Breathing treatments symptoms and conditions

About 2 and 1/2 months ago I went to an urgent care facility since I felt like I was suffocating. I am a long time smoker (30 years) and have not had any problems with breathing accept for the occasional morning cough. Long story short, the doctor after hearing my breathing and taking 2 xrays said "you have a pocket of infection in your lung and COPD". I didn't realize it was that quick and easy to diagnose COPD and thought there were more extensive tests to prove that, but I went along with the doctor. The doctor prescribed Advair, an antibiotic, ProAir HFA (albuterol pump rescue inhaler), a decongestant and prednisone. I thought that was an extreme amount of medication but the doctor said she was being proactive. After a couple albuterol breathing treatments and a shot of steroids at the urgent care center I was on my way.

I finished the treatments of antibiotics and steroids as prescribed, but I never took the decongestant (did not want to over-medicate myself). Immediately after starting Advair my joints ached and I felt over all like I had the flu. With my 1 weeks checkup with the doc I mentioned this and she just smiled. About a week after that the achy joints starting easing up, but I started cramping in different muscles. For instance one week I would have a dull cramping in my leg that was persistent during the day and worsened at night. Then the leg stopped cramping, then the lower part of my back started in to a point it was hard to get out of bed, walk or bend over. Then when that stopped something else started up. Then during the last two weeks that I was on Advair I was having periodic chest pains, tightness in my chest, (once again) difficulty breathing, and my vision started to go (blurring)...that with the lower back pain. I am almost 50 years old and have been in excellent health my whole life, and honestly I have never felt as bad as I did while on Advair.

I stopped taking Advair 6 days ago. No, I did not call and ask the doctor's advice because I knew what the doc would say. The first day after quitting Advair I had restricted breathing so I used the rescue inhaler once. The breathing issue became better during the remainder of the day. Slowly the cramping in my body and chest eased up. Today (6 days later) my vision is back to what it was, no chest pains, occasional restricted breathing and will use the rescue inhaler during those times.

I think it's too early to know the long lasting affects of Advair, but at this stage in my life (unless I am worse off with my breathing than I am right now) I don't care to use the medication.

My son had croup and bronchitis, he was prescribed the albuterol 1 full vile 3 times a day for the 1st 3 days then 2 viles for 2 days each day then on the last day just 1 vile. I was advised by the pharmacist that it might make by 5 month old a little shaky. NOT THE DOCTOR which i think she should have told me something about the side affects of a 5 month old. I had never heard of this stuff or what it was for all i knew is it was a breathing treatment. I finished giving my baby the 6 days of albuterol and now that today is the last day he took it I cant seem to calm him in any way, he cant go to sleep, all he does is cry, he wont eat, he's always irritated, restless and IF i can get him to nap, its about 10-20 mins. its AWFUL to see my baby act like this, sometimes when i gave him the treatment and i was holding him i would end up inhaling the albuterol since he was sitting right in front of me i would feel hot flashed ( mind you i would inhale VERY little) i would also feel dizziness hours after inhaling it. however i never noticed it and never paid attention to it. not till today that i noticed my childs behavior did i decide to investigate this stuff. I will NEVER give this to my baby again. I should have been advised about all this however i was not. also my fault as a mother i should have investigated it before i gave it to my child as i trusted the doctor. =(

After reading all the comments that have been posted, I feel compelled to add my story. I have been on advair for approximately two years. One of the first comments I read a week or so ago was about the person that had horrible foot pain for over two years and felt it could have been from the Advair as well.

I have had severe foot pain for over 2 years. I had plantar faciitis in both feet and had surgery on both to fix that. Several months after surgery I still wasn't healed as much as I thought I should be and my doctor felt the same way. I then began a series of more cortizone shots, physical therapy, ultrasound therapy plus an on going slew of blood tests to rule out everything we could. I even went to a Neurologist and had an EMG done. Newest diagnosis is tarsal tunnel syndrome, so I was put on yet another drug (Cymbalta) I wouldn't recommend that one either. And still the pain exists. In fact the pain went from the heals to the tops of my feet. It feels more skeletal than nerve related. I have had stress fractures in both feet and ironically the same exact bone approximately 6 weeks apart. Is all of this coincidence, or linked to being on Advair?

I also have gone through most of the symptoms that others have posted; fatigue, insomnia, blurred vision, sore muscles, headaches, water retention, weight gain (40 pounds in 2 years), slow healing, bad scaring, easy bruising and many more I'm sure I've forgotten.

The day after being on this site and reading everyone's comments, I went and threw my Advair away. I don't have asthma, just bad allergies, and right now my breathing has been fine being off of the Advair. I still use my inhaler though as needed. The one comment that scared me the most was the side effect that several posted about rotting teeth and jaw problems. That's one side effect I haven't had and that's the main reason I stopped using the Advair. I have perfect teeth and don't want to ruin them.

