A Guide to COPD Inhalers
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budesonide
Used for Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis
Used for Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis
Budesonide is a corticosteroid that's used to treat mild-to-moderate Crohn's disease in adults and children. It's available as capsules that are taken by mouth once daily. The most common side effects are headache and respirator infections. More rarely, it might cause weight gain too.
What is Budesonide?
What is Budesonide used for?
- Mild-to-moderate active Crohn's disease in people ages 8 years and older
- Maintenance of remission of Crohn's disease in adults
How Budesonide works
Budesonide is a corticosteroid. It works to lessen inflammation (swelling and irritation) in your intestines (bowels). This helps lessen symptoms of Crohn's disease.
When does Budesonide start working?Time passed since treatment started:
Drug facts
| Common Brands | Entocort EC |
|---|---|
| Drug Class | Corticosteroid |
| Controlled Substance Classification | Not a controlled medication |
| Generic Status | Lower-cost generic available |
| Availability | Prescription only |
Side effects of Budesonide
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
Treatment of active, mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease:
- Headache (21%)
- Infection in your air passageway (respiratory infection; 11%)
- Nausea (11%)
- Back pain (7%)
- Dizziness (7%)
- Upset stomach or indigestion (6%)
- Gas (6%)
- Stomach pain (6%)
- Vomiting (6%)
- Feeling tired (5%)
- Pain (5%)
Maintenance of remission of Crohn’s disease**:
- Diarrhea (10%)
- Sinus inflammation (8%)
- Viral infection (6%)
- Joint pain (5%)
** Side effects listed are in addition to those observed with treatment of active Crohn's disease.
Less Common Side Effects
- Acne
- Easy bruising
- Moon face (rounding of the face)
- Ankle swelling
- Abnormal hair growth
- Fast heartbeat
- Vision changes
- Larger appetite
- Weight gain
- Nervousness
- Trouble sleeping
Budesonide serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Severe allergic reactions: rash; hives; trouble breathing; swelling of face, lips, or throat
- Infection: unexplained fever, chills, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, pain, aches, infections that doesn't get better
- Hormone changes: swelling of the ankles, bruising easily, fatty lump or hump between shoulders
The following Budesonide side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Body aches or pain
chills
congestion
dryness or soreness of the throat
general feeling of discomfort or illness
headache
hoarseness
joint pain
loss of appetite
muscle aches and pains
pain or tenderness around the eyes and cheekbones
shivering
shortness of breath or troubled breathing
stuffy or runny nose
sweating
tender, swollen glands in the neck
tightness of the chest or wheezing
trouble with sleeping
trouble with swallowing
unusual tiredness or weakness
voice changes
vomiting
Less common
Bruising
darkening of the skin
dizziness
excessive muscle tone
fainting
fractures
large, flat, blue, or purplish patches in the skin
lower back or side pain
muscle stiffness
muscle tension or tightness
painful or difficult urination
redness or swelling in the ear
skin rash
sore mouth or tongue
white patches in the mouth or on the tongue
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
Back pain
Less common
Acid or sour stomach
belching
change in taste or bad, unusual, or unpleasant (after) taste
difficulty with breathing
difficulty with moving
ear congestion
headache, severe and throbbing
indigestion
muscle cramping
neck pain
stomach discomfort, upset, or pain
swollen joints
unable to sleep
unexplained runny nose or sneezing
weakness
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Get your GoodRx coupon
$22.09
GoodRx discount
$15.52
Pros and cons of Budesonide
Pros
- Works where you have symptoms in your intestines (gut)
- Might cause fewer side effects than other steroids
- Taken once a day
- Available as a lower-cost generic
Cons
- Not recommended for long-term use
- Might not work as well as other steroids like prednisone
- Can raise your risk for infections
- Can take a couple months to see full benefit from the medication
Pharmacist tips for Budesonide
- Take budesonide at the same time every day in the morning. You can take budesonide with or without food, but if it's hurting your stomach, try taking the medication with food to help.
- Swallow budesonide capsules whole. Don't crush or chew them because this could make the medication work in a different way than intended.
- If you have trouble swallowing the budesonide capsule whole, you can open the capsule, sprinkle the contents onto 1 tablespoon of applesauce, and mix them together in a clean container. Swallow the mixture (don't chew it) within 30 minutes of preparing. Drink a full glass (8 oz) of cool water right afterwards to make sure you've taken all of the medication.
- Don't drink grapefruit juice while you're taking budesonide. Grapefruit juice can raise the amount of budesonide in your body, which can lead to more steroid side effects.
- Make sure to tell your healthcare team and pharmacist about all of the medications you're taking. Some medications can interact with budesonide and these interactions can raise your risk for side effects.
- Budesonide can weaken your immune system and raise your risk for infections. Let your gastroenterologist or primary care provider know about any night sweating, unexplained fevers, or infections that don't get better while you're taking this medication. Try to avoid people who are sick and regularly wash your hands to prevent infection.
- Budesonide can potentially affect your bone density and raise your risk for osteoporosis. Discuss with your gastroenterologist or primary care provider about taking calcium or vitamin D supplements to keep your bones healthy.
Risks and warnings for Budesonide
Budesonide can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Changes in stress hormone levels in the body
- Risk factors: Taking budesonide for a long time | Taking higher doses of budesonide | Children | Liver problems
Corticosteroids such as budesonide act like the stress hormone your body naturally makes. When you take higher corticosteroid doses or take the medication for a long time, your body can start to make less of its own stress hormones and rely more on the corticosteroid medication instead. This can cause changes in the stress hormone levels in your body.
