Asthma, Using Flovent Correctly, and Side Effects

One of the side effects associated with the inhalation of a steroid preparation, however, is that you can get a fungal infection of the mouth, tongue, gums, sometimes even the esophagus. This fungus is called candida, or monilia. By rinsing your mouth after use, you rinse out the medication so it’s not there to cause this unpleasant side effect. And it’s more than an unpleasant side effect, because once it happens, the patient’s enthusiasm for using the drug diminishes in direct proportion to the unpleasantness of having the infection.

There’s another action that should be taken, with the use of Flovent or any other inhaled steroid, and that is in addition to rinsing your mouth, you should use what’s called a spacer, or holding chamber. The meter-dosed inhaler is sprayed, and the spray goes into this chamber, which is between the device and the mouth, and the person is then able to breathe in the medication so that the greatest proportion of it continues on down into the lungs rather than depositing in the mouth.