Beclomethasonedosage

For oral inhalation only. Starting dosage is based on prior asthma therapy and disease severity. Treatment of asthma in patients 12 years and older: 40 mcg, 80 mcg, 160 mcg, or 320 mcg twice daily. Treatment of asthma in patients 5 to 11 years of age: 40 or 80 mcg twice daily. Discard beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol inhaler when the dose counter displays 0 or after the expiration date on the product, whichever comes first.

2.1 Administration

Information Administer beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol by the orally inhaled route in patients 5 years of age and older. Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol does not require shaking prior to use. After inhalation, the patient should rinse his/her mouth with water without swallowing to help reduce the risk of oropharyngeal candidiasis. Use of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol with a spacer device in children less than 5 years of age is not recommended. Patients should be instructed on the proper use of their inhaler. Consistent dose delivery is achieved, whether using the 40 or 80 mcg strengths, due to proportionality of the 2 products (i.e., 2 actuations of 40 mcg strength should provide a dose comparable to 1 actuation of the 80 mcg strength).

Priming: Patients should prime beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol by actuating into the air twice before using for the first time or if beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has not been used for over 10 days. Avoid spraying in the eyes or face when priming beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol.

Dose Counter: Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has a dose counter window located on the back of the actuator. When the patient receives the inhaler, “122” will appear in the viewing window until it has been primed 2 times, at which point the total number of actuations will be displayed. The dose counter will count down each time a spray is released. The dose-counter window displays the number of sprays left in the inhaler in units of one (e.g., 120, 119, 118, etc). When the dose counter reaches "20", it is a reminder to the patient to contact their pharmacist for a refill of medication or consult their physician for a prescription refill. Discard beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol inhaler when the dose counter displays 0 or after the expiration date on the product, whichever comes first.

2.2 Recommended

Dosage Adults and Adolescents 12 years of age and older The starting dosage is based on previous asthma therapy and disease severity, including consideration of the patients’ current control of asthma symptoms and risk of future exacerbation. The recommended starting dosage for patients 12 years of age and older who are not on an inhaled corticosteroid is 40 to 80 mcg twice daily, approximately 12 hours apart. For patients switching to beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol from another inhaled corticosteroid product, select the appropriate starting dosage strength of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol based on the strength of the previous inhaled corticosteroid product and disease severity: 40, 80, 160 or 320 mcg twice daily. For patients who do not respond adequately to the initial dosage after 2 weeks of therapy, increasing the dosage may provide additional asthma control. The maximum recommended dosage for patients 12 years of age and older is 320 mcg twice daily. Pediatric Patients 5 to 11 years The starting dosage is based on previous asthma therapy and disease severity, including consideration of the patients’ current control of asthma symptoms and risk of future exacerbation. The recommended starting dosage for patients aged 5 to 11 years of age is 40 mcg twice daily, approximately 12 hours apart. For patients who do not respond adequately to beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol 40 mcg after 2 weeks of therapy, increasing the dosage to beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol 80 mcg twice daily may provide additional asthma control. The maximum recommended dosage for patients 5 to 11 years of age is 80 mcg twice daily. General Dosing Recommendations The onset and degree of symptom relief will vary in individual patients. Improvement in asthma symptoms can occur within 24 hours of the beginning of treatment and should be expected within the first or second week, but maximum benefit should not be expected until 3 to 4 weeks of therapy. Improvement in pulmonary function is usually apparent within 1 to 4 weeks after the start of therapy. If a dosage regimen of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol fails to provide adequate control of asthma, the therapeutic regimen should be re-evaluated and additional therapeutic options (e.g., replacing the current strength of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol with a higher strength, or adding additional controller therapies) should be considered. As with any inhaled corticosteroid, physicians are advised to titrate the dose of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol downward over time to the lowest level that maintains proper asthma control. This is particularly important in children since a controlled study has shown that beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has the potential to affect growth in children.