Pulmicort in obstructive and acute bronchitis: treatment by inhalation

Bronchitis is one of the most common pathologies of the respiratory system. The disease has been known to science for a long time, the first descriptions were made more than 3 thousand years ago. However, for a long time there were only descriptive data, the etiology, the features of pathogenesis remained unclear for a long time. However, bronchitis and bronchial asthma spread more and more. The frequency of pathology reached 1% of the entire population. At this time, new cases of the disease were registered, the course of the disease became more severe, new forms of pathology arose. The disease began to occur among children. An active search for treatment and prevention of the disease began. Sympathomimetics and steroid drugs were widely used. By the end of the 60s, a new generation of systemic drugs of a corticosteroid nature was created. The most widely used drugs due to their high efficiency and relative safety are pulmicort, beclomethasone dipropionate, flunisolide, fluticasone propionate, mometasone furoate. Today, pulmicort is used for bronchitis much more often than other drugs. It can be used even for children.

Treatment of bronchitis with pulmicort

Treatment of bronchitis requires only complex therapy. Despite its high efficiency, Pulmicort is not used as the only treatment for bronchitis. As an inhalation agent, it is used for both children and adults. It helps with any type of bronchitis: acute, chronic, obstructive, and even bronchial asthma. It is a reliable means of treating and preventing complications. Usually, the drug is used only in cases where conventional complex therapy is ineffective. It is a hormonal agent belonging to the class of inhaled corticosteroids.

Pulmicort quickly eliminates pathology due to the fact that it has a local effect, penetrates directly into the bronchopulmonary tissue. If compared with systemic drugs, the effective dose will be much smaller. This makes it possible to irradiate only the bronchi, without affecting other organs. Usually, the course of treatment is short, since hormonal drugs cannot be used for a long time. But in this short time, a person can be completely cured.

Indications pulmicort for bronchitis

Indications for use are primarily bronchitis. Pulmicort is suitable for the treatment of any stage and form of bronchitis. Most often, the need for it arises in the treatment of obstructive, acute or chronic bronchitis, with the manifestation of asthma attacks. Hormonal therapy is usually resorted to in cases where conventional, complex therapy is ineffective, that is, in severe forms of the disease.

It has a positive effect when bronchodilators are ineffective, eliminates symptoms of severe allergies. It can be used to eliminate the effects of angioneurotic edema and anaphylactic shock, to treat rhinitis, dermatitis, asthma with a predominant allergic component. It plays a leading role in the treatment of psoriasis, lung diseases, infection, insufficiency, pulmonary emphysema.

Pulmicort for obstructive bronchitis

The use of Pulmicort is advisable in case of obstructive bronchitis by inhalation. The inhaler is based on a jet nebulizer, which contains a certain amount of the substance. In case of obstructive bronchitis, a positive effect can only be achieved by using a jet inhaler. Recommended for severe cases of the disease. It is also used in the remission stage for prevention.

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Pulmicort for acute bronchitis

In acute bronchitis, Pulmicort helps to quickly and effectively eliminate the main symptoms of the disease, relieve acute inflammation in the bronchi and alveoli. Provides liquefaction and outflow of fluid. Helps relieve hyperemia, edema, allergic reactions. Spasm is relieved due to the fact that smooth muscles are effectively relaxed. Removal of edema and spasm promotes free breathing. Liquefied mucus is easier to cough up. Rapid relief of symptoms occurs due to the fact that the drug is absorbed directly in the bronchi, affects the mucous membrane. It acts quickly - approximately 30 minutes after administration of the drug

In acute bronchitis, inhalations have the greatest positive effect. In hospital settings, an ultrasonic inhaler is most often used. It promotes deeper penetration of drugs into the bronchi, lungs and alveoli. When inhaling children, a special mask is used. It is necessary to control the tightness of the mask.

Pulmicort for chronic bronchitis

In chronic bronchitis, Pulmicort helps relieve spasms, which improves breathing. Removal of constant chronic edema and hyperemia leads to the elimination of inflammation and allergic reactions, which normalizes the structure and function of the bronchi and leads to recovery.

Release form

It is produced as a suspension, which is used for inhalation. It is usually found in polyethylene containers, which contain one dose.

Pulmicort for inhalation in bronchitis

Pulmicort is effective when inhaled, as it penetrates deep into the bronchial tissue, relieves swelling and inflammation there. It is used in strictly individual dosages. Usually, the drug is not prescribed to children under 6 months, but in some exceptional cases, it can be prescribed only in extremely severe cases. Inhalations are useful when bronchitis occurs in a severe form, with suffocating coughing fits, stenotic manifestations.

When performing inhalations, you need to follow some recommendations. Firstly, the procedure should be performed using a nebulizer, which provides spraying and directs the flow of medications directly into the bronchi and lungs. It is also important that this device is compression.

Before inhalation, you need to prepare a suspension. To do this, take a plastic container containing the medicine and shake it. After that, the drug is opened. The required dosage must be poured into the nebulizer container. For example, if 1 ml of medicine is prescribed for inhalation, 1 ml of suspension must be squeezed into the container. Then the same amount of saline solution is added.

