The brand-name drug Pulmicort Respules, generically termed budesonide, works to help prevent asthma symptoms. This corticosteroid medication does not function during an attack of asthma, MayoClinic.com reports, but helps stop inflammation in the person's lungs that can trigger an asthma attack. The Pulmicort Respules break open to allow the liquid medication within to be administered as an inhalant from a nebulizer.
Swelling and Pain
Among many common serious side effects associated with using Pulmicort Respules, swelling and pain may occur and require medical attention, MayoClinic.com states. The person may get general pains or aches throughout her body as side effects of the medicine. She may get headaches as well. Pain may occur in the asthma sufferer's joints and muscles. Tenderness and pain may exist in the cheekbones and near the eyes. Her neck glands may feel swollen and tender.
Flu-Like Syndrome
Pulmicort Respules may induce a condition called flu-like syndrome that produces symptoms that mimic the flu, such as a fever and chills, nausea, throat soreness, vomiting, shivering, sneezing and congestion of the sinuses. Patients experiencing any signs of the flu that occur following the use of Pulmicort Respules should report this to a physician immediately, MayoClinic.com recommends.
Fatigue
Fatigue, or a general sense of overwork or exhaustion from physical or mental activity, may occur as a serious common side effect of Pulmicort Respules. The medication may make the asthma sufferer feel drained and weak. He also may experience a condition called malaise in which he feels an overall illness or discomfort throughout his body that does not occur in specific areas. Any such side effects require medical attention immediately, according to MayoClinic.com.
Diarrhea and Bleeding
Pulmicort Respules may induce non-serious common side effects, too, Drugs.com reports, although not many have been reported. Diarrhea, or loose, watery stools, may occur primarily because the asthmatic's body needs time to adjust to the introduction of the new medication. The person also may experience nosebleeds at the beginning of treatment with Pulmicort Respules. Neither of these problems classifies as serious side effects of the drug, but may need medical aid if they do not end in a few days.
Cough
A cough may develop in the asthmatic as a result of using Pulmicort Respules via nebulizer. Medical sources differ about the seriousness of a cough associated with this drug. MayoClinic.com classifies it as a serious common side effect, while Drugs.com and the National Institutes of Health both report a cough as non-serious and temporary. If the cough persists more than a couple of days, the asthmatic may need medical attention.
Member Comments