Product Details

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU USE SALMETEROL INHALER

Do not use Salmeterol Inhaler • If you are allergic to salmeterol xinafoate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). 2 • If you are allergic to peanut or soya, do not use Salmeterol Inhaler as it contains soya lecithin. Warnings and precautions Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before using Salmeterol Inhaler • If your asthma or breathing gets worse tell your doctor straight away. You may find that you feel more wheezy, your chest feels tight more often or you may need to use more of your fast-acting “reliever” medicine. If any of these happen, do not increase your number of puffs of Salmeterol Inhaler. Your chest condition may be getting worse and you could become seriously ill. See your doctor or asthma nurse as you may need a change in asthma treatment. • Once your asthma is well controlled your doctor may consider it appropriate to gradually reduce the dose of Salmeterol Inhaler. • If you have been prescribed Salmeterol Inhaler for your asthma, continue to use any other asthma medication you are already taking including your steroid inhaler or steroid tablets. Continue taking the same doses as before, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Do this even if you feel much better. Do not stop using your steroid inhaler (or taking any steroid tablets) when you start using Salmeterol Inhaler. • Your doctor may want to check your health more regularly if you have an overactive thyroid gland, heart disease, including an irregular or fast heartbeat, or diabetes mellitus (as salmeterol may increase your blood sugar). If you have diabetes your doctor may want to monitor your blood sugar more frequently than usual and may need to adjust the treatment you take for your diabetes. Other medicines and Salmeterol Inhaler Tell your doctor, pharmacist or asthma nurse if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including asthma medicines and any inhalers, and including medicines obtained without a prescription. This is because Salmeterol Inhaler may not be suitable to be taken with other medicines. • Please inform your doctor or asthma nurse before using Salmeterol Inhaler, if you are currently being treated for any fungal infections with medicines containing ketoconazole or itraconazole, or if you are being treated for HIV with ritonavir. These medicines may increase the risk of you experiencing side effects with salmeterol, including irregular heart beats, or may make side effects worse. • Beta blockers should be avoided when using Salmeterol Inhaler, unless your doctor tells you to take them. Beta blockers, including atenolol, propranolol and sotalol, are mostly used for the treatment of high blood pressure or other heart conditions. Please tell your doctor or asthma nurse if you are taking β blockers or have recently been prescribed β blockers as they may reduce or abolish the effects of salmeterol. • Salmeterol can reduce the amount of potassium in your blood. If this happens, you may notice an uneven heartbeat, muscle weakness or cramp. This is more likely to happen if you use salmeterol with some medicines used to treat high blood pressure (diuretics) and other medicines used to treat breathing problems such as theophylline or steroids. Your doctor may ask you to have blood tests to check the amount of potassium in your blood from time to time. If you have any concerns discuss them with your doctor or asthma nurse. Pregnancy and breast-feeding If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. Driving and using machines The possible side effects associated with Salmeterol Inhaler are unlikely to affect your ability to drive or use machines. Salmeterol Inhaler contains ethanol and soya This medicine contains 1.6 mg of alcohol (ethanol) in each dose. The amount in each dose of this medicine is equivalent to less than 0.04 ml beer or 0.016 ml wine. The small amount of alcohol in this medicine will not have any noticeable effects. 3 This medicine contains soya. If you are allergic to peanut or soya, do not use this medicinal product (see section 2 ‘Do not take Salmeterol Inhaler)