Ventolin Respirator Solution
10000000134409
Package Leaflet: Information for the User
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.
• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass
it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.
What is in this leaflet:
1 What Ventolin Respirator Solution is and what it is used for
2 What you need to know before you take Ventolin Respirator Solution
3 How to take Ventolin Respirator Solution
4 Possible side effects
5 How to store Ventolin Respirator Solution
6 Contents of the pack and other information
Ventolin Respirator Solution contains a medicine called salbutamol. This belongs to a group of medicines called fast-acting bronchodilators.
• Bronchodilators help the airways in your lungs to stay open. This makes it easier for air to get in and out.
• They help to relieve chest tightness, wheezing and cough.
Ventolin Respirator Solution is used to treat breathing problems in people with asthma and other chest illnesses. It is usually
given to people who suffer quite badly from these conditions when other forms of treatment do not help enough. Ventolin Respirator Solution is also used to treat severe attacks of asthma.
Ventolin Respirator Solution must only be used by inhalation from a nebuliser and must not be injected or swallowed.
Ventolin Respirator Solution with food and drink
You can take Ventolin Respirator Solution at any time of day, with or without food.
Pregnancy, breast-feeding and fertility
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.
Driving and using machines
Ventolin is not likely to affect you being able to drive or use any tools or machines.
Ventolin Respirator Solution contains benzalkonium chloride
Benzalkonium chloride may cause bronchospasm.
• Always use this medicine exactly as your doctor, pharmacist or nurse has told you. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are not sure.
• Ventolin Respirator Solution must only be used by inhalation from a nebuliser, and must not be injected or swallowed. The nebuliser produces a fine mist which you breathe in through a face mask or a mouthpiece. Make sure that you know how to use it properly. If you have problems ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
• Do not let the Ventolin Respirator Solution, or the mist produced by the nebuliser, get into your eyes.
• Use your nebuliser in a well ventilated room as some of the mist will be released into the air and may be breathed in by others.
• Make sure you know how, when and how much solution you should use.
Your doctor may have prescribed either intermittent (occasional
short bursts) or continuous treatment with Ventolin Respirator
Solution.
Intermittent treatment
• Adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over - The
usual dose is 0.5 ml to 1 ml of Ventolin Respirator Solution (2.5 to 5 mg salbutamol). Some patients may require up to 2 ml (10 mg salbutamol).
• Children aged 18 months to 12 years - The usual dose is 0.5 ml to 1 ml (2.5 to 5 mg salbutamol) of Ventolin Respirator Solution, given four times daily.
Your doctor may have told you to dilute the Ventolin Respirator
Solution with a sterile normal saline solution before using it in
the nebuliser. Remember to follow the instructions for dilution.
Continuous treatment
• The usual dose is 1 to 2 mg of salbutamol per hour.
• This dose can be obtained by diluting 1 or 2 ml of Ventolin Respirator Solution to 100 ml with sterile normal
If you stop taking Ve
Do not stop taking Ven to your doctor.
If you have any further your doctor, nurse or
pha
Do not take Ventolin Respirator Solution if:
• you are allergic to salbutamol sulfate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6).
• you unexpectedly go into early labour (premature labour) or threatened abortion.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before taking Ventolin Respirator Solution if:
• your asthma is active (for example you have frequent symptoms or flare ups or limited physical ability). Your doctor may start or increase a medicine to control your asthma such as an inhaled corticosteroid
• you have high blood pressure
• you are diabetic
• you have an overactive thyroid gland
• you have a history of heart problems such as an irregular or fast heartbeat or angina
• you use another nebuliser solution e.g. ipratropium bromide, make sure the mist does not get in your eyes. This can be prevented by using a mouthpiece instead of a face mask or goggles
• you are taking xanthine derivatives (such as theophylline) or steroids to treat asthma
• you are taking water tablets (diuretics), sometimes used to treat high blood pressure or a heart condition
• you have taken other drugs used to relieve stuffy nose (such as ephedrine or pseudoephedrine) or other medicines used to treat asthma.
Other medicines and Ventolin Respirator Solution
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. This includes herbal medicines. Remember to take this medicine with you if you go to hospital.
