advair and the Symbicort are maintenance inhalers.
They are taken every day whether or not patients have trouble breathing. Advair and Symbicort are not used for acute and short-term breathing problems such as an asthma attack. Symbicort is MDI, metered dose inhaler, traditional inhaler with traditional technique of use that can be also used with a spacer. All strengths can be used for the treatment of asthma and COPD. However it can be only used in patients who are 12 years or older. Hand-breath coordination is needed when this inhaler is used, which can be troublesome for a new patient with asthma. Advair does not need Hand-breath coordination and does not need primed before using. It also used for asthma and COPD, but compared to Symbicort it can be used in patients who are 4 years or older. However, Advair 250/50 is the only strength that can be used for the treatment of COPD. Advair cannot be used with a spacer and once opened it should be used within 1 month. |
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How do they work? |
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Symbicort active substances are budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide is a corticosteroid drug with potent glucocorticoid and weak mineralocorticoid effects. Budesonide binds to the glucocorticoid receptors with a higher affinity than prednisolone and cortisol.
After intravenous administration budesonide shows endogenous suppression of cortisol concentrations and impairment of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis function. Budesonide inhaled formulations show decrease in airway reactivity to histamine and other mediators of inflammation. Formoterol is a selective, long-acting agonist of beta-2 receptors. It has more than 200 times greater agonist activity to the beta2-receptors than at beta1- receptors. Inhaled formoterol shows local effects in the lung as a bronchodilator. Advair active substances are fluticasone and salmeterol. Fluticasone acts by binding to human glucocorticoid receptor. It is highly retained in respiratory tissue. This substance has prolonged anti-inflammatory effect, which allows for once-daily dosing. It does not have any effect on heart QTC interval. Studies showed that inhaled form of fluticasone does not affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in adolescent and adult patients with asthma. Salmeterol is a long acting agonist of beta2-adrenoceptor. Lipophilic side chain of salmeterol molecule binds to exosites near beta2 receptors sites in the lungs and on smooth bronchiolar muscle, allowing the active parts of the molecule to remain at the receptor site, continually binding and releasing. The results of salmeterol actions are: bronchodilation, relaxation of bronchial smooth muscle, and increased bronchial airflow. Inhaled salmeterol decreases the severity and number of asthma attacks. But, it is not for use for relieving an asthma attack that has already started. |
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Symbicort and Advair Uses |
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Symbicort is used for the prevention of bronchospasm in people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Indication for asthma is only if asthma is severe enough or if it is not well-controlled after treatment of first-line asthma medicines.
Advair is used for prevention of asthma attacks. It is also used to prevent flare-ups or worsening of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease linked with chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema. |
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Symbicort and Advair available dosages and forms |
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Symbicort is a metered dose inhaler (MDI). MDI’s are pressurized, and deliver a certain amount of active substance using a propellant each time patient use the inhaler. Each dose of Symbicort has a combination of 80 mcg or 160 mcg of budesonide and 4.5 mcg of formoterol.
Advair is an inhalation powder inhaler that uses foil blister strips containing powder that patients breathe in through their mouth. Each dose has a combination of 100 mcg, 250 mcg, or 500 mcg of fluticasone propionate and 50 mcg of salmeterol. |
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Symbicort side effects |
Advair side effects |
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Can you buy Symbicort and Advair over the counter? |
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Symbicort and Advair are available without prescription. Patients can buy these products over the counter. | |
Symbicort and Advair price |
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Who can use these products? |
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How should Symbicort and Advair be used? |
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To use Symbicort inhaler patients should follow next steps:
To use Advair inhaler patients should follow next steps: 1. Make sure the canister fits firmly in the actuator. The counter should show through the window in the actuator. Shake the inhaler well for 5 seconds before each spray. Take the cap off the mouthpiece of the actuator. Look inside the mouthpiece for foreign objects, and take out any you see. 2. Hold the inhaler with the mouthpiece down 3. Breathe out through your mouth and push as much air from your lungs as you can. Put the mouthpiece in your mouth and close your lips around it.
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How many times and how often can patients take Symbicort and Advair? |
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How long does it take for Symbicort and Advair to be effective? |
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What if I overdose Symbicort and Advair? |
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What if I missed the dose of Symbicort or Advair? |
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Patients should take the missed dose as soon as they remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, patients should skip the missed dose and continue with their regular dosing schedule. Patients should never use double dose to make up for a missed one. | |
Can I drink alcohol while taking Symbicort and Advair? |
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It is not known whether alcohol affects these drugs. Combining budesonide or fluticasone and alcohol is not expected to cause adverse effects. However, salmeterol and formoterol as bronchodilator drugs may cause increased heart rate.
Large amounts of alcohol in combination with bronchodilator drugs may increase the chances of rapid heartbeat and tachycardia. Consuming alcohol may increase the risk of dizziness and drowsiness after Symbicort or Advair usage. Patients who are already experiencing these side effects, alcohol can make them even worse. |
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When you cannot absolutely use Symbicort and Advair? |
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Absolute contraindications for Symbicort and Advair use are:
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What are the alternatives for Symbicort and Advair? |
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