Qvar (beclomethasone) Side Effects, Warnings, and Drug Interactions

Qvar (beclomethasone) is a corticosteroid used to control bronchial asthma in patients who require continuous treatment. This includes patients with frequent asthma episodes or episodes at night.

Qvar is also used to treat asthma in patients who require oral steroid therapy and may reduce the need for such treatment. Corticosteroids have anti-inflammatory actions.

Common side effects of Qvar include:

• mild cough,
• wheezing due to chemical irritation,
• oral candidiasis or thrush,
• hoarseness,
• easy bruising, pain, and
• back pain.

Serious side effects of Qvar may include weak bones, risk of fractures, and suppression of the adrenal glands, typically at higher doses.

No drug interactions have been described with Qvar treatment.

There does not appear to be an increased risk of malformation in a child born to patients exposed to Qvar during pregnancy.

It is unknown if Qvar is secreted in breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

What are the important side effects of Qvar (beclomethasone)?

Common side effects of include:

• Mild cough
• Wheezing due to chemical irritation

Other side effects include:

Using an inhaled bronchodilator prior to beclomethasone may minimize the side effects of mild cough or wheezing.

Using a spacer device with the inhaler and washing out the mouth with water after each use of Qvar reduces the amount of Qvar in the mouth and throat, lowering the risk of thrush and hoarseness.

Higher doses of inhaled beclomethasone may result in more absorption into the body, leading to weak bones and a risk of fractures.

Even higher doses may suppress the adrenal glands and impair their ability to produce natural glucocorticoid. Patients with adrenal suppression may need increased amounts of glucocorticoid during periods of physical stress.

Patients receiving beclomethasone may develop easy bruising.

Qvar side effects list for healthcare professionals

Systemic and local corticosteroid use may result in the following:

• Candida albicans infection
• Immunosuppression
• Hypercorticism and adrenal suppression

• Growth effects

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed cannot be directly compared to rates in other trials and may not reflect practice.

Table 3 below includes all events reported by patients taking Qvar that occurred at a rate over 3% for Qvar.

Table 3 Adverse Events Reported by at Least 3% of the Patients for Qvar by Treatment and Daily Dose

Other adverse events that occurred in these clinical trials using Qvar with an incidence of 1% to 3% and which occurred at a greater incidence than placebo were nausea, dysmenorrhea, and coughing. Oropharyngeal candidiasis occurred in.

Pediatric Studies

In two 12-week placebo-controlled studies in steroid naive pediatric patients 5 to 12 years of age, no clinically relevant differences were found in the pattern, severity, or frequency of adverse events compared with those reported in adults, except for conditions more prevalent in a pediatric population generally.

Postmarketing Experience

In addition to adverse reactions experienced in the clinical trials, the following adverse events have been reported during post-approval use of Qvar. Because they are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.

Local Effects: Localized infections with Candida albicans have occurred in patients treated with Qvar or other orally inhaled corticosteroids.

Psychiatric and Behavioral Changes: Aggression, depression, sleep disorders, psychomotor hyperactivity, and suicidal ideation have been reported (primarily in children).

What drugs interact with Qvar (beclomethasone)?

No Information Provided

Summary

Qvar (beclomethasone) is a corticosteroid used to control bronchial asthma in patients who require continuous treatment. Common side effects include mild cough, wheezing due to chemical irritation, oral candidiasis or thrush, hoarseness, easy bruising, pain, and back pain. Serious side effects may include weak bones, risk of fractures, and suppression of the adrenal glands. No drug interactions have been described with Qvar treatment. There does not appear to be an increased risk of malformation in a child born to patients exposed to Qvar during pregnancy. It is unknown if Qvar is secreted in breast milk.