When you're taking corticosteroids at higher doses or for a long period of time, it's possible for you to have steroid side effects like acne, easy bruising, rounding of the face, swollen ankles, larger appetite, and weight gain.
And if you stop taking budesonide all of a sudden, you might have symptoms of low stress hormone levels, such as weakness, nausea, and diarrhea. These symptoms happen because the body hasn't had enough time to start making its own stress hormones again. But they should go away over time as your body's natural stress hormone level returns back to normal. Your prescriber will give you instructions to safely stop budesonide, if needed.
Higher risk of infections
Taking budesonide can weaken your immune system and raise your risk of infections. Speak to a healthcare professional or your primary care provider if you think you might have a fungal, bacterial, or viral infection. Also, let them know if you've recently traveled to areas that have a high risk for any type of infections. Contact your primary care provider or urgent care if you start to have any symptoms of an infection, including fever, tiredness, chills, cough, or trouble breathing.
Worsening of certain medical conditions
- Risk factors: High blood pressure | High blood sugar (diabetes) | Osteoporosis (bone weakening) | Stomach ulcer | Glaucoma | Cataracts | Family history of diabetes or glaucoma
Corticosteroids like budesonide can worsen certain conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers, and glaucoma. Tell your gastroenterologist about your full medical history so they're aware whether they need to monitor you more closely while you're taking budesonide. Your gastroenterologist will speak to you about what signs and symptoms to look out for and when to get medical care.
Budesonide dosage
The average cost for 30 ampules of 0.5mg/2ml of Budesonide is $55.50 with a free GoodRx coupon. This is 56.62% off the average retail price of $127.93. 
Capsule
Capsule| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3mg | 90 capsules | $40.02 | $0.44 |
Typical dosage for Budesonide
-
Active, mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease:
- Adults: The typical dose is 9 mg by mouth once a day in the morning for up to 8 weeks. You can repeat this 8-week course of treatment for recurring episodes of Crohn's disease.
- Children ages 8 to 17 years who weigh more than 55 lbs: The typical dose is 9 mg by mouth once a day in the morning for up to 8 weeks, followed by 6 mg by mouth once a day in the morning for 2 weeks.
-
Maintenance of remission of Crohn's disease:
- Adults: The typical dose is 6 mg by mouth once a day in the morning for up to 3 months. Then, follow your prescriber's instructions to safely lower your dose.
Your dose might differ if you have liver problems.
Interactions between Budesonide and other drugs
Budesonide may interact with certain medications or supplements. Always let your doctor and pharmacist know about any other medications or supplements (including prescribed and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and dietary or herbal supplements) that you are currently taking. The list below does not include all possible drug interactions with Budesonide. Please note that only the generic name of each medication is listed below.
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aceclofenac
- Acemetacin
- Amtolmetin Guacil
- Balofloxacin
- Bemiparin
- Besifloxacin
- Boceprevir
- Bromfenac
- Bufexamac
- Bupropion
- Celecoxib
- Ceritinib
- Choline Salicylate
- Ciprofloxacin
- Clonixin
- Cobicistat
- Conivaptan
- Darunavir
- Dexibuprofen
- Dexketoprofen
- Diclofenac
- Diflunisal
- Dipyrone
- Droxicam
- Duvelisib
- Enoxacin
- Etodolac
- Etofenamate
- Etoricoxib
- Felbinac
- Fenoprofen
- Fepradinol
- Feprazone
- Fleroxacin
- Floctafenine
- Flufenamic Acid
- Flumequine
- Flurbiprofen
- Fosnetupitant
- Gatifloxacin
- Gemifloxacin
- Ibuprofen
- Idelalisib
- Indomethacin
- Ivosidenib
- Ketoprofen
- Ketorolac
- Larotrectinib
- Lefamulin
- Levofloxacin
- Lomefloxacin
- Lorlatinib
- Lornoxicam
- Loxoprofen
- Lumacaftor
- Lumiracoxib
- Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate
- Macimorelin
- Meclofenamate
- Mefenamic Acid
- Meloxicam
- Morniflumate
- Moxifloxacin
- Nabumetone
- Nadifloxacin
- Nadroparin
- Naproxen
- Nepafenac
- Netupitant
- Niflumic Acid
- Nimesulide
- Nimesulide Beta Cyclodextrin
- Norfloxacin
- Ofloxacin
- Oxaprozin
- Oxyphenbutazone
- Parecoxib
- Pazufloxacin
- Pefloxacin
- Phenylbutazone
- Piketoprofen
- Piroxicam
- Pranoprofen
- Proglumetacin
- Propyphenazone
- Proquazone
- Prulifloxacin
- Ritonavir
- Rofecoxib
- Rufloxacin
- Salicylic Acid
- Salsalate
- Sargramostim
- Sodium Salicylate
- Sparfloxacin
- Sulindac
- Telaprevir
- Tenoxicam
- Tiaprofenic Acid
- Tolfenamic Acid
- Tolmetin
- Tosufloxacin
- Valdecoxib
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Auranofin
- Erythromycin
- Ketoconazole
How much does Budesonide cost?
To access savings, use a GoodRx coupon and pay just a fraction of the retail price.
What are alternatives to Budesonide?
There are a number of medications that your doctor can prescribe in place of Budesonide. Compare a few possible alternatives below.
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This medication is used for many different conditions. Generally, it's used for autoimmune problems, conditions related to swelling, or cancer. Some examples include:
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Methylprednisolone (Medrol) is used for many different medical conditions, including:
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Budesonide images
