What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider Before Taking It?
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking formoterol if you have:
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all of the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
How Does Formoterol Work?
Normally, air moves easily into and out of the lungs through a network of airways. However, during an
asthma attack, the muscles around these airways tighten. This narrows the airways and makes it harder to breathe. This is called a bronchospasm.
Formoterol is part of a class of drugs called beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, or beta agonists for short. Beta agonists stimulate beta receptors in the body, including those on the muscles around the airways. This stimulation causes the muscles to relax, which opens up the airways and allows more air to get into and through the lungs.
Formoterol is a long-acting beta agonist. It is not intended to treat an
asthma attack once it starts. Rather, it is used twice a day in order to prevent attacks.
This medication also has some effects on decreasing the activity of mast cells in the lungs, which play an important role in inflammation and allergic reactions.
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