Symptom Controllers

know your medicine

  • The Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology Department at Christchurch Hospital has developed handy information sheets to explain how each medicine works, what to do about a missed dose, and possible side effects.

  • Oxis (Eformoterol)

long-acting inhaled relievers

Symptom controllers are long acting inhaled relievers that are taken twice a day to keep the muscle relaxed, and last 12 hours. They don't have the same effect as the preventer inhalers, and a preventer is always prescribed at the same time.

Symptom controllers are likely to help those who wake with symptoms at night and those who have bad asthma with exercise. The need to use a reliever should decrease when a symptom controller is prescribed. Symptom controllers should not be used for immediate or emergency relief, a reliever should still be used in these circumstances.

Examples of symptom controller medication are Foradil, Oxis and Serevent.