Beclometasone

Key facts

• Beclometasone (found in inhalers such as Qvar and in combination products) is a corticosteroid you inhale to calm inflammation and swelling inside the airways.
• It is a preventer: taken every day on a fixed schedule, even when you feel well. It does not relieve a sudden asthma attack and works too slowly for that.
• Rinse your mouth with water and spit after every dose, the main way to avoid oral thrush and a hoarse voice. At high doses used long term, enough steroid can reach the bloodstream and suppress your body's own cortisol production.
• Seek urgent care if breathlessness worsens despite using your reliever inhaler, or if you cannot speak in full sentences.

What beclometasone treats

Beclometasone is used to prevent asthma symptoms and reduce the frequency of asthma attacks. Combination inhalers pairing it with a long-acting bronchodilator treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in people who have frequent flare-ups. A nasal spray form treats allergic rhinitis (hay fever and similar nasal allergies). It does not treat an asthma attack already in progress.

How beclometasone works

Asthma and allergic airway disease involve ongoing inflammation that swells the airway lining, tightens surrounding muscle and increases mucus. Beclometasone is a corticosteroid that switches off the cellular signals driving this inflammation. Airway swelling and mucus production fall, and the airways become less twitchy in response to triggers. The effect builds over days to weeks of regular use rather than acting within minutes.

Before you take it

• Always keep a fast-acting reliever inhaler, such as salbutamol, available; beclometasone will not help an acute attack.
• Tell your prescriber about active tuberculosis or chest infections, cataracts, glaucoma, or a history of osteoporosis or fractures.
• In children, growth is checked periodically during long-term treatment, since high doses can slow the growth rate.
• Use a spacer device with a metered-dose inhaler to improve lung delivery and cut down what settles in your mouth.

Side effects

Common effects: oral thrush (white patches, soreness), a hoarse or croaky voice, throat irritation, and cough right after inhaling.

Seek urgent medical care for:

• Severe or worsening breathing difficulty.
• Signs of adrenal suppression: unusual tiredness, weakness, dizziness or fainting, particularly if a dose is missed or stopped suddenly after long-term use.
• Fever or signs of infection that do not improve.
• Vision changes or eye pain.

Safety essentials

• Beclometasone is a preventer, not a reliever. Never use it for a sudden attack, and never stop it abruptly after prolonged use: your adrenal glands may have scaled back their own steroid output, and stopping suddenly can be dangerous.
• Rinse your mouth and spit after every inhaled dose, and use a spacer where possible, to prevent oral thrush and hoarseness.
• At high doses over long periods, systemic absorption can affect bone density, growth in children, and adrenal function. Your prescriber uses the lowest dose that controls your symptoms.
• Carry a steroid treatment card if you are on long-term, high-dose therapy, so other clinicians know in an emergency.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.