Symbicort is made up of two drugs. The first is a manmade corticosteroid named budesonide, and a long lasting beta-adrenoceptor agonist named formoterol. It is prescribed for those with bad asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It acts to reduce airway inflammation in the lungs and also by causing the bronchial smooth muscle to relax. While this combination medication might help many patients, do not be fooled by the smiling happy people portrayed in the many pharmaceutical ads, which more resemble a J. Crew catalog than real life.
There are many possible side effects that may come along with this medication. It all depends on the individual. While one patient may react fine to any given medication, others invariably suffer side effects. While minor side effects are usually tolerable, a cascading barrage of the many possible Symbicort side effects can quickly become debilitating.
Here some side effects will be listed, but this is by no means a complete listing. Some of the common issues are aches and pains, the chills, coughing, fever, sneezing, sore throat, headache, stuffy nose, and feeling tired or weak and in some cases totally drained of energy with the inability to get out of bed in some people. Other less common but very real side effects are very bad heartburn or acid reflux, muscle spasms, upset stomach, belching (burping), stomach pain, bladder pain, frequent or painful urination, nausea, vomiting, shaky hands or feet, swallowing trouble, and sweating. Rarer but again very real side effects consist of blurry vision, dizziness when rising from a seated or lying position, ravenous hunger and thirst, increase frequency of urination, skin rash, itchy skin, change in the taste of food, feeling of constant anxiety on the level of a panic attack sometimes with symptoms of depression, mood swings, a feeling of dread or foreboding, chest pain, headaches, increased pulse rate with pounding heart, sleeplessness, and in others a profound sleepiness which makes getting out of bed a problem. Symbicort can also affect menstrual bleeding in women, and many of the side effects perfectly mimic the symptoms of early pregnancy.
As you have read, the possible indications listing is very long, and I have personally observed one person close to me who has had MOST of those symptoms during a 2-3 month period on the inhaler. Seeing someone in this state is very difficult, especially if they are someone who is close to you. If you suffer from enough of these symptoms and take Symbicort, speak with your doctor about switching to another medication to control your asthma.
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