How does SYMBICORT increase the risk of asthma-related death?

How does SYMBICORT increase the risk of asthma related death?

• I dont understand fully what this mean can anyone explain.My dr. prescribed me this but Iam afraid to try it. WARNING: Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists may increase the risk of asthma-related death. SYMBICORT should only be used for patients with asthma not adequately controlled on other asthma-controller medications (eg, low- to medium- dose inhaled corticosteroids) or whose disease severity clearly warrants initiation of treatment with two maintenance therapies. Data from a large placebo-controlled US study that compared the safety of another long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist (salmeterol) or placebo added to usual asthma therapy showed an increase in asthma-related deaths in patients receiving salmeterol. This finding with salmeterol may apply to formoterol (a long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonist), one of the active ingredients in SYMBICORT (see WARNINGS in full Prescribing Information)

• Answer:

  Good for you for reading the warning and questioning your prescription. Basically, it means the following: When you use this long-acting drug, it works in your system for about a day. If you happen to have an asthma attack close to your next scheduled dosing, you need to use a rapid-acting drug like Albuterol to stop the asthma attack because Symbicort takes too long to start working. Albuterol works in about 15 minutes, whereas Symbicort can take up to 10 hours to start working. If you don't have a quick-acting drug, the asthma attack may be fatal. That warning means that at least someone died while using the medication. The death might have been related to the use of the drug, or it might not have been. There's no way to know for sure. It is most likely safe to use the drug. It would have been pulled from the market if it was too risky. However, the warning states, "SYMBICORT should only be used for patients with asthma not adequately controlled on other asthma-controller medications...or whose disease severity clearly warrants initiation of treatment with two maintenance therapies." So I have to ask, have you tried other asthma medications? Did they work? Do you have a rapid-acting drug? If you have tried other meds that did work then ask your doctor why the prescription was changed. If you don't have a rapid-acting drug, tell the doctor to prescribe one. You should even print this posting and take it with you for reference, as well as the product packaging. If your doctor doesn't explain his actions or won't try other drugs, get a different doctor.