Fluticasone and vilanterol

Generic name: Fluticasone And Vilanterol
Brand names: Breo Ellipta
Dosage form: inhalation powder (100 mcg-25 mcg/inh; 200 mcg-25 mcg/inh)
Drug class: Bronchodilator combinations

Usage of Fluticasone and vilanterol

Fluticasone and vilanterol is a steroid and bronchodilator combination medicine used in adults with asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), to improve symptoms and prevent bronchospasm or asthma attacks.

In people with COPD, fluticasone and vilanterol is for long-term treatment. In people with asthma, fluticasone and vilanterol is for short-term treatment until symptoms are well-controlled with with other medicines.

Vilanterol when used alone may increase the risk of death in people with asthma. However, this risk is not increased when fluticasone and vilanterol are used together as a combination product.

Fluticasone and vilanterol may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Fluticasone and vilanterol side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Fluticasone and vilanterol may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

wheezing, choking, or other breathing problems after using this medicine;

chest pain, fast or pounding heartbeats, pounding in your neck or ears;

sores or white patches in your mouth and throat, pain when swallowing;

fever, chills, cough with yellow or green mucus;

blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain, or seeing halos around lights.

high blood sugar--increased thirst, increased urination, dry mouth, fruity breath odor;

low potassium level--leg cramps, constipation, irregular heartbeats, fluttering in your chest, increased thirst or urination, numbness or tingling, muscle weakness or limp feeling; or

signs of a hormonal disorder--worsening tiredness or muscle weakness, feeling light-headed, nausea, vomiting.

Common side effects of fluticasone and vilanterol may include:

headache, back pain, joint pain;

fever, flu symptoms;

increased blood pressure;

runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, cough; or

a hoarse voice.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Before taking Fluticasone and vilanterol

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to fluticasone, vilanterol, or milk proteins.

Fluticasone can weaken your immune system, making it easier for you to get an infection or worsening an infection you already have or have recently had. Tell your doctor about any illness or infection you have had within the past several weeks.

Tell your doctor if you have ever had:

glaucoma or cataracts;

a weak immune system;

heart disease, high blood pressure;

liver disease;

a thyroid disorder;

a seizure;

diabetes;

any type of infection (bacterial, fungal, viral, or parasitic); or

osteoporosis.

Long-term use of steroids may lead to bone loss (osteoporosis), especially if you smoke, if you do not exercise, if you do not get enough vitamin D or calcium in your diet, or if you have a family history of osteoporosis. Talk with your doctor about your risk.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. However, having untreated or uncontrolled asthma during pregnancy may cause complications such as low birth weight, premature birth, or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems in both mother and baby). The benefit of treating asthma may outweigh any risks to the baby.

It may not be safe to breast-feed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.

Fluticasone and vilanterol is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.

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How to use Fluticasone and vilanterol

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose. Use the medicine exactly as directed.

Fluticasone and vilanterol is not a rescue medicine for asthma or bronchospasm attacks. Use only fast-acting inhalation medicine for an attack. Seek medical attention if your breathing problems get worse quickly, or if you think your asthma medications are not working as well.

Fluticasone and vilanterol is a powder that comes with a special inhaler device preloaded with blister packs containing measured doses of the medicine. The device opens and loads a blister of fluticasone and vilanterol each time you use the inhaler. Follow the patient instructions provided with the inhaler device.

Use the medicine at the same time each day, and not more than once in a 24-hour period.

Your dose needs may change due to surgery, illness, stress, or a recent asthma attack. Do not change your medication dose or schedule without your doctor's advice.

Always rinse out your mouth with water after using the inhaler device, to help prevent thrush (a fungal infection in the mouth or throat).

Your doctor will need to check your lung function on a regular basis. Your vision and your bone mineral density may also need to be checked.

Once your asthma is under control, your doctor may want you to stop using fluticasone and vilanterol. Keep all follow-up appointments and do not stop using the medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

Store at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light. Keep the inhaler device in the sealed foil tray until ready to start using it.

Throw the inhaler device away 6 weeks after you have taken it out of the foil pouch, or if the dose indicator shows a zero, whichever comes first.

Warnings

You should not use fluticasone and vilanterol if you are allergic to fluticasone, vilanterol, or milk proteins.

Fluticasone and vilanterol is not a rescue medicine. It will not work fast enough to treat an asthma or bronchospasm attack.

What other drugs will affect Fluticasone and vilanterol

Sometimes it is not safe to use certain medications at the same time. Some drugs can affect your blood levels of other drugs you take, which may increase side effects or make the medications less effective.

Many drugs can affect fluticasone and vilanterol. This includes prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed here. Tell your doctor about all your current medicines and any medicine you start or stop using.

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.