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Generic Name: fluticasone propionate
Brand Names: Flovent

Flovent: Important Information

• Do not use Flovent to treat an asthma attack that has already begun. It will not work fast enough to reverse your symptoms. Use another, faster-acting inhalation medication to treat an asthma attack.
• Contact your doctor if your asthma symptoms do not improve after using Flovent for 2 weeks.
• Seek medical attention if you think any of your asthma medications is not working so well as compared to previous doses. An increased need for medication could be an early sign of a serious asthma attack.
• Your dosage needs may change if you have surgery, are ill, are under stress, or have recently had an asthma attack. Talk to your doctor if any of your asthma medications do not seem to work well in treating or preventing asthma attacks.
• If you were switched from an oral (taken by mouth) steroid to Flovent, you may need to go back to taking the oral medicine if you are under stress or have an asthma attack or other medical emergency. Carry an identification card or wear a medical alert ID to let others know that you may need an oral steroid in an emergency.

What is Flovent

• Flovent is a steroid. It prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation.
• Flovent is used to prevent asthma attacks. It will not treat an asthma attack that has already begun.
• Flovent may also be used for purposes other than those listed in this medication guide.

What to Discuss Before Using Flovent

• Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you have been sick or had an infection of any kind. You may not be able to use Flovent until you are well.
• FDA pregnancy belongs to category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
• It is not known whether Flovent passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use Flovent without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
• Flovent can affect growth in children. Talk to your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using this medication.
• Flovent can affect growth in children. Consult your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using this medication.
• Do not give this medicine to a child younger than 4 years old.
• 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 to your doctor about your risk of osteoporosis.

Flovent Dosage Method

• Use this medication exactly as it was prescribed to you. Do not use the medication in larger amounts or use it longer than recommended by your doctor. This medication comes with patient instructions for safe and effective use. Follow these directions carefully. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
• Do not use Flovent to treat an asthma attack that has already begun. It will not work fast enough to reverse your symptoms. Use another, faster-acting inhalation medication to treat an asthma attack.
• Flovent is a liquid form of fluticasone that is used with an inhaler device. This device creates a spray that you inhale through your mouth and into your lungs. The inhaler device is sometimes used with a spacer tube. Your doctor or other healthcare provider can show you how to use a spacer.
• Flovent Rotadisk and Flovent Diskus are powder forms of fluticasone that come with a special inhaler device preloaded with blister packs containing measured doses of fluticasone. The device opens and loads a blister of fluticasone each time you use the inhaler. The disk devices are not to be used with a spacer. Follow the patient instructions provided with the Rotadisk or Diskus.
• To reduce the chance of developing a yeast infection in your mouth, rinse with water after using Flovent products. Do not swallow.
• Asthma is usually treated with a combination of different drugs. To best treat your condition, use all your medications as directed by the doctor. Do not change your doses or medication schedule without the advice of your doctor.
• It is important to use Flovent regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely.
• Contact your doctor if your asthma symptoms do not improve after using Flovent for 2 weeks.
• Seek medical attention if you think any of your asthma medications are not working as well as usual. An increased need of medication could be an early sign of a serious asthma attack.
• Your dosage needs may change if you have surgery, are ill, are under stress, or have recently had an asthma attack. Talk to your doctor if any of your asthma medications do not seem to work so well in treating or preventing asthma attacks.
• If you were switched from an oral (taken by mouth) steroid to Flovent, you may need to go back to taking the oral medicine if you are under stress or have an asthma attack or other medical emergency. Carry an identification card or wear a medical alert ID to let others know that you may need an oral steroid in an emergency.
• Store this medication at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Keep the medicine canister away from high heat, such as open flame or in a car on a hot day. The canister may explode if it gets too hot.

Miss a dose: Problems?

• Use the medication as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and wait until your next scheduled dose. Do not use extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Flovent Overdose?

• Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
• An overdose of Flovent is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms.

Avoid During Treatment

• Flovent can lower the blood cells that help your body fight infections. This can make it easier for you to get sick from being around others who are ill. Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Contact your doctor if you have been exposed to someone with measles or chicken pox.

Flovent Side Effects

• Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction:
  • hives
  • difficulty breathing
  •  swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat
• Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
  • weakness, tired feeling, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss
  • wheezing or breathing problems after using this medication
  • skin rash, bruising, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness
  • changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, and waist)
  • worsening asthma symptoms
• Other, less serious side effects may be more likely to occur, such as:
  • headache
  • dryness in your mouth, nose, or throat
  • white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips
  • stuffy nose, sinus pain, cough or
  • hoarseness or deepened voice
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome

What other drugs to avoid while undergoing treatment

• If you are also using a bronchodilator (a drug that opens the airways to improve breathing), use it first before using the Flovent inhaler. This will allow more fluticasone to reach your lungs. Bronchodilators include albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin), pirbuterol (Maxair), bitolterol (Tornalate), and others. 
• Before using Flovent, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:
• amiodarone (Cordarone)
• HIV medicines such as ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan), nelfinavir (Viracept)
• certain antibiotics such as ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), clarithromycin (Biaxin), erythromycin (E-Mycin, Ery-Tab, E.E.S.) or
• medicines for depression such as fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• If you are using any of these drugs, you may not be able to use Flovent, or you may need dosage adjustments or special tests during treatment.
• There may be other drugs not listed that can affect Flovent. Tell your doctor about all the prescriptions and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Flovent is a highly potent glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory steroid. When administered by inhalation at therapeutic dosages, it has a direct potent anti-inflammatory action within the lungs, resulting in reduced symptoms and exacerbations of asthma and less adverse effects than systematically administered corticosteroids It is essential that the patients be instructed that Flovent is a preventative agent which must be taken daily at the intervals recommended by their doctors and is not to be used as acute treatment for an asthmatic attack.