Budesonide Inhalation Dosing

If you are preventing asthma attacks with the use of budesonide inhalation, dosing will be based on several factors. To determine your budesonide inhalation dosage, your healthcare provider will consider your age, whether you are using the Flexhaler or Respules, the severity of your asthma, and other medications you are taking. Generally, the budesonide inhalation dose is taken once or twice a day every day.

Budesonide Inhalation Dosing: An Introduction

Budesonide inhalation (Pulmicort®) is a prescription medication used to prevent asthma attacks. Budesonide inhalation comes in two forms -- the budesonide inhalation Flexhaler® (a special kind of inhaler) and budesonide inhalation Respules® that are inhaled using a nebulizer (a device that changes liquid medications into fine droplets that are inhaled into the lungs). The budesonide inhalation Flexhaler has replaced the budesonide inhalation Turbuhaler®, which is no longer manufactured.
 
The dose of budesonide inhalation your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • Your age
  • Whether you are using budesonide inhalation Respules or the budesonide inhalation Flexhaler
  • The severity of your asthma
  • Other medications you may be taking.
     
As is always the case, do not adjust your budesonide inhalation dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
 
Budesonide Inhalation Flexhaler Dosing
For adults, the recommended starting budesonide inhalation dose for asthma is budesonide inhalation Flexhaler 360 mcg twice daily (two inhalations of budesonide inhalation Flexhaler 180 mcg twice daily). For children age six and older, the recommended budesonide inhalation dose for asthma is budesonide inhalation Flexhaler 180 mcg twice daily.
(Budesonide Inhalation Dosing Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;
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