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Pulmicort Turbohaler
- Prevents asthma symptoms when you use it every day. It contains budesonide, a steroid that calms the swelling inside your airways
- For people already using Pulmicort Turbohaler for asthma - repeat supply only
- It will not stop an asthma attack once it has started - keep your reliever inhaler with you for that
- You breathe the dose in hard and deep, with nothing to press. Your breathing may improve within 2 days, but the full effect can take up to 4 weeks
What it is for
Pulmicort Turbohaler is a preventer inhaler for asthma. Used every day, it helps stop asthma symptoms - wheezing, a tight chest, getting out of breath - from happening in the first place.
It is licensed for adults and children aged 5 and over.
You will have two inhalers: this preventer, which you use every day, and a separate reliever, which you use when symptoms start. Pulmicort Turbohaler does not replace your reliever.
Next step: for people already using Pulmicort Turbohaler for asthma - repeat supply only. Start our health questions when you order. Your inhaler is only sent once a prescriber has checked your answers.
- Pulmicort Turbohaler does not relieve an asthma attack. Use your reliever inhaler when you get symptoms, and always keep it with you. If your reliever is not helping, or you need it more often than usual, get medical help.
Which Pulmicort is this?
This page is for the Turbohaler - a dry powder inhaler with a white body and a brown base. It comes in three strengths: 100, 200 and 400 micrograms of budesonide in each dose.
Pulmicort also comes as Respules. That is a liquid for a nebuliser machine, with a different licence, and it is not what this page sells.
How it works
Budesonide is a corticosteroid - a type of steroid medicine that reduces swelling and irritation. When you breathe it in, it goes straight to your lungs. There it reduces and prevents the swelling in your airways that makes asthma flare up.
Because it works by calming your airways over time, it needs to be used every day. Even on days when you feel fine.
Is it right for you?
Do not use it if you:
- are allergic to budesonide
Talk to our prescriber before you use it if you:
- have a lung infection, a cold or a chest infection, or any other problem with your breathing
- have, or have ever had, tuberculosis (TB)
- have a fungal or viral infection in your airways
- have liver problems - more of the medicine can reach the rest of your body
- take steroid tablets now, or have taken them for a long time
- are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, are planning a baby, or are breast-feeding
If you get blurred vision or any other change in your sight while you use it, contact your doctor.
How to use it
Use it every day, exactly as your prescriber tells you. Your prescriber will keep you on the lowest dose that controls your asthma.
If you use it twice a day (morning and evening):
- Usually 1 or 2 inhalations twice a day. Your doctor may raise this to a maximum of 1,600 micrograms a day.
If your prescriber has told you to use it once a day:
- Use it in the evening, at about the same time each day.
- Usually 1 or 2 inhalations.
Only use it once a day if your prescriber has told you to.
If your asthma gets worse
Keep using Pulmicort Turbohaler, and see your doctor as soon as you can - you may need extra treatment.
- Contact your doctor straight away if your breathing is getting worse, you often wake at night with asthma, or your chest feels tight in the morning or stays tight for longer than usual. Your asthma may not be under control, and you may need different or extra treatment.
Using the Turbohaler
The first time only, get it ready. Unscrew the white cover and lift it off. Hold it upright, brown base at the bottom. Turn the base as far as it will go one way, then back as far as it will go the other way, until you hear a click. Do this twice. You do not need to do it again.
Every time you take a dose:
- Unscrew the white cover and lift it off.
- Hold it upright, brown base at the bottom.
- Turn the brown base as far as it will go one way, then all the way back. You will hear a click - it is now loaded. Do not hold the mouthpiece while you turn.
- Hold it away from your mouth and breathe out gently. Never breathe out through it.
- Put the mouthpiece between your teeth and close your lips. Breathe in through your mouth as deeply and as hard as you can. Do not bite or chew the mouthpiece.
- Take it out of your mouth, then breathe out gently.
- For a second inhalation, repeat steps 2 to 6.
- Screw the cover back on tightly.
- Rinse your mouth out with water.
You may not taste anything. The dose is very small, so that is normal - if you followed the steps, the medicine has reached your lungs.
