Budesonide Uses

Budesonide is a steroid medicine with anti-inflammatory activity. It is used to reduce inflammation and maintain clinical remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (active Crohn’s disease and active distal ulcerative colitis). Patients treated with budesonide for primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy can experience a slowing of rapid disease progression with less protein in the urine. Budesonide nasal spray is used to treat seasonal and year-round allergies. 

There may be other uses of budesonide. Your healthcare professional or pharmacist can give you further budesonide drug information.

Budesonide Mechanism of Action

Budesonide works by decreasing inflammation in the digestive tract of people with inflammatory bowel disease, in the kidneys of people with nephropathy, and in the nasal passages of people with allergies.

Budesonide Doses

Budesonide is available as a 3-mg capsule (Entocort EC), a 6-mg and 9-mg delayed-release capsule (budesonide controlled ileal release CIR capsule) (brand name products Ortikos and Tarpeyo), a rectal foam (Uceris), and a nasal spray (Rhinocort Allergy).

The usual dosing of Entocort EC is 9 mg by mouth once a day for up to 8 weeks in adults with active Crohn’s disease. The dose in children aged 8-17 years who weigh more than 25 kg (55 lbs) is 9 mg once a day for up to 8 weeks, followed by 6 mg once a day for two more weeks. The dose of budesonide in children under 8 years of age or weighing less than 25 kg (55 lbs) must be determined by a doctor.

The delayed-release capsules of budesonide (Ortikos) are usually prescribed at a once-daily dose of one pill (9 mg) for 8 weeks, followed by 6 mg once daily for 3 months to maintain clinical remission of Crohn’s disease. The 8-week treatment course can be repeated if there are recurrent episodes of active disease.

The typical dosing for budesonide rectal pump (Uceris) is 1 pump (2-mg dose) into the rectum twice a day, morning and evening for 2 weeks, followed by 1 pump once daily at bedtime for an additional 4 weeks in patients with active distal ulcerative colitis.

The dose of budesonide 4-mg delayed-release capsules (Tarpeyo) for patients with IgA nephropathy is 16 mg orally once daily in the morning, taken at least one hour before a meal.

The usual dose of intranasal budesonide (Rhinocort Allergy) is 1-2 sprays in each nostril once a day to treat seasonal and year-round allergies.