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Beclometasone
Beclometasone is a medicine to help control your asthma. It belongs to a family of medicines called steroids (sometimes called corticosteroids).
What does beclometasone do?
Beclometasone helps control your asthma by preventing and reducing the inflammation in your lungs.
Inflammation makes your lungs swell up and stops them from working properly. This can cause some of the feelings of asthma, like wheeziness and breathlessness.
Beclometasone stops your body overreacting to the things that trigger your asthma. By reducing inflammation, beclometasone helps to stop or prevent the feelings of asthma from happening in the first place. This is why it is called a preventer medicine.
What does it look like?
Beclometasone comes as a powder or a liquid stored inside an inhaler.
When do I have to take it?
It is important to take beclometasone regularly, every day, to help stop you getting asthma attacks.
You will probably use your inhaler two to four times each day. Your doctor or asthma nurse will tell you exactly how many puffs to take and how often.
You can use your inhaler at any time of day, with or without food, but you should take it regularly at the same time each day.
DO NOT use beclometasone to treat a sudden attack of breathlessness or wheeziness - it will not help. You will need another type of medicine for this. The medicine you take if you feel breathless or wheezy is called a reliever inhaler. Your doctor might have already given you this medicine. If so, make sure you don't get your inhalers mixed up!
But what if I don't feel like taking it?
If you don't take your beclometasone regularly every day, then it won't work properly. Your lungs might get inflamed again and you will be more likely to have an asthma attack.
Even if you feel better you still need to keep taking it! Don't stop unless your doctor tells you to.
What should I do if I forget to take it?
If you do forget to take your beclometasone, don't worry. Take it as soon as you remember (if it is Asmabec) or miss out your forgotten dose and take the next dose when it is due (if it is Clenil Modulite).
How much do I take?
This depends on how old you are and how bad your asthma is.
You will probably take between 200 and 400 micrograms (mcg) of beclometasone each day.
- If you have a 50 mcg inhaler, that is between four and eight puffs on the inhaler each day.
- If you have a 100 mcg inhaler , that is between two and four puffs on the inhaler each day.
Your doctor or asthma nurse will tell you exactly how many puffs YOU need to take each day. Always make sure to use your inhaler exactly as your doctor or asthma nurse has told you! Your doctor will try to give you the lowest dose possible to control your asthma.
It takes a few days before the medicine starts to work.
If your asthma is really bad, you might need to take more than 400 mcg each day. The doctor will then lower the dose once you start getting better.
Don't use the inhaler more often than your doctor tells you! It is important to take just the right amount. It's the best way to stay well, without getting side effects.
What are the most likely side effects I might I get if I take beclometasone?
There is a small chance that you might get a sore throat or sore tongue after using your inhaler, or notice that your voice is a little bit croaky. You might also get an infection called oral thrush in your mouth or throat. Rinsing your mouth out with water or cleaning your teeth right after using your inhaler can help to stop these things from happening.
What other side effects might I get?
You might feel wheezy or short of breath after using the inhaler, although this is very rare. If this happens, use your reliever inhaler to help you breathe more easily, and tell the adults looking after you or your doctor straight away.
You might have an allergic reaction after taking beclometasone. The signs of an allergic reaction include skin rashes, and swelling and redness of your face and throat, although this is very rare. Tell the adults looking after you or your doctor straight away if you notice any of these things.
Are there any other side effects that you haven't mentioned?
Sometimes, inhaling steroids like beclometasone can change the levels of natural steroids that are in your body. This can have a number of effects, but you will usually only have them if you take HIGH doses for LONG periods of time. These effects are:
Is it safe for me to be taking beclometasone?
Before using beclometasone, you should tell the doctor about any other medical problems that you know you have.
Especially if you:
Also, remember to tell your doctor if you have any allergies - to beclometasone or anything else. Beclometasone also contains lactose (a type of sugar), which can cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Is it OK for me to take beclometasone if I'm already taking other medicines?
Make sure you tell your doctor if you're taking any other medicines to help control your asthma.
You should also mention things you're taking for other medical problems, including drugs, special foods or herbal remedies.
It's especially important to tell your doctor if you're taking any of the following anti-fungal or anti-viral drugs:
Do I need to know anything else about beclometasone?
If you notice that your wheeziness is getting worse, or if you find that you are using your reliever inhaler more often, tell the adults looking after you or your doctor as soon as you can. It may be that your asthma is getting worse and perhaps you need extra medicine to help.
What if I have any more questions?
If you have any other questions, you can ask your doctor, or chat to other people with asthma in the Medikidz forums and virtual world, Mediland.