If inhalation is performed on a child, it is also necessary to use a special mask that will fit tightly to the face and provide higher treatment efficiency. The duration of the procedure, as well as the dosage, is determined by the doctor. On average, the procedure lasts 10 minutes. Or you just need to wait until the substance completely evaporates. For children, 1-2 minutes is enough. After the procedure, you need to rinse all used devices and components.

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Pharmacodynamics

The drug has a local effect on the body. It can be used intranasally, by inhalation and even on the skin. It relieves inflammation and allergies, eliminates exudates and itching. It has an immunomodulatory effect, which normalizes not only the immune system, but also the endocrine system and metabolism. The active substance of the drug promotes more intensive production of lipomodulin, which inhibits alkaline phosphatase, phospholipase A. As a result, the synthesis of those substances that provoke the inflammatory process decreases.

Prevents the accumulation of neutrophils, which reduces exudative processes, reduces the production of lymphokines. This significantly reduces allergic reactions and swelling. Desensitization of the body is reduced, the normal function of bronchial receptors is restored. They acquire a normal lumen, there is no spasm. The volume and consistency of mucus change significantly, as a result of which mucociliary transport improves.

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Pharmacokinetics

The active substance has a low absorption capacity, which significantly reduces the possibility of its absorption by surrounding tissues. Consequently, there is no negative impact or side effects on the entire body. The drug has only a local effect. It exhibits high tropism only in relation to the cells of the bronchi and lungs, i.e. it can be absorbed only by these tissues and have an effect on them. The half-life is approximately 30 minutes, i.e. after this time the drug has a therapeutic effect. Approximately 10% is excreted in feces, the rest - by the kidneys.

Pulmicort for bronchitis in children

Pulmicort is used to treat bronchitis in children. The drug is contraindicated for use in children under 6 months. After reaching this age, in case of particularly severe diseases, the drug can be prescribed, starting with minimal dosages. Only a doctor should calculate the dose. The initial dosage can be changed downwards or upwards, depending on the severity of the symptoms and how treatable the disease is. It should be used with caution and only as prescribed by a doctor, since this is a hormonal drug.

After the inhalation is done, it is necessary to rinse the mouth thoroughly. This should be done for children in order to avoid the occurrence of candidiasis, stomatitis and other manifestations of dysbacteriosis of the oral cavity. It is enough for small children to drink water. Also after the procedure, children must wash their face, which is necessary to prevent irritation. It should be taken into account that the drug is ineffective in the treatment of bronchitis of viral etiology.

The drug increases immunity, which is especially important for children, stimulates their natural defense mechanisms. In addition, it helps reduce the amount of mucus in the body, helps remove fluid and phlegm. Inflammation is reduced and swelling is eliminated, making it one of the most popular treatment methods in pediatrics.

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Dosing and administration

It is impossible to say the exact dosage, since it is very individual and depends on the severity of the disease, its form, and individual characteristics of the body. Usually, even a doctor cannot prescribe the required dosage without having the necessary tests. Therefore, trying to choose the dosage yourself is not only pointless, but also dangerous. Usually, one inhalation requires 200-800 mcg, which is calculated for 2-4 breaths. The maximum dose is 800 mcg/day, the minimum is 200. In particularly severe cases, the daily dose can increase to 1600 mcg.

For children, the daily dose ranges from 50 to 200 mcg/day. In severe exacerbations, an increase to 400 mcg is allowed. The inhalation solution must be prepared strictly before use.

How long should you inhale Pulmicort for bronchitis?

The duration of the procedure depends on the age and condition of the patient. For babies, 2-3 minutes is enough, older children should breathe for less than 10 minutes. Adults should perform the procedure for an average of 15-20 minutes.

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Berodual and Pulmicort for bronchitis

The introduction of two drugs simultaneously, in one inhalation, mutually enhances each other's action. At the same time, the effectiveness of therapy increases significantly. This is explained by the combined action of the drugs, their interaction with each other. The action is enhanced, since both drugs are aimed at expanding the bronchi and eliminating bronchospasm. The dosage and method of administration, the duration of treatment can only be selected by a doctor. Clinical trials show an increase in the effectiveness of combined therapy by 33%.

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Use pulmicort for bronchitis during pregnancy

Many pregnant women have taken this drug. But no negative impact on the fetus has been found. Of course, it would be unreasonable to completely exclude the possibility of a negative impact of the drug on the fetus. No impact on the fetus is noted during lactation either. It is advisable to use the minimum possible dosage.

Contraindications

Pulmicort has virtually no contraindications, except for cases where there is an individual intolerance to its components. This is due to the fact that it has a local effect and does not affect the entire body.

Since the drug is hormonal, it is not prescribed to children under 6 months. However, there are known cases of successful therapy of children younger than this age with severe forms of the disease.

The drug is not recommended for use in tuberculosis, Cushing's disease, and severe types of failure, especially renal failure. It is also ineffective if the disease is caused by viruses.

