What is it used for?
How does it work?
Intal CFC-free inhaler contains the active ingredient sodium cromoglicate, which is a type of medicine used to relieve the symptoms of allergies.
Sodium cromoglicate works by reducing allergic responses. It is not fully understood how it does this, but it is thought to work by 'stabilising' immune cells called mast cells.
Mast cells are an important part of the immune system. They become sensitised when they are exposed to foreign particles or allergens, for example pollen or dust mites. When this happens, the mast cells release substances that include histamine, and these subsequently go on to cause inflammation as part of the body's immune response to fight the foreign substance.
By stabilising the mast cells, sodium cromoglicate is thought to prevent the substances that cause the inflammation, eg histamine, from being released when the cells encounter an allergen. This prevents the allergic response and relieves the symptoms of the allergy.
Allergic inflammation in the lungs is one of the causes of asthma. It causes mucus production and narrows the airways, making it difficult to breathe. As sodium cromoglicate reduces the inflammation in the lungs, it makes it easier to breathe and helps prevent asthma attacks. It should be used regularly, even when you have no asthmatic symptoms, to reduce the inflammation in the lungs.
Sodium cromoglicate can also be useful for preventing shortness of breath caused by exercise. You should check with your doctor before using it for this purpose though, as if exercise brings on wheezing or shortness of breath it may mean that your asthma is getting worse or is not very well controlled. If so, your doctor may need to prescribe you another medicine.
Using Intal inhaler allows sodium cromoglicate to act directly in the lungs where it is needed most. It also reduces the potential for side effects occurring in other parts of the body, as the amount absorbed into the blood through the lungs is lower than if it is taken by mouth.
- Follow the instructions in the leaflet provided with this medicine carefully. If you have any questions about using the inhaler consult your doctor, pharmacist or asthma nurse.
- This medicine is known as a preventer and it should be taken regularly to prevent asthma attacks. It should not be used to relieve an asthma attack, as it will not work for this purpose. An asthma attack needs to be treated with a medicine that quickly opens the airways, such as salbutamol or terbutaline. These are known as relievers, and you should make sure you carry your reliever inhaler with you at all times to relieve an asthma attack if it happens. Consult your doctor if you need to use your reliever more frequently than normal, or if it becomes less effective at treating attacks, as this may indicate that your asthma is getting worse and your doctor may need to prescribe you another medicine.
- You should not suddenly stop taking this medicine unless your doctor tells you otherwise, as your asthma symptoms are likely to return.
- Inhalers may cause an unexpected increase in wheezing (bronchospasm) straight after using them. If this happens, stop using this medicine immediately and consult your doctor. Your doctor may stop treatment with this medicine and prescribe you an alternative. Alternatively the problem may be solved by using your reliever inhaler (eg salbutamol or terbutaline) a few minutes before each dose of this inhaler, in order to open the airways.
Not to be used in
- Known sensitivity or allergy to any ingredients.
This medicine should not be used if you are sensitive or allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- It is important that asthma is well controlled in pregnant women. Wherever possible, asthma medications should be taken by inhaler, as this minimises the amount of medicine that enters the bloodstream and crosses the placenta. Experience with this medicine during pregnancy suggests that it has no adverse effects on the developing foetus, however, it should still be used with caution during pregnancy. Seek medical advice from your doctor.
- It is not known if this medicine passes into breast milk, however no problems are anticipated if the medicine is used by breastfeeding mothers. The amount of medicine that passes into the breast milk after using an inhaler is negligable and probably too small to be harmful to the baby. However, as with all medicines, you should seek medical advice from your doctor before breastfeeding while using this medicine.
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Throat irritation.
- Temporary breathing difficulties due to a narrowing of the airways (bronchospasm).
- Inflammation of the nasal lining (rhinitis).
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine's manufacturer.
For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
There are no significant interactions reported with this medicine.
It is best to use your reliever inhaler (eg salbutamol) before using your Intal inhaler, as this will open the airways and allow the sodium cromoglicate to get down into them better.
Other medicines containing the same active ingredient
There are currently no other inhaler preparations of sodium cromoglicate available in the UK.
Sodium cromoglicate is also used to treat eye and nasal allergies such as hayfever and is available as eye drops and nasal sprays for this purpose. It is also available as capsules for treating food allergies.