Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation
Beclomethasone oral inhalation is an inhaled corticosteroid (steroid) used for long-term, daily control of asthma, and the same ingredient is also made as a nasal spray (Qnasl).
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 7 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Beclomethasone oral inhalation (Qvar Redihaler) is an inhaled corticosteroid (a steroid) that calms inflammation in the airways and is used every day to prevent asthma symptoms in people 5 and older. Inhaled steroids are the usual first-choice daily controller for asthma, and this one has been on the U.S. market since about 1976 and is available generically. Most people tolerate it well, and the side effect they notice is thrush (white patches or soreness in the mouth), which rinsing with water and spitting after each dose helps prevent. It will not stop a sudden attack, so keep a rescue inhaler handy and get help if your asthma worsens or the rescue inhaler stops working.
Clinical pearls
- It works by steady daily use, so keep taking it when you feel well rather than only on bad days.
- If you are coming off steroid tablets, taper them slowly and report fatigue, weakness, nausea or vomiting during the switch.
- Tell your doctor promptly about chickenpox or measles exposure if you have never had them or been vaccinated.
- Children on it long term need regular height checks, since inhaled steroids can slow growth, especially at higher doses.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation, written from its FDA label.
What Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is used for
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Uses depend on the product.
- Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol (oral inhaler, Qvar Redihaler): long-term, preventive treatment of asthma in people 5 years and older.
- It is not for relief of sudden bronchospasm or acute asthma attacks.
How Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation works
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Beclomethasone is a corticosteroid that reduces inflammation. It is a prodrug, so the body converts it to its active form, which binds strongly to glucocorticoid receptors. It calms inflammatory cells and lowers the release of chemicals such as histamine and cytokines. The exact way it helps asthma is not known.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation dosage
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The asthma inhaler is used by mouth, by inhalation only. It is generally taken twice daily, about 12 hours apart. It does not need to be shaken before use.
- Prime it by spraying twice into the air before first use or if unused for over 10 days. Keep the spray away from your eyes and face.
- Rinse your mouth with water and spit it out after each use.
- The dose counter shows sprays left. Discard the inhaler at 0 or after the expiration date.
- Your doctor adjusts the dose to the lowest level that controls your asthma. Follow your prescriber and the label.
Benefit can begin within 24 hours, but full benefit may take 3 to 4 weeks.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Treatment of asthma in patients 12 years and older
- Recommended starting dosage for patients not on an inhaled corticosteroid is 40 to 80 mcg twice daily, approximately 12 hours apart
- For patients switching from another inhaled corticosteroid: 40, 80, 160 or 320 mcg twice daily, based on the strength of the previous inhaled corticosteroid product and disease severity
- For patients who do not respond adequate
- Maximum: 320 mcg twice daily
- Titrate the dose downward over time to the lowest level that maintains proper asthma control.
- Treatment of asthma in patients 5 to 11 years of age
- Recommended starting dosage is 40 mcg twice daily, approximately 12 hours apart
- For patients who do not respond adequately to 40 mcg after 2 weeks of therapy, increasing the dosage to 80 mcg twice daily may provide additional asthma control
- Maximum: 80 mcg twice daily
- Titrate the dose downward over time to the lowest level that maintains proper asthma control; this is particularly important in children since beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has the potential to affect growth in children.
Read the label’s full dosing text
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION For oral inhalation only. (2.1) Starting dosage is based on prior asthma therapy and disease severity. (2.2) Treatment of asthma in patients 12 years and older: 40 mcg, 80 mcg, 160 mcg, or 320 mcg twice daily. (2.2) Treatment of asthma in patients 5 to 11 years of age: 40 or 80 mcg twice daily. (2.2) Discard beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol inhaler when the dose counter displays 0 or after the expiration date on the product, whichever comes first. (2.1) 2.1 Administration Information Administer beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol by the orally inhaled route in patients 5 years of age and older. Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol does not require shaking prior to use. After inhalation, the patient should rinse his/her mouth with water without swallowing to help reduce the risk of oropharyngeal candidiasis. Use of beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol with a spacer device in children less than 5 years of age is not recommended [see Use in Specific Populations (8.4) ] . Patients should be instructed on the proper use of their inhaler. Consistent dose delivery is achieved, whether using the 40 or 80 mcg strengths, due to proportionality of the 2 products (i.e., 2 actuations of 40 mcg strength should provide a dose comparable to 1 actuation of the 80 mcg strength). Priming : Patients should prime beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol by actuating into the air twice before using for the first time or if beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has not been used for over 10 days. Avoid spraying in the eyes or face when priming beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol. Dose Counter : Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol has a dose counter window located on the back of the actuator. When the patient receives the inhaler, “122” will appear in the viewing window until it has been primed 2 times, at which point the total number of actuations will be displayed. The dose counter will count down each time a spray is released. The dose-counter window displays the number of sprays left in the inhaler in units of one (e.g., 120, 119, 118, etc). When the dose counter reaches "20", it is a reminder to the patient to contact their pharmacist for a refill of medication or consult their physician for a prescription refill.
