Doubling Dose Doesn’t Help

People with asthma that is hard to control are frequently told to double up on their inhaled steroid. Puffers like Pulmicort or Flovent contain corticosteroid ingredients such as budesonide or fluticosone. These medications are supposed to control the inflammation within the airways that is thought to be at the root of asthma. But a large analysis of this approach revealed that doubling or even quadrupling the amount of inhaled steroid an asthma patient uses during a flareup does not seem to help. Even with the extra dosing, these patients frequently required rescue medicine such as oral prednisone to get out of trouble. If increasing the dose of inhaled steroid is not an effective strategy, then physicians will need to come up with other ways to help patients cope with asthma flare-ups.
[Cochrane Reviews, Oct. 6, 2010]