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Side effects pulmicort for bronchitis

Side effects are rare. Sometimes irritation may occur, especially in children. Children should rinse their mouth or drink after the procedure to reduce the risk of oral dysbiosis, prevent candidiasis and stomatitis. Elderly people may develop hypertensive crisis, steroid diabetes. But such pathology is extremely rare. Contact dermatitis and urticaria may develop. Sometimes there are infectious complications, but this is most often a consequence of dysbiosis.

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Overdose

Overdose cases are rare. The exception is taking Pulmicort with other hormonal agents. Hormonal imbalance in the body may be observed.

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Interactions with other drugs

Increased action is observed with combined treatment with beta-adrenergic stimulants. Decreased effectiveness is observed with interaction with phenobarbitals, diphenin, rifampicin.

Undesirable effects and side effects are observed with combined use with methandrostenolone and estrogenic drugs. Combination with any other hormonal agents is not recommended, as it may cause imbalance and overdose of hormones.

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Storage conditions

Store in a safe place, out of reach of children and animals. The opened envelope should be kept in the dark. The storage temperature should not exceed 30°C.

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Shelf life

The drug can be stored unopened for 2 years. After opening the envelope in which the containers are stored, they must be used within 3 months. An open container can be stored for no more than 12 hours.

Reviews

You can find both positive and negative reviews. Positive ones prevail. In almost all cases, the drug helps treat cough, relieve spasms and asthma attacks in bronchitis and asthma. It has a positive effect in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, severe allergic edema and emphysema.

Quickly relieves inflammation, breathing becomes even and calm, the constant feeling of constriction in the chest disappears. A person can cough, phlegm comes out. In asthma, it relieves attacks. With long-term treatment, it is tolerated quite well. The therapeutic effect after inhalation is achieved quite quickly. Recovery can be discussed already after 1-2 weeks from the start of treatment.

The disadvantage is that it is not prescribed to children under 6 months. But there are cases of successful treatment of children even from three months, with severe forms of bronchitis and asthma. In some cases, the drug was prescribed even from birth.

There are reviews that describe a positive effect on bronchial asthma for a 2-year-old child. At first, the child had a cold, which was treated with folk remedies, then the doctor prescribed a remedy without first testing for allergies, which resulted in complications. Then the baby was treated for laryngitis. It did not respond to treatment for a long time, the disease progressed. A wet cough appeared, unproductive. The child could not cough up, there was a high temperature, which was not brought down by anything. Bronchitis was diagnosed. Attacks of suffocation began, coughing with a strong spasm and pain in the chest area.

The child was prescribed inhalations with Pulmicort, since there was no further delay. Pulmicort was diluted in a saline solution. It was scary to give the child a hormonal drug, but the pulmonologist assured that it was not that dangerous, and that the benefit from it would be much greater than it could harm. It acts only in the respiratory tract, and does not spread to other organs. A mask was additionally used for the child. The drug really turned out to be very good, the coughing fit stopped quite quickly. When discharged, they advised to buy the drug for home use, in cases of severe attacks. We bought it right away, but we rarely use it, only in the most emergency cases. In two years, we have only done two inhalations. The attack passed so quickly that there was no need to even call an ambulance.

Also among the reviews you can find a rather interesting case when a child was helped by the drug against wheezing in the lungs and a barking cough. He could not say a word, was choking, turned pale, and had to call an ambulance. The child was hospitalized with a diagnosis of laryngeal stenosis. The child was brought to his senses. During the treatment, inhalations with Pulmicort were done. Upon discharge, they also advised to buy the drug for home. I had to use the drug three times a year when symptoms of suffocation appeared. It helps to cope with this terrible condition quite quickly.

There is a known case when a child was treated for bronchial asthma for a long time using salbutamol. But soon this drug ceased to be effective. The condition only worsened, autoimmune diseases appeared. One day, at an appointment with a new allergist, we were advised to replace the usual remedy with Pulmicort. I bought it right away, since I had long been afraid that our remedy would soon stop working altogether. The drug turned out to be good. It helps very quickly, is required in small quantities, and is easy to use. We did inhalations according to the prescribed scheme for about a month. And now the attacks have not bothered me for more than 5 months.

Elderly people write that many steroid drugs increase blood pressure. But Pulmicort can be used even for hypertension. The thing is that the drug does not enter the blood, but acts only locally. This is a real salvation for those who suffer from high blood pressure.

Analogues

The closest analogue is Flixotide. This is a prolonged-action drug that acts for a long time and can accumulate in bronchial cells. Therefore, it is also effective in severe forms of bronchitis, when hormonal inhalers are ineffective.

A fairly effective analogue is considered to be flunisolide, which effectively relaxes smooth muscles, as a result of which the spasm goes away. It acts quickly, in just 15 minutes. The action is local. Its only drawback is that it is contraindicated for children under six years of age.

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Pulmicort or Berodual? Which is better for bronchitis?

These two drugs are not analogs of each other, so it is impossible to say which remedy is better and which is worse. They are often prescribed in parallel, which allows achieving a positive effect in the shortest possible time. One removes spasms more effectively, the second eliminates inflammation - as a result, recovery occurs several times faster. Together, they can ensure complete recovery, since Pulmicort for bronchitis even provides liquefaction of sputum and its complete discharge.

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