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Inhaled Corticosteroids

Also indexed as: AeroBec, AeroBec Forte, AeroBid Inhaled, Asmabec, Azmacort Inhaled, Beclazone, Becloforte, Beclomethasone Inhaled, Beclovent Inhaled, Becodisks, Beconase AQ Inhaled, Beconase Inhaled, Becotide, Becotide Rotocaps, Budesonide Inhaled, Cutivate Inhaled, Decadron Phosphate Turbinaire or Respihaler, Dexamethasone Inhaled, Filair Forte, Flixotide, Flonase Inhaled, Flovent Inhaled, Flunisolide Inhaled, Fluticasone Inhaled, Levalbuterol Inhaled, Mometasone Inhaled, Nasacort AQ Inhaled, Nasacort Inhaled, Nasalide Inhaled, Nasonex Inhaled, Proventil Inhaled, Pulmicort, Pulmicort Inhaled, Qvar, Rhinocort Inhaled, Triamcinolone Inhaled, Vancenase AQ Inhaled, Vancenase Inhaled, Vanceril Inhaled, Ventolin Inhaled, Volmax Inhaled, Xopenex

Combination drug: Viskaldix

Illustration

Corticosteroids are inhaled by mouth to treat and prevent asthma, as well as other inflammatory conditions of the lungs that restrict breathing. They are inhaled into the nose to treat and prevent symptoms of hay fever and other allergies. In addition, some agents may be used to prevent recurrence of nasal polyps following surgical removal.

The information in this article pertains to inhaled corticosteroids in general. The interactions reported here may not apply to all the Also Indexed As terms. Talk to your doctor or chemist if you are taking any of these drugs.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

Beneficial May Be Beneficial: Depletion or interference—The medication may deplete or interfere with the absorption or function of the nutrient. Taking these nutrients may help replenish them.

Calcium

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)*
Side effect reduction/prevention

None known
Supportive interaction

None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability

None known
Adverse interaction

None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Dietary Supplements

Calcium
Most of an inhaled dose of beclomethasone is actually swallowed, which may lead to reduced absorption of calcium.1 Health practitioners may recommend calcium supplementation to individuals using beclomethasone inhalers.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
A group of women with asthma who had been taking inhaled beclomethasone were shown to have low levels of DHEA compared to women with asthma who were not taking beclomethasone.2 The authors speculated that this effect may partially explain how corticosteroids can cause osteoporosis. However, more research is needed to confirm these suspicions and to evaluate whether supplemental DHEA is beneficial to patients taking inhaled corticosteroids.

References

1. Smith BJ, Phillips PJ, Pannall PR. Effect of orally administered beclomethasone dipropionate on calcium absorption from the gut in normal subjects. Thorax 1993;48:890–3.

2. Smith BJ, Buxton JR, Dickeson J, Heller RF. Does beclomethasone dipropionate suppress dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate in postmenopausal women? Austral NZ J Med 1994;24:396–401.