Rinsing your mouth after each dose makes thrush in your mouth less likely.
Do not try to twist or pull off the mouthpiece. It is fixed in place. If the inhaler is damaged, or the mouthpiece has come off, do not use it.
Cleaning: once a week, wipe the outside of the mouthpiece with a dry tissue. Never use water or any other liquid.
When to get a new one
A window on the side of the inhaler shows when it is running low. When a red mark first appears, there are about 20 doses left - time to order your next one. When the red mark reaches the bottom of the window, start your new inhaler.
Two things do not tell you how much is left. The base still turns and clicks when the inhaler is empty. And the rattle you hear when you shake it is a drying agent, not the medicine, so it tells you nothing about how much is left.
If you load it twice by mistake, you still only get one dose.
Missed or extra doses
Forgot a dose? Skip it and take the next one at the usual time. Do not take a double dose to make up for it.
Used more than you should? Contact your doctor or pharmacist for advice.
Do not stop using it when your asthma gets better unless your doctor tells you to.
Steroid tablets and high doses
If you are moving from steroid tablets to this inhaler, your prescriber will cut the tablets down slowly. You may feel generally unwell while that happens, even though your breathing stays the same or gets better. Keep using the inhaler unless your doctor tells you otherwise. You may also notice a runny nose, eczema, or aches in your muscles and joints.
If you use a high dose, your doctor may ask you to carry a steroid warning card. It tells other people about your medicine.
Other medicines
Tell our prescriber about every medicine you take, including ones you buy without a prescription and herbal medicines. In particular:
- other steroid medicines
- medicines for fungal infections, such as itraconazole and ketoconazole
- HIV medicines, such as ritonavir or medicines that contain cobicistat
The antifungal and HIV medicines can raise the amount of budesonide in your body. That makes steroid side effects more likely, so your prescriber may change your dose or check on you more often.
If you need a blood test of how your adrenal glands are working, tell the doctor you use Pulmicort Turbohaler. It can affect the result.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist before you use it. Do not use it unless your doctor tells you to.
Already using it and find out you are pregnant? Do not stop. Talk to your doctor straight away.
Driving
It is not likely to affect your driving or your ability to use tools or machines.
What it will not do
- It will not stop an asthma attack that has already started. Your reliever does that.
- It does not work straight away. Breathing may improve within 2 days, and the full effect can take up to 4 weeks.
- It is licensed to treat asthma only.
- We do not start you on Pulmicort Turbohaler. If you have not used it before, talk to your GP or asthma nurse.
For other asthma treatments, see our asthma range.
Like all medicines, Pulmicort Turbohaler can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. The most common are thrush in the mouth, a sore throat, coughing and a hoarse voice.
- Stop using Pulmicort Turbohaler and talk to your doctor straight away if you get signs of an allergic reaction, or sudden wheezing right after you inhale a dose.
- Look out for:
- an allergic reaction - swelling of your face, particularly around your mouth (your lips, tongue, eyes and ears may swell too), rash, itching, a skin problem called contact dermatitis, hives, or tightening of the muscles in your airways that makes you wheeze (bronchospasm). This happens rarely, affecting less than 1 in 1,000 people
- sudden wheezing after you inhale your medicine. If this happens, also use your reliever inhaler straight away. This happens very rarely, affecting less than 1 in 10,000 people
Common - may affect up to 1 in 10 people:
- thrush (a fungal infection) in your mouth - less likely if you rinse your mouth out with water after each dose
- a mild sore throat, coughing and a hoarse voice
- pneumonia (an infection of the lung) in people with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
Tell your doctor if you get any of these while you use budesonide. They could be signs of a lung infection:
- fever or chills
- more mucus than usual, or mucus that changes colour
- a worse cough, or more trouble breathing
Uncommon - may affect up to 1 in 100 people:
- feeling worried, restless and nervous
- depression
- trembling and shaking
- cataract (clouding of the lens in your eye)
- muscle cramps
- blurred vision
Rare - may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people:
- sleeping problems, feeling over-excited or irritable - more likely in children
- bruising of the skin
- loss of voice
- a hoarse voice (in children)
Long-term use at high doses
Inhaled steroids can affect the way your body makes its own steroid hormones. This is most likely at high doses used for a long time - for example, 400 micrograms or more a day for several years. The effects include:
- thinning of the bones (changes in bone density)
- glaucoma (raised pressure in the eye)
- slower growth in children and teenagers (rare). If high doses are used for several years, final adult height may be reduced by about 1 cm
- an effect on the adrenal glands, small glands next to the kidneys (rare)
These effects are much less likely with inhaled steroids than with steroid tablets. Your prescriber keeps you on the lowest dose that controls your asthma.
