Salmeterol

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Also indexed as:

Serevent

Salmeterol is a member of the drug family known as long-acting, beta-adrenergic bronchodilators. It is inhaled by mouth, into the lungs, to treat asthma and prevent bronchospasm. Salmeterol is also used to prevent exercise-induced bronchospasm.

Herbs

Summary of Interactions for Salmeterol

Depletion or interference	None known
Adverse interaction	None known
Side effect reduction/prevention	None known
Supportive interaction	Coleus*
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability	None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

Interactions with Herbs

Coleus(Coleus forskohlii)

A test tube study demonstrated that the bronchodilating effects of salbutamol, another beta-adrenergic bronchodilator drug, were significantly increased by the addition of forskolin, the active component of the herb Coleus forskohlii.¹ The results of this preliminary research suggest that the combination of forskolin and beta-agonists might provide an alternative to raising the doses of the beta-agonist drugs as they lose effectiveness. Until more is known, coleus should not be combined with salmeterol without the supervision of a doctor.

References

1. Yousif MH, Thulesius O. Forskolin reverses tachyphylaxis to the bronchodilator effects of salbutamol: an in-vitro study on isolated guinea-pig trachea. J Pharm Pharmacol 1999;51:181-6.

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Last Review: 09-01-2007

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