Salmeterol
(sal-MEH-tuhr-all)
Definition | Special instructions | Missed dose | Side effects | Warning signs
What is salmeterol?
Salmeterol (Serevent Diskus") is a long-acting medicine used to relax the muscles around the airways and open up the airways of the lungs. It can be used daily to help prevent asthma attacks or before exercise to prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms. Salmeterol is available as a dry powder inhaler called a diskus.
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Special Instructions
- Salmeterol must not be used more than twice a day.
- You should use this medicine 30 to 60 minutes before exercise when using it to prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms.
- This medicine is used to prevent asthma symptoms; it should not be used for quick relief of an asthma exacerbation.
- Do not stop taking this medication unless told to do so by your child's doctor.
- Make sure you refill this prescription before you run out of medication.
- Serevent Diskus" should not be used as a substitute for oral or inhaled corticosteroids. The dosage of these medications should not be changed and they should not be stopped without consulting the physician, even if the patient feels better after initiating treatment with Serevent Diskus".
- Do not exhale into the diskus or shake it after the diskus has been loaded with a dose.
- Store at room temperature away from moisture and sunlight. Do not store in the bathroom.
- Do not use after expiration on bottle/package. The diskus should be thrown away 6 weeks after it is removed from the outer foil package or when the doses are gone (dose indicator reads zero), whichever comes first.
- Keep this medication out of the reach of children
- If too much medication is taken by accident, call the Drug and Poison Information Center (DPIC), 513-636-5111 or 1-800-222-1222 or call your child's doctor right away.
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Missed dose
For any medication information related to your child's dosing schedule and/or missed doses, contact the healthcare provider who prescribed the medication.
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Side effects
Contact your child's doctor if symptoms persist or become bothersome:
- Irregular heartbeats
- Fast heart rate
- Jitteriness, fussiness or agitation
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Warning signs
Call your child's doctor immediately if your child develops:
- Asthma symptoms worsen or need to use rescue inhaler more often
- Difficulty breathing
- Rash
- Significant decrease in PEF or lung function as outlined by your child's physician
- Use of 4 or more inhalations per day of a short-acting beta2-agonist for 2 or more days in a row.
- Use of more than 1 canister of inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist in a 2-month period.
Contact Us
For additional information on this or any Health Topic, please call the Family Resource Center, 513-636-7606, or your pediatrician.
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Patient Education Program V 5116 12/98
Rev. 9/05, 9/07