You can report any side effect to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme. Or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Can I start Pulmicort Turbohaler with you?
No. We only supply Pulmicort Turbohaler to people who are already using it. If you have not used it before, talk to your GP or asthma nurse about starting it.
Is Pulmicort Turbohaler a preventer or a reliever?
A preventer. You use it every day to stop symptoms from starting. It does not ease symptoms once they have started - your reliever inhaler does that, so keep it with you.
How long does it take to work?
Your breathing may improve within 2 days. It can take up to 4 weeks to have its full effect, so keep using it every day even if you do not notice a change at first.
I cannot taste anything. Did I get my dose?
Yes, if you followed the steps. Each dose is a tiny amount of powder, so you may not taste it at all. If you loaded it, heard the click and breathed in hard and deep through the mouthpiece, the medicine has reached your lungs.
Why do I need to rinse my mouth?
Some of the powder lands in your mouth and throat. Rinsing with water after each dose makes thrush in your mouth less likely.
I take steroid tablets. Can I switch to this?
Your prescriber decides that, and does it slowly. You start the inhaler while still on your tablets, then the tablet dose comes down bit by bit. You may feel unwell for a while as it does. Never stop steroid tablets suddenly on your own.
I cannot have lactose. Can I use it?
Yes, as far as lactose goes. The only ingredient is budesonide. There are no other ingredients - no lactose, propellant or preservative. Tell our prescriber about any allergy you have.
How do I know when it is nearly empty?
Look at the window on the side. A red mark appears when about 20 doses are left. Do not go by the click or the rattle - the base still clicks when it is empty, and the rattle is a drying agent.
Can I use it if I am pregnant or breast-feeding?
Ask your doctor first, and only use it if your doctor tells you to. If you find out you are pregnant while using it, do not stop - talk to your doctor straight away.
How should I store it?
Below 30°C, with the cover screwed on tightly when you are not using it.
Ingredients
Active ingredient: budesonide - 100 micrograms, 200 micrograms or 400 micrograms in each dose.
Other ingredients: none. There is no propellant, preservative, carrier or other additive.
Strengths and doses in each inhaler
- Pulmicort Turbohaler 100: 100 micrograms in each dose, 200 doses
- Pulmicort Turbohaler 200: 200 micrograms in each dose, 100 doses
- Pulmicort Turbohaler 400: 400 micrograms in each dose, 50 doses
Storage
- Keep it out of the sight and reach of children.
- Do not store above 30°C.
- When you are not using it, keep the cover screwed on tightly.
- Do not use it after the expiry date on the carton or the inhaler label. The expiry date is the last day of that month.
- Do not throw medicines away in wastewater or household rubbish. Ask your pharmacist how to get rid of any you no longer need.
Leaflet
Read the leaflet in the pack before you use your inhaler for the first time. One leaflet covers all three strengths, and it is linked below.
Related
- Clenil Modulite - another steroid preventer inhaler for asthma, containing beclometasone
- Ventolin - a reliever inhaler
- Asthma - our full range
Sources
The facts on this page come from these documents:
- Pulmicort Turbohaler (AstraZeneca UK Limited), Summary of Product Characteristics on emc: 100, 200, 400 - each revised November 2022
- Pulmicort Turbohaler patient information leaflet (emc) - covers all three strengths, revised August 2025
- MHRA Yellow Card scheme - how to report a side effect
The leaflet inside your pack is the one that applies to your inhaler. Last checked against these sources: 14 October 2026.
