ADVERSE REACTIONS TO INHALED DRUGS

Clearly, determining the cause of a suspectedadverse reaction to an inhaled medication may not be straightforward. An increasing number of drugs are being prescribed by the inhaled route using unlicensed formulations, presumably on the physician's own responsibility; these include a variety of antibiotic agents and recently the diuretic agents frusemide (34) and amiloride (35). It is the responsibility of all medical practitioners to find out the physico-chemical characteristics and the actual components of the medications they prescribe, in order to minimize the occurrence of the adverse reactions reviewed above. © 1990, Baillière Tindall. All rights reserved.