Excerpted — the section continues on the label. Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation side effects
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The label's common side effect rates come from studies of the Qnasl nasal spray.
Common side effects
- Nasal discomfort (Qnasl nasal spray)
- Nosebleeds (Qnasl nasal spray)
- Headache (Qnasl nasal spray)
- Fever (children using Qnasl)
- Upper respiratory tract infection (children using Qnasl)
- Nasopharyngitis, or cold-like symptoms (children using Qnasl)
- Yeast infection (thrush) of the mouth and throat with the inhaler
- Thrush (a yeast infection of the mouth and throat) with inhaled use
When to get medical help
- Get help right away if you have sudden wheezing or trouble breathing right after a dose. This is called paradoxical bronchospasm, and it can be life-threatening.
- Call your doctor right away if you get hives, a rash, or swelling of the face, lips or throat. These are signs of an allergic reaction.
- Call your doctor right away if your asthma gets worse or does not respond to your rescue inhaler.
- Tell your doctor about white patches or soreness in your mouth or throat, which may be thrush.
- Report fatigue, weakness, nausea, vomiting or low blood pressure, especially after switching from steroid pills. These can be signs of adrenal insufficiency.
- Tell your doctor about any change in vision.
- Tell your doctor right away if you are exposed to chickenpox or measles.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation warnings and precautions
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- Not a rescue medicine. Use a short-acting rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms.
- Switching from steroid pills can cause adrenal insufficiency. Deaths have occurred. Those pills must be tapered slowly.
- Immune suppression may worsen infections. Chickenpox and measles can be more serious.
- Paradoxical bronchospasm can occur right after a dose.
- Allergic reactions can occur.
- High doses or long use can cause hypercorticism (too much steroid effect) and adrenal suppression.
- It may slow growth in children. Growth should be monitored.
- It can lower bone density.
- Glaucoma, cataracts and blurred vision have been reported with long-term use.
Before taking Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation
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- Do not use it for a severe sudden asthma attack.
- Do not use it if allergic to beclomethasone or its ingredients.
- Tell your doctor about tuberculosis, other infections, or eye herpes.
- Tell your doctor if you are switching from steroid pills.
- Tell your doctor about eye problems such as glaucoma or cataracts.
- Tell your doctor about risk factors for weak bones.
- Children under 5: safety and effectiveness have not been established.
- Pregnancy: human data are limited. Poorly controlled asthma also carries risks.
- Breastfeeding: no data on beclomethasone in breast milk, though other inhaled steroids have been found in it.
- Older adults: doses should be chosen cautiously, starting low.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation overdose
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Long-term overdosage may cause signs of hypercorticism, meaning too much steroid effect in the body. The supplied label gives no further guidance. Contact your doctor or poison control if you think you have used too much.
What Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation does in the body
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In studies of the Qnasl nasal spray, daily use for 6 weeks did not lower morning-to-night cortisol levels in adults, adolescents or children, compared with placebo. Prednisone tablets used for comparison did lower them. This suggests little effect on the adrenal system at those doses.
How your body processes Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation
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Beclomethasone is converted in the body to its main active form, beclomethasone-17-monopropionate. This is done by CYP3A4 enzymes. The active form is cleared fairly quickly, with a half-life of about 2.8 hours. It is mostly removed in the stool, with less than 10% in the urine. Qnasl nasal spray reached about a quarter of the body exposure of the oral inhaler at a comparable dose.
How to store Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation
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Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F); excursions permitted between 15º to 30ºC (59º to 86ºF) (see USP Controlled Room Temperature). Store beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol when not being used, so that the product rests on the concave end of the canister with plasti…
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation
202 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 4
- Moderate · 162
- Minor · 36
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Nutrient depletion considerations
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation has been associated with lower levels of 8 nutrients in the clinical literature. This does not mean a deficiency will occur — it means these may be worth discussing with your pharmacist or healthcare provider, especially with long-term use.
