Symbicort 200/6

i spoke to an asthma nurse today who has said a person can have up to 12 puffs of Symbicort 200/6 in a twenty four hour period. Does anyone do this doing a flare up? It is new to me.

[risabel59]

I think you have to be on the the symbicort smart regime, which has its own protocol for use of symbicort and when you need to go to a reliever.

I have never been on this regime, so its only a discussion I remember. It might be worth giving the asthma uk helpline a call, as they will know the real facts.

R x

[Wheezycat]

Hi! I am on SMART regime, and for that you can take up to twelve puffs, including your normal dosage. I recently had a flare when I got a cold, and I then upped my Symbicort to double what I normally take ( that would be eight in all) which then also left me with a further four I could take. Though I went over eight two or three times, I never used twelve.

[Hidden in reply to Wheezycat]

thank you for your reply. there does not seem to be many people on SMART nor much information on SMART.

why it was brought in I am not sure?

[Wheezycat]

A year or so ago it was talked about in the news, as a way of managing asthma better. When researched it seemed to have good outcomes.

I was put on it last March - well, I asked (it had been mentioned to me before). I had had a run-in with inscense, which affected me quite badly and took a few days to get over. It was then I asked. It felt like a relief as I can up my inhaler a bit when I need it. Still, recently when I got so ill with a cold, I certainly sought help, and I needed prednisolone as well.

But generally, it feels like a relief to me to be able to manage smaller asthma incidents myself.

[beech]

I’m on the SMART regime using Symbicort 200/6.

It’s because I seem to respond well to the steroid element, which controls my asthma better than just ventolin/salbutamol alone.

I can increase my usage by an additional 8 puffs to 12 puffs a day if needed because I am more wheezy or breathless than usual (4 is my standard daily dose), and if that proves not to be adequate I need to seek further help. That last step has not been needed so far!

So perhaps the SMART regime is just used by those for whom it is most appropriate, and helps to handle a slight flare up without needing to see a GP, and stops it escalating to something worse.

[emmasue]

I am on the smart regime and I do this. If I take 8 or more puffs a day for more than three days, I know it's time to contact the GP and increase the steroids. Make sure your GP or asthma nurse explains the smart regime to you and whether or not you are on the smart regime.