In particular tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you are taking:
• medicines for an irregular or fast heartbeat
• other medicines for your asthma.
saline solution to produce a solution containing 50 or 100 micrograms/ml of salbutamol, and inhaling the mist from a suitable nebuliser.
How to use your Ventolin Respirator Solution
1 Prepare the nebuliser for filling.
2 Measure out the right quantity of Ventolin Respirator Solution and put it in the nebuliser bowl.
3 Add the right amount of sterile normal saline solution (make sure your doctor has told you how much to use).
4 Put the top on the nebuliser bowl and shake it gently to mix the contents.
5 Assemble the nebuliser and use it as directed.
6 After use throw away any solution remaining in the nebuliser bowl. Clean your nebuliser in the recommended way.
If you take more Ventolin Respirator Solution than you
should
If you take more than you should, talk to a doctor as soon as
possible.
The following effects may happen:
• your heart beating faster than usual
• you feel shaky
• hyperactivity.
These effects usually wear off in a few h
If you forget to take V
• If you forget a dose,
• However, if it is time
• Do not take a double
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you remember it.
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If your breathing or wheezing gets worse straight after taking this medicine, stop using it immediately, and tell your doctor as soon as possible.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The following side effects may happen with this medicine:
Allergic Reactions (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
If you have an allergic reaction, stop taking Ventolin and see a doctor straight away. Signs of an allergic reaction include: swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing, itchy rash, feeling faint and light headed, and collapse.
Talk to your doctor as soon as possible if:
• you feel your heart is beating faster or stronger than usual (palpitations). This is usually harmless, and usually stops after
you have used the medicine for a while
• you may feel your heartbeat is uneven or it gives an extra beat
• these may affect up to 1 in 10 peop If any of these happen 'o you, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Do not stop using this mecicine unless told to do so.
ha
Tell your doctor if you which may also happen Common (may affect up
• feeling shaky
• headache.
ve any of the with this med to 1 in 10 p
following side effects ine: ple)
Uncommon (may affect
• mouth and throat ir
• muscle cramps.
up to 1 in 1C0 ritation
people)
Rare (may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
• a low level of potassium in your blood
• increased blood flow to your extremities (peripheral dilatation).
Very rare (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
• changes in sleep patterns and changes in behaviour, such as restlessness and excitability.
The following side effects can also happen but the
frequency of these are not known:
• chest pain, due to heart problems such as angina. Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if this occurs. Do not stop using this medicine unless told to do so.
• a condition known as lactic acidosis which may cause stomach pain, hyperventilation, shortness of breath, cold feet and hands, irregular heartbeat or thirst.
Do not throw away medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
What Ventolin Respirator Solution contains
• The active substance is salbutamol sulfate.
• The other ingredients are water, benzalkonium chloride and sulfuric acid.
• Each 20 ml bottle contains 100 mg of salbutamol sulfate.
What Ventolin Respirator Solution looks like and contents of the pack
Ventolin Respirator Solution comes in an amber coloured glass bottle containing 20 ml. The solution is colourless to light yellow in colour.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
If you think this medicine is not working well enough for you
If your medicine does not seem to be working as well as usual, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Your chest problem may be getting worse and you may need a different medicine. Do not take extra Ventolin unless your doctor tells you to.
• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
• Do not store above 25°C. Keep the bottle in the outer carton in order to protect from light.
• Do not leave solution in your nebuliser once you have finished a treatment.
• After opening the bottle:
- note the day of opening.
- add 4 weeks to this date. This will be the 'discard after' date.
- write the 'discard after' date in the space provided on the label.
- do not use any unused Ventolin Respirator Solution after the 'discard after' date but return it to your pharmacist for destruction.
• If the bottle has not been opened, do not use the solution after the expiry date which is stated on the bottle label and carton after 'ExP'. The date refers to the last day of that month.
• If you are told to stop taking this medicine return any unused Ventolin Respirator Solution to your pharmacist to be destroyed.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
Glaxo Wellcome UK Limited Stockley Park West Uxbridge
Middlesex UB11 1BT
Manufacturer
Glaxo Wellcome Operations Barnard Castle Durham DL12 8DT
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Product Name Ventolin Respirator Solution
Reference number 10949/0244
This is a service provided by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
This leaflet was last revised in March 2015
Ventolin is a registered trade mark of the GSK group of companies
© 2015 GSK group of companies. All rights reserved
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