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Ask your doctor to demonstrate proper dosing practices. Use your inhaler 2 times per day. Rinse your mouth out with clean water after each use. Do not double-dose if you’ve missed one. Wipe the inhaler down weekly with a clean cloth. Replace the inhaler when the counter shows “0. Talk to your doctor about possible side effects or drug interactions.
After your doctor prescribes Symbicort, request that they get out an inhaler and show you how to use it. Ask them to repeat the process until you feel very comfortable with it. Take brief notes on your phone or a notepad, if needed. It generally works best if you use your inhaler for 2 puffs in the morning and for 2 puffs in the evening. Do your best to use your inhaler at the same time every day in order to establish a routine. The medication dispensed by the Symbicort inhaler is not meant to treat your mouth. It’s important that you fill your mouth with clean water, swish it around, and spit it all out after you use your inhaler. Taking this precaution will make it less likely that you’ll contract thrush or another mouth infection. If you’ve missed a dose of Symbicort, don’t try to make it up. Instead, just wait until your next dosing session and proceed as usual. Taking more than a single dose at a time can cause additional side effects or even lead to overdosing. If you find yourself consistently missing doses, you might consider creating an alarm or reminder on your phone. Maintaining your Symbicort inhaler is actually pretty straightforward. Keep it in a safe, cool, clean place. On the same day each week, take your inhaler out and go over it gently with a dry cloth. Do not wipe it down with water or any cleaning chemicals. ” At the top of your Symbicort inhaler there is a small counter that shows how many doses of medication you have left. After each puff, the counter will go down by 1. When you get to a lower number, the counter will also show a yellow indicator. This means that you need to refill your prescription. When the counter shows “0” and is red, the inhaler is out of medication and needs to be replaced. When the counter shows red and “0” your inhaler may feel the same to the touch and may still provide a puff of air. But, it no longer will send medication along with that air to treat you. Symbicort inhalers can contribute to colds, sore throats, stuffy noses, and sinus inflammation. Some people also experience bronchial (throat) spasms after using Symbicort. It’s also important to talk with your doctor about any other medications that you are taking, as these might interfere or interact with Symbicort. For example, some thyroid medications can lose effectiveness when paired with Symbicort.