Also known as: beclomethasone, beclometasone dipropionate inhaler
An inhaled corticosteroid taken every day to calm the airway inflammation of asthma and prevent attacks; the preventer that reliever inhalers cannot replace.
Metered-dose inhaler (best with a spacer) and dry-powder inhaler, usually twice daily; combination inhalers with formoterol; different brands are not interchangeable dose for dose
Onset and duration
Improvement over 1-2 weeks; full effect after several weeks of regular use. Not a reliever: it does nothing for an attack in progress.
Legal status differs between countries and can change; each row cites the document it was taken from and applies only to the country named.
What it is used for
Preventing asthma symptoms and attacks, used every day even when well
COPD only in combination inhalers for people with frequent exacerbations
Nasal spray and cream forms treat rhinitis and skin inflammation (separate products)
How it works in the body
Inhaled into the airways, beclometasone enters the cells lining them and binds glucocorticoid receptors, which switch off the genes driving inflammation and switch on anti-inflammatory ones. Over days to weeks the swelling, mucus and twitchiness of asthmatic airways subside, so attacks become less likely. Because it acts locally at small doses, the whole-body effects of steroid tablets are largely avoided, though the mouth and throat are exposed with each dose.
Common side effects
Oral thrush and a hoarse voice, reduced by rinsing the mouth and using a spacer
Sore throat, cough
Serious: seek help
Rarely, at high doses: adrenal suppression, slowed growth in children, bone thinning, cataracts, glaucoma or bruising
Worsening breathing immediately after a dose (paradoxical bronchospasm)
Signs of an allergic reaction
Cautions and interactions
Taken every day as prescribed; stopping it is a common cause of asthma attacks
Brands and devices differ in dose equivalence and are prescribed by brand
High doses: a steroid card, and monitoring of growth in children
Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors (ritonavir, some antifungals) can raise steroid exposure
Tuberculosis or untreated respiratory infections
Interactions
Check interactions
Taking Beclometasone (inhaled) with other medicines? Add them to the checker to see what the official sources say about each pair: the mechanism, general management and monitoring, never a bare "safe".
Interactions documented in the official sources cited on each card. The list covers the medicines represented on this site and is not exhaustive; how the interaction data is compiled.
No pair records for this medicine are in the sources currently represented by Anatomy Nexus. Absence from this list does not mean no interaction exists.
As a member of Corticosteroids
Records written for the whole corticosteroids class apply to Beclometasone (inhaled).
Medicines that share the class of Beclometasone (inhaled). They are separate medicines with their own licences, doses and interactions, not alternative names for Beclometasone (inhaled).
Medicines often discussed alongside Beclometasone (inhaled): used together, compared with it, or acting on the same problem by a different route.
Educational content. Anatomy Nexus provides medical education and does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, prescribing or pharmacist review. Doses, choices and monitoring are decided by a prescriber for an individual; never start, stop or change a medicine on the basis of this page.
