Patients on inhaled corticosteroids should be monitored for any potential side effects and the dose reduced to the lowest amount necessary to maintain effective control. Adrenal insufficiency may occur when transferring patients from systemic steroids. When the patient closes his or her lips around the mouthpiece of Pulmicort Turbuhaler and breathes in, air drawn through the device delivers the fine, dry powdered medication into the lungs. No coordination is required between activating the device and inhaling, as with many other asthma inhalers. NIH considers these medications to be the most effective anti-inflammatory therapy today for the control of asthma.
Inhaled corticosteroids are the most widely prescribed therapy for long-term control of asthma.
The corticosteroid in Pulmicort Turbuhaler has been used safely and effectively for years in Europe. Also, the inhaler itself is simple to use and effectively delivers the medication to the lungs. The study showed that patients with mild to moderate asthma previously controlled on inhaled corticosteroids treated with Pulmicort Turbuhaler once-daily maintained their lung function compared to patients on placebo whose lung function worsened. Compared with placebo, patients receiving Pulmicort Turbuhaler 200 mcg or 400 mcg once daily showed significantly better asthma stability. A multi-national ban has been placed on the production of CFCs, which are being phased out of asthma inhalers.