Albuterol Syrup: What Should I Tell My Healthcare Provider?
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking
albuterol syrup if you have:
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all other medicines you may be taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Some Precautions and Warnings With Albuterol Syrup
Some warnings and precautions to be aware of with
albuterol syrup include:
- Tell your healthcare provider immediately if you are using albuterol syrup more frequently than usual. Asthma symptoms can worsen very quickly and become a medical emergency.
- Using albuterol syrup alone is rarely the best asthma treatment, especially for adults. Your healthcare provider should consider adding additional asthma medications.
- Rarely, albuterol syrup can cause a worsening of bronchospasms (spasms of the airways), which is exactly the opposite of what should happen. Tell your healthcare provider immediately if albuterol syrup makes your asthma worse.
- Albuterol syrup can have a stimulatory effect on the heart and blood pressure. Fast heart rate (tachycardia), high blood pressure (hypertension), and irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) may occur, although low blood pressure (hypotension) is also possible. If you have heart disease or high blood pressure, make sure your healthcare provider is aware of it. He or she may wish to use particular caution if he or she recommends albuterol syrup in your case.
- People with an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), diabetes, or epilepsy should use caution when using albuterol syrup, as albuterol may worsen these conditions or increase the risk of side effects.
- Albuterol syrup can interact with other medications (see Albuterol Drug Interactions).
- Albuterol syrup is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that albuterol syrup may not be safe to use during pregnancy. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risks and benefits of using albuterol syrup during pregnancy (see Albuterol and Pregnancy for more information).
- It is not known if albuterol syrup passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about using albuterol syrup (see Albuterol and Breastfeeding for more information).
