Symbicort includes two active ingredients: budesonide and formoterol. Budesonide belongs to a class of medications called corticosteroids. A class of medications is a group of drugs that work in a similar way. Budesonide helps decrease irritation in the lungs.
Formoterol belongs to a class of medications called long-acting beta2-agonists, which help open up the airways. Symbicort comes as a metered-dose inhaler and is available in the following strengths:. Two studies looked at asthma in adults as well as children ages 12 years and older.
The people were given Symbicort; either of the individual drugs in Symbicort, budesonide and formoterol; or a placebo treatment with no active drug. To track lung function, researchers looked at forced expiratory volume in 1 second FEV1.
This is a standard measure of how much air you can force out of your lungs in 1 second. Asthma and other breathing conditions may make your FEV1 lower due to tightness in your airways. Compared with people who took a placebo hög puls symbicort other drug, people who took Symbicort had a greater improvement in their baseline FEV1.
This is FEV1 before taking a dose of medication. Studies also looked at people with COPD who took Symbicort; one or both of the ingredients in Symbicort, budesonide and formoterol; or a placebo. In one studythe average FEV1 improvements from baseline were:.
Symbicort is FDA-approved to treat asthma in adults as well as children ages 6 years and older. Asthma is a chronic long-term condition that affects the airways. Inflammation swelling of the airways leads to trouble breathing.
COPD is a group of lung conditions that include chronic bronchitis irritation of the airways and emphysemawhich is damage to the air sacs of the lungs. In addition to helping keep your airways clear, Symbicort reduces the number of COPD flare-ups and how severe they are.
COPD requires treatment with lifestyle changes and medication. If you have breathing issues related to allergies, other treatment options are available. Seasonal or year-round allergies affect many people. So talk with your doctor if you have symptoms that are bothersome or want to learn how to find relief.
A study of children ages 6 to 11 years with asthma looked at changes in their FEV1 an hour after dosing. The children took either Symbicort or one of its ingredients, budesonide. By 12 weeks, the Symbicort group had almost double the improvement in FEV1 0.