- Higher significance · 1
- Moderate · 5
- Unrated · 2
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — not medical advice. Do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is this inhaler for?
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How do I use it?
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Why do I need to rinse my mouth?
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How soon will it work?
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When should I call my doctor?
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Is it safe for children or in pregnancy?
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Is Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation available over the counter?
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When was Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation first available?
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Who makes Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation on HelloPharmacist
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation forms and strengths (how it comes)
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is available in 3 forms. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Inhaler
How this form is used
- Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol is used for long-term control of asthma in people 5 and older.
- It is not for relief of sudden bronchospasm.
- Beclomethasone dipropionate HFA inhalation aerosol is inhaled by mouth, usually twice daily about 12 hours apart.
- Rinse your mouth with water and spit it out after each use.
- Check the dose counter and discard the inhaler when it reads 0 or after the expiration date.
Nasal spray
Oral suspension
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
4 companies list 12 Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation product records with the FDA, mostly as inhaler, nasal spray, oral suspension; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1976. Brand names on the directory include Qvar, Beclovent, Vanceril and 3 more; the rest are generics.
FDA-listed product records by dose form (tablet variants merged) — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (14) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation ranks #339 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 79% of them.
Utilization by Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
Breath-Actuated 120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.04 MG/ACTUAT Metered Dose Inhaler Most dispensed
Summed across the 1 of 4 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1998773
Breath-Actuated 120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.08 MG/ACTUAT Metered Dose Inhaler
Summed across the 1 of 4 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1998771
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 2 of 8 listed Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Inhaler | ||||
| 40 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | A-S Medication Solutions × 2 listings | NDA | View NDC → |
| 80 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | A-S Medication Solutions × 2 listings | NDA | View NDC → |
| 40 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Amneal Pharmaceuticals NY LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 80 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Amneal Pharmaceuticals NY LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 40 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Aurolife Pharma LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 80 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Aurolife Pharma LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 40 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Teva Respiratory, LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
| 80 mcg | Respiratory (inhalation) | Teva Respiratory, LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Nasal spray | ||||
| 40 mcg | Nasal | Teva Respiratory, LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
| 80 mcg | Nasal | Teva Respiratory, LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
Showing 12 of 12 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 12 Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation NDCs →
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation FDA approval history
How Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Beclomethasone recalls since July 2021.
✅No Beclomethasone recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 1347 5 dose forms · 11 strengths
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Dose form (SCDF) Metered Dose Inhaler RxCUI 746190In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) Breath-Actuated 120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.04 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1998773Breath-Actuated 120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.08 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1998771120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.04 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1490773120 ACTUAT beclomethasone dipropionate 0.08 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1490666 -
Dose form (SCDF) Metered Dose Nasal Spray RxCUI 1797899In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) dipropionate 0.04 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1797900dipropionate 0.042 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1797910dipropionate 0.08 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1797920dipropionate 0.084 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 1797926 -
Dose form (SCDF) Nasal Spray RxCUI 370992In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 0.05 MG/ACTUATRxCUI 562655 -
Dose form (SCDF) Topical Cream RxCUI 379378No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) dipropionate 0.25 MG/MLRxCUI 966765 -
Dose form (SCDF) Topical Ointment RxCUI 376446No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) dipropionate 0.00025 MG/MGRxCUI 966629
Look up RxCUI 1347 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation supply and shortage status
Whether Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
💵 What Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation costs pharmacies (NADAC benchmark)
The national average invoice price pharmacies pay for the drug itself, from CMS's NADAC survey (data as of Sep 30, 2026). This is a supply-cost benchmark — not a retail price and not what you'd pay at the counter.
| Form | Strength | Pharmacy acquisition benchmark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerosol, Metered · Nasal | 40 mcg | $47.08 per gram | NDC details & price history |
| Aerosol, Metered · Nasal | 80 mcg | $30.23 per gram | NDC details & price history |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), a survey of retail pharmacy invoice prices. Benchmarks shown are the range across package sizes of a representative product for each form and strength — other manufacturers' products may differ.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation brand names
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation is sold under 6 brand names in the FDA directory — Qvar, Beclovent, Vanceril, Qnasl and others. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation: manufacturers and labelers
4 companies list Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are A-S Medication Solutions, Teva Respiratory, LLC, Amneal Pharmaceuticals NY LLC. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation drug class (RxNorm)
Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation belongs to the Corticosteroid class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for this Beclomethasone Oral Inhalation page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Teva Respiratory, LLC is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →