Buteyko Breathing Technique Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More
What is this page for?
First and foremost: how Buteyko Breathing Technique interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Buteyko Breathing Technique is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.
But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Buteyko Breathing Technique is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy
Check Buteyko Breathing Technique against your medication
Add one medicationDrugs that interact with Buteyko Breathing Technique
0 medications have a known interaction with Buteyko Breathing Technique, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.
We don’t currently list any known drug interactions for Buteyko Breathing Technique. This doesn’t guarantee none exist — always confirm with your pharmacist before combining supplements with your medications.
What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean
Severity — How Serious It Can Be
- Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
- Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
- Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
- No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.
Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented
- Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
- Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
- Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
- Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Where This Data Comes From
- Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
- Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Buteyko Breathing Technique combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
- Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.
Buteyko Breathing Technique: Uses, Safety & Side Effects
The Buteyko Breathing Technique is a set of breathing exercises that focus on slow, gentle, nasal breathing and reduced breathing volume. Some studies suggest it may help people with asthma feel they have better symptom control and use their reliever inhaler less, but it does not improve lung function and is not a replacement for prescribed asthma medicine. It is generally low-risk, but you should always continue your usual treatment and check with your doctor before making changes.
- Common forms
- Breathing exercises taught by a trained instructor, classes, books, apps, and online programs
- Asthma symptom control
- Reducing reliever inhaler use
- Snoring and mild sleep-disordered breathing
- Anxiety and stress
- Chronic hyperventilation or breathlessness
Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.
Generally low-risk when learned properly, but it should never replace prescribed medication for asthma or other conditions.
Insufficient reliable information available. However, there is no reason to believe that the Buteyko breathing technique would be unsafe in pregnancy...
Read the full pregnancy detailInsufficient reliable information available. However, there is no reason to believe that the Buteyko breathing technique would be unsafe in pregnancy...
Read the full breastfeeding detailPregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.
Overview
The Buteyko Breathing Technique is not an herb or supplement — it is a method of controlled breathing. It was developed in the 1950s by a Ukrainian doctor named Konstantin Buteyko. The method is named after him.
The technique teaches people to breathe slowly and gently through the nose, and to reduce how deeply and quickly they breathe. The main idea is that many people over-breathe (breathe too much), and that learning to breathe less and more calmly may help with certain breathing problems.
People usually learn Buteyko from a trained instructor, in classes, or through books, apps, and online programs. It is most often used by people with asthma, but some also try it for snoring, anxiety, and general breathlessness.
How it works
Buteyko is based on the idea that many people with breathing problems tend to over-breathe, which lowers the level of carbon dioxide in the blood. Supporters of the method believe that keeping carbon dioxide levels more normal may help relax the airways and reduce the urge to breathe heavily.
The exercises focus on slow, gentle, nasal breathing, breath-holding pauses, and learning to breathe less forcefully. Practicing this may also help calm the nervous system and reduce the feeling of breathlessness.
It is worth noting that the exact way Buteyko helps is not fully proven by science. Much of the benefit people report may come from breathing more calmly, relaxing, and feeling more in control — rather than from changes in carbon dioxide levels.
Does Buteyko Breathing Technique work?
How to read these evidence grades
Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.
Possibly Effective Asthma
Most clinical research, conducted mainly in adults, shows that the Buteyko breathing technique provides some benefit for asthma patients treated with bronchodilators with or without inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). Clinical trials in patients with asthma show that the Buteyko breathing technique reduces the need for short acting bronchodilators and seems to improve symptoms and quality of life when compared to control. However, the Buteyko breathing technique does not improve lung function measures and does not consistently reduce ICS dose requirements or the risk of asthma exacerbations. Furthermore, the Buteyko breathing technique seems to be no better than pranayama yogic breathing for improving asthma quality of life.
Also studied for 2 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate
Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Eustachian tube dysfunction
A small clinical study in treatment-naïve adults with obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction (ETD) and persistent symptoms for at least 3 months shows that the Buteyko breathing technique along with nasal corticosteroid therapy completely relieves symptoms in 50% of patients, compared with 24% of patients receiving nasal corticosteroid therapy alone. Tympanogram normalization is also increased among those practicing Buteyko breathing technique; however, patients with type B tympanograms were excluded from this study. It is unclear if Buteyko breathing technique is beneficial when used alone.
Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Vocal cord dysfunction
A very small clinical study in patients aged 12 years or older with exercise-induced paradoxical vocal fold motion shows that the Buteyko breathing technique decreases dyspnea severity and respiratory tidal minute volume, but not dyspnea frequency, when compared with baseline. These patients either had no history of asthma or had well-controlled asthma. The validity of these findings is limited by the lack of a comparator group.
Source & disclaimer. Effectiveness ratings and evidence summaries are provided by Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) and shown as licensed. Where Natural Medicines hasn’t rated a use, HelloPharmacist’s pharmacists may add their own reviewed rating and evidence (each such entry is labeled). This is educational information, not medical advice — talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or changing a supplement.
Safety & precautions
For most people, gentle breathing exercises are low-risk. The biggest danger is not the technique itself but the temptation to stop or reduce prescribed medicine. You should never stop using your asthma controller (preventer) inhaler or other prescribed treatment without talking to your doctor first. Doing so can be dangerous.
People with uncontrolled or severe asthma, heart or lung disease, or other serious health problems should talk to their doctor before starting. It is best to learn from a qualified Buteyko instructor rather than guessing on your own.
During pregnancy, gentle breathing is usually fine, but breath-holding exercises should be approached carefully, so check with your doctor or midwife first. During breastfeeding, there is no known risk from breathing exercises.
Side effects
Buteyko does not involve any drug or supplement, so it has no chemical side effects. However, some people may feel lightheaded, dizzy, or uncomfortable when first learning the breath-holds or reduced-breathing exercises.
If you feel short of breath, panicked, or unwell while practicing, stop and breathe normally. If your asthma symptoms get worse, use your reliever inhaler as directed and seek medical help. Breathing exercises should never delay treatment for an asthma attack or other breathing emergency.
Dosing
There is no standard "dose" for the Buteyko Breathing Technique. Programs usually involve learning a set of exercises and practicing them regularly each day, often over several weeks.
The best approach is to learn from a trained Buteyko instructor or a reputable program, and follow their guidance on how often and how long to practice. If you have asthma or another lung condition, ask your pharmacist or doctor before starting, and keep using your prescribed medicine.
Buteyko Breathing Technique & Pregnancy
Buteyko Breathing Technique & Breastfeeding
© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center
Pregnancy & lactation ratings: Natural Medicines, Therapeutic Research Center
References & further reading
The 8 references that drive our Buteyko Breathing Technique monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.
- Bowler SD, Green A, Mitchell CA. Buteyko breathing techniques in asthma: a blinded randomised controlled trial. Med J Aust 1998;169(11-12):575-8. PubMed
- Cooper S, Oborne J, Newton S, et al. Effect of two breathing exercises (Buteyko and pranayama) in asthma: a randomised controlled trial. Thorax 2003;58(8):674-9. PubMed
- McHugh P, Aitcheson F, Duncan B, Houghton F. Buteyko Breathing Technique for asthma: an effective intervention. N Z Med J 2003;116(1187):U710.
- Opat AJ, Cohen MM, Bailey MJ, Abramson MJ. A clinical trial of the Buteyko Breathing Technique in asthma as taught by a video. J Asthma 2000;37(7):557-64. PubMed
- Cowie RL, Conley DP, Underwood MF, Reader PG. A randomised controlled trial of the Buteyko technique as an adjunct to conventional management of asthma. Respir Med. 2008;102(5):726-32. PubMed
- Prem V, Sahoo RC, Adhikari P. Comparison of the effects of Buteyko and pranayama breathing techniques on quality of life in patients with asthma - a randomized controlled trial. Clin Rehabil. 2013;27(2):133-41. PubMed
- Zeng H, Chen X, Xu Y, Zheng Y, Xiong H. Buteyko breathing technique for obstructive Eustachian tube dysfunction: Preliminary results from a randomized controlled trial. Am J Otolaryngol 2019;40(5):645-649. PubMed
- Halevi-Katz D, Sella O, Golan H, et al. Buteyko Breathing Technique for Exertion-Induced Paradoxical Vocal Fold Motion (EI-PVFM). J Voice 2021;35(1):40-51. PubMed
This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.
Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.
DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.
© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC
Buteyko Breathing Technique: Common Questions
What is Buteyko Breathing Technique used for, and does it work?
Does Buteyko Breathing Technique interact with prescription medications?
How are Buteyko Breathing Technique interactions rated?
Is it safe to take Buteyko Breathing Technique with my medications?
Where does this Buteyko Breathing Technique interaction information come from?
What is the Buteyko Breathing Technique used for?
Can Buteyko replace my asthma inhaler?
Is Buteyko safe to try?
Is it safe during pregnancy?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
Have a question about Buteyko Breathing Technique?
Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.