Taking budesonide with diagnosis of osteoporosis

[Geedle]

i have to take budesonide for an autoimmune disorder.i also have osteoporosis. I am worried how the budesonide will affect my bones. Can anyone give me any insight?thanks!

[Mark_ABH]

Hi Geedle, here is American Bone Health's guidance on budesonide, a corticosteroid that is often taken via inhaler to treat asthma and is taken orally to treat other autoimmune conditions. Long story short: If you stick to the prescribed dose, it shouldn't be a problem. Some people take these medicines more often than prescribed.

americanbonehealth.org/bone...

Recently published research suggests that very high doses of inhaled steroids also can be bad for the bones. These medicines are used to relieve allergy symptoms, treat asthma symptoms, and prevent asthma attacks. If used as prescribed, these medicines should not cause harm to the bones. If they are used regularly, at higher doses, and for longer periods of time, they might affect the bones.

Very high doses are > 400 mcg/day budenoside or beclomethasone, or > 200 mcg/day fluticasone.

Common inhaled steroids

Fluticasone: Flovent Diskus®, Flonase Allergy Relief®, Aller-Flo®

Budesonide: Rhinocort Allergy®, Pulmicort®, Pulmicort Flexhaler®

[Geedle in reply to Mark_ABH]

i take it for an autoimmune disorder 6 mg a day. Do you know anything about oral dosages. Thanks for your reply!

[Mark_ABH in reply to Geedle]

Budesonide is not included on our list of oral corticosteroids (see that same link), but the general rule of thumb is to keep it under 5 mg/day to avoid harming the bones. You have to balance that, however, with making sure you take enough to manage your autoimmune disorder. Discuss this with your health care provider, and see if there are steps you can take to minimize harm to your bones.

[Geedle in reply to Mark_ABH]

thank yku. Budesonide us a glucosteriod