Terbutaline depot tablets in childhood asthma. A double-blind controlled study

Thirty children 8-13 years old, with perennial asthma and with a reversibility of greater than or equal to 20% in lung function (FEV1) were given a sustained-release preparation of terbutaline sulphate 5 mg twice a day and ordinary tablets 2.5 mg three times a day; each treatment lasted 1 week. The design of the study was double-blind, cross-over, with a randomized allocation of the drugs. Both drugs improved the lung function significantly. The children had significantly less coughing during the night when they took depot tablets than when they took ordinary tablets. The side effects were few with both treatments. Most of the patients preferred the depot tablets.