o the need for increased therapy with corticosteroids, e.g. a course of oral corticosteroids, or antibiotic treatment if an infection is present.
Patients should be advised to have their rescue inhaler available at all times, either DuoResp Spiromax (for asthma patients using DuoResp Spiromax as maintenance and reliever therapy) or a separate rapid-acting bronchodilator (for asthma patients using DuoResp Spiromax as maintenance therapy only).
Patients should be reminded to take their DuoResp Spiromax maintenance dose as prescribed, even when asymptomatic. The prophylactic use of DuoResp Spiromax, e.g. before exercise, has not been studied. The reliever inhalations of DuoResp Spiromax should be taken in response to symptoms but are not intended for regular prophylactic use, e.g. before exercise. For such, a separate rapid-acting bronchodilator should be considered.
Asthma symptoms
Patients should be reassessed regularly by their prescriber/healthcare provider so that the dose of DuoResp Spiromax remains optimal. The dose should be titrated to the lowest dose at which effective control of symptoms is maintained. Once asthma symptoms are controlled, consideration may be given to gradually reducing the dose of DuoResp Spiromax. When it is appropriate to titrate down to a lower strength than is available for DuoResp Spiromax, a change to an alternative fixed-dose combination of budesonide and formoterol fumarate containing a lower dose of the inhaled corticosteroid is required.
Regular review of patients as treatment is stepped down is important.
Patients should not be initiated on DuoResp Spiromax during an exacerbation, or if they have significantly worsening or acutely deteriorating asthma.
Serious asthma-related adverse reactions and exacerbations may occur during treatment with DuoResp Spiromax. Patients should be asked to continue treatment but to seek medical advice if asthma symptoms remain uncontrolled or worsen after initiation with DuoResp Spiromax.
Paradoxical bronchospasm may occur, with an immediate increase in wheezing and shortness of breath, after dosing. If the patient experiences paradoxical bronchopasm DuoResp Spiromax should be discontinued immediately, the patient should be assessed and an alternative therapy instituted, if necessary. Paradoxical bronchopasm responds to a rapid-acting inhaled bronchodilator and should be treated straightaway (see section 4.8).
Systemic effects
Systemic effects may occur with any inhaled corticosteroid, particularly at high doses prescribed for long periods. These effects are much less likely to occur with inhalation treatment than with oral corticosteroids.
Possible systemic effects include Cushing´s syndrome, Cushingoid features, adrenal suppression, growth retardation in children and adolescents, decrease in bone mineral density, cataract and glaucoma and more rarely, a range of psychological or behavioural effects including psychomotor hyperactivity, sleep disorders, anxiety, depression or aggression (particularly in children) (see section 4.8).
It is recommended that the height of children receiving prolonged treatment with inhaled corticosteroids is regularly monitored. If growth is slowed, therapy should be re-eva luated with the aim of reducing the dose of inhaled corticosteroid to the lowest dose at which effective control of asthma is maintained, if possible. The benefits of the corticosteroid therapy and the possible ris |
