Terbutaline Description

Generic Name : TERBUTALINE

Pronunciation : (ter byoo' ta leen)

Trade Name(s) : Bricanyl, Bricanyl Durules, Bricanyl inhaler, Bricanyl misthaler

Why it is prescribed: Terbutaline, a bronchodilator, relaxes and opens the air passages to the lungs, making it easier to breather. It is used to relieve asthma attacks and troubled breathing caused by emphysema, bronchitis, and other lung diseases.

When it is to be taken: Terbutaline usually is taken orally three or four times a day and by inhalation every four to six hours. Follow the instructions on your prescription label carefully. Terbutaline starts to work within 30 minutes.

How it should be taken: Terubtaline comes in tablets and in aerosol form for oral inhalation with a special inhaler. Your prescription label tells you how much to take at each dose. To use the inhale, follow the instructions that come with it and these stops:
1. Shake the inhaler well.
2. Exhale as completely as possible through your nose while keeping your mouth shut.
3. Place the mouthpiece well into your mouth, past your front teeth. Do not close your lips around the mouthpiece.
4. Take a slow, deep breath through the mouthpiece and, at the same time, press down on the container to spray the medication into your mouth. Be sure that the mist goes into your throat and is not blocked by your teeth or tongue. Adults giving the treatment to young children may hold the child's nose closed to be sure that the medication goes into the child's throat.
5. Hold your breath for as long as you can. Then remove the mouthpiece and exhale slowly.
6. If you have difficulty getting the medication into your lungs, a spacer may help; ask your doctor.
7. If you have used the inhaler as directed and still cannot breather freely, contact your doctor.

Special Instruction :
1. If this medication loses its effectiveness or if your condition worsens, stop using terbutaline and contact your doctor.
2. Do not take more medication at each dose or take it more often than as directed.
3. Increasing your dose can be dangerous and can decrease the drug's effectiveness.
4. If your sputum thickens or changes color from clear white to yellow, green, or gray, contact your doctor; these changes may be signs of an infection.
5. If you forget to take a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it and take any remaining doses for that day at evenly spaced intervals. However, if you remember a missed dose at the time you are scheduled to take the next dose, take only the scheduled dose. Do not take a double dose.

Side Effects :
1. Unusual taste, dry or irritated mouth and throat. Rinse your mouth with water after each treatment.
2. Tremors, nervousness, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, restlessness, tiredness, drowsiness, sweating, ringing in ears, insomnia. Contact your doctor if these effects persist or are severe.
3. Fast or irregular heartbeat, palpitations, heart pain, increased difficulty breathing, wheezing. Contact your doctor immediately.

Other Precautions :
1. Before you take terbutaline, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breast-feeding or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, an overactive thyroid gland, irregular heartbeat, heart disease, or epilepsy.
2. Before taking terbutaline, tell your doctor what prescription and nonprescription drus you are taking, especially MAO inhibitors, medication for depression or asthma, and beta blockers.
3. Before taking terbutaine, tell your doctor if you ever had a bad reaction to albuterol, bitolterol, ephedrine, epinephrine, isoetharine, isoproterenol, metaproterenol, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, or pseudoephedrine. Many nonprescription medications contain these drugs e.g., diet pills and medication for colds and asthma, so check the labels carefully.
4. Do not take any of these drugs without consulting your doctor.
5. Do not allow anyone else to take your medication.

Storage Conditions :
1. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of the reach of children.
2. Store it at room temperature, away from excess heat.
3. Avoid puncturing the aerosol container.