this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2025
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No Stupid Questions
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Symbicort contains two medicines: budesonide, a steroid, and formeterol, a bronchodilator. It is the latter that is helping open up your lungs as a rescue medicine. However, it is a long acting medicine, versus salbutamol (Ventolin). Both formeterol and salbutamol can have other side effects, especially at higher rescue doses. The thought is that using too much Symbicort during an asthma attack versus salbutamol, could lead to delayed response for the rescue or increased heart related side effects. But if all you have is Symbicort during an asthma attack, then it will work as a rescue, just understand it is not meant as a rescue.
And I guess if those that only have minor asthma, where one puff of Ventolin is almoat too much, symbicourt is a fine rescue inhaler.
Generally, salbutamol (Ventolin) is consider less βstrongβ as it is shorter lasting; formeterol is quite a bit longer lasting.
The rule of thumb is that if you need a rescue dose more than 4 times a week, you probably need to increase your inhale steroid dose (budesonide, etc) or try something different etc when you talk to doctor.
If you minor asthma, you are probably not needing a combination medicine like Symbicort; you are probably fine with a steroid by itself. And if that is not enough, ie you need rescue meds all the time, then adjusting the steroid dosing or adding the formeterol (or outright switch to the combo like Symbicort makes more sense).
The reason for this is that it is much cheaper for a generic steroid or salbutamol, than the brand name combos etc. also the combos come in fixed combination doses etc