Patient was educated on side effects of using Symbicort as follows: Secondary bacterial and viral infections Due to the immunosuppression caused by the steroid in Symbicort, individuals using Symbicort are more prone to secondary bacterial and viral infections of respiratory tract. Patients can present with signs and symptoms of infection, such as, fever, throat irritation, productive cough, and stomach upset. Hypokalemia Chronic use of Symbicort can result in hypokalemia giving rise to symptoms such as, [...]

Patient was educated on side effects of using Symbicort as follows: Hypertension Steroid in Symbicort can result in retention of sodium and water and cause elevated blood pressure. Elevated blood sugars On long-term use, steroid in Symbicort can result in increased insulin resistance and contribute towards elevated blood sugars. This particularly can be an issue in diabetics with poor blood sugar control. Opportunistic fungal infection Symbicort can result in opportunistic fungal infection in the oral [...]

Patient was educated on the process to use Symbicort aerosol inhaler as follows: Always, check the expiration date on the Symbicort aerosol inhaler before using it. Shake the inhaler well for 5 seconds before every use. Take the cap off the mouthpiece. Make sure the mouthpiece is clean before having it in the mouth. Hold the Symbicort inhaler between the thumb at the base and the index finger at the top, with the canister up [...]

Patient was educated on how to count puffs for Symbicort inhalers with no built-in counter as follows: For Symbicort inhalers that do not have a built-in counter, a manual watch is mandatory, to keep track of the number of doses of medication used. Every canister will have the number of doses or puffs it carries, printed on the side of the canister. Mark the date in your diary, on which the canister was first used. [...]

Patient was educated on how to count puffs for Symbicort inhalers with built-in counter as follows: Symbicort inhalers might have a built-in counter to indicate the number of doses left in the canister. The counter automatically adjusts to the number of doses left in the canister, every time the Symbicort inhaler is used. Keep a watch on these numbers to order for a timely refill, as the numbers draw closer to zero and change the [...]