Fluticasone (Inhalation-Local)
Brand Names : Flovent, Flovent Rotadisk, Flovent Diskus
Before Using This MedicineIn deciding to use a medicine,
the risks of using the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do.
This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For inhaled fluticasone,
the following should be considered:
Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or
allergic reaction to fluticasone. Also tell your health care professional
if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, especially milk,
preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy - Inhaled fluticasone has not been studied in pregnant
women. However, in animal studies, fluticasone given by injection was shown
to cause birth defects. Also, too much use of corticosteroids during pregnancy
may cause other unwanted effects in the infant, such as slower growth and
reduced adrenal gland function.
Breast-feeding - It is not known whether inhaled fluticasone passes
into breast milk. However, in animals given fluticasone by injection, the
medicine did pass into breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast
milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding.
Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss
this with their doctor.
Children - Corticosteroids taken by mouth or injection have
been shown to slow or stop growth in children and cause reduced adrenal gland
function. If enough fluticasone is absorbed following inhalation, it is possible
it also could cause these effects. Your doctor will want you to use the lowest
possible dose of fluticasone that controls asthma. This will lessen the chance
of an effect on growth or adrenal gland function. It
is also important that children taking fluticasone visit their doctors regularly
so that their growth rates may be monitored.
Children who are taking
this medicine may be more susceptible to infections, such as chickenpox or
measles. Care should be taken to avoid exposure to chickenpox or measles.
If the child is exposed or the disease develops, the doctor should be contacted
and his or her directions should be followed carefully. Before this medicine
is given to a child, you and your child's doctor should talk about the good
this medicine will do as well as the risks of using it.
Older adults - Inhaled fluticasone has been studied in elderly patients
and has not been found to cause different side effects or other problems than
it does in younger adults.
Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used
together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together
even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to
change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care
professional if you are taking any prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter
[OTC]) medicines.
Other medical problems - The presence of other medical
problems may affect the use of inhaled fluticasone. Make sure you tell your
doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
-
Herpes simplex (virus) infection of the eye or
-
Infections (virus, bacteria, or fungus) - Inhaled fluticasone
may make these infections worse
-
Tuberculosis (active or history of) - Inhaled fluticasone may
cause this infection to start up again
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