I don't have any answers either, but just know that we as patients have to take control of our health. Don't feel bad if you disagree with your doctor or ask for a second opinion. We as a society have become quick to fix our ailments with drugs that have yet to be "proven" as safe over a long period of time.

Im in the process of weaning my self off of two other drugs that I was taking besides the Advair. I'm doing more on-line research regarding natural remedies for some of my ailments. I still have some side effects but that could be due to the detoxifying process. This is a process that takes a few weeks. Make sure you consult with your physician first before trying any of this.

The medication I wish to post on is not listed. I know that Valerian root is in the pill, as well as a few other roots and melatonin.

Last night I took SleepMD for the 1st time. Within 15 minutes of taking the pill, I started feeling funny. I became very night leaded and my swallowing became difficult. After about 15 more minutes of trying to calm down, my breathing became difficult, and my throat felt more think inside. I started shaking uncontrollably as well. My roommate called 911, my vitals were a little high, but I was getting 100% oxygen. They took me to the hospital, where I received IV meds and breathing treatments to help.

I'm a nurse, and I know that the worst reactions come the second time you take/ingest something. The doc told me to stay away, stick with benadryl. I basically had a mild anaplylactic reaction, which would go full blow next time if I took it again.

If it works for you guys, awesome! But just be careful.

My son is 3 and has been on Singulair since around springtime (I think... I've lost count). Anyway, during this summer we noticed his behavior had just gone straight to hell. At first I was attributing it to the wonderful world of the three year old, but it was just getting ridiculous. He was having countless meltdowns, screaming bloody murder (I mean SCREAMING to the point of going hoarse), hitting, punching, slamming, banging, crying hysterically for ridiculous reasons, yelling out during the night, and showing OCD behaviors. I was fearing that he might have ADHD/OCD until my husband stumbled upon this website. I remember hearing stories about teenagers having horrible side effects from singulair, but didn't think it was affecting my son at 3. As I read the entries on this website I felt like they were talking about my son.

I am taking him off of it to see what happens, but now I'm nervous that his asthma will flare. He's had quite a few asthma episodes since the fall allergy season has started. I suppose he'll need to go for awhile to get everything out of his system to see if the behavior changes, and then I hope to find a new preventative. We have Pulmicort and Xopenex and an inhaler ready!

*UPDATE* Well, it hasn't quite been two weeks since I've taken James off of Singulair and - I am not kidding you - his behavior improved the FIRST day. I want anyone who reads this to know that I am not an "alarmist", I DON'T freak out over everything I read, I do a lot of research (kind of obsessive myself :), so please understand that I am not one to usually write things like this...I mean, I pushed my allergist to give it to him in the first place! There are plenty of kids out there that are fine on Singulair, but some are not. I didn't make the connection to the Singulair since the average three year old is irrational and unpredictable anyway, but I KNEW something wasn't right. It wasn't just tantrums and whatever, his overall personality had done a 180. In the last two weeks my son has returned. He still, of course, has three year old moments, but he is back to the caring, loving, curious, excited, social, happy kid I had last year. One of the worst things we were seeing two weeks ago was bedtime behavior. BAD OCD behaviors - everything in his room had to be PERFECT. The curtains couldn't have a peek of light shining through, there could be nothing on the floor, everything had to be in order. He would obsess about things (creatures) coming into his room, when we would say goodnight and close the door he would scream and cry like someone was stabbing him and was petrified. The FIRST night that we stopped the Singulair he laid his head on his pillow, said goodnight and went to sleep. Please keep an eye out for personality changes in your kids.
*November update* it's been almost two months since we took James off Singulair and we haven't seen ONE BIT of the horrible behavior that we had w/ the Singulair! Normal "three-year-old moments", but no return of the "devil child", no OCD, nighttime freak-outs, violence, or any of it.

So happy to find this site. I never noticed My son never had an eye tick until last month, ironically we started giving him Singular on a daily basis about the same time. My son just turned two and is has also been waking up screaming 3 times every night. Have others reported this same problem...also he is on Pulmicort too, have you read that it is linked to Glaucoma and Cataracts? Do you think that this could be causing the tick? Please HELP! I want a parent's opinion before bringing this up to the doctor...they are so quick to jump to more drugs it makes me sick! Thank you! Any other children with eye "ticks" like really quick consecutive blinks?

My name is Heather I am now 32 years old I took levaquin when i was 29. After i took levaquin I went on a roller coaster ride I have yet to be able to get off of. First when i took it I had the worst night mares i have ever had only to wake up to a splitting headache and a very sore body. took another one the next day same reaction.I figured it was the bronchitis that was causing the problem. on the third day i was worse still I could hardly move. I stopped taking the drug. after another two days i felt better. two weeks later I was out with my father and he noticed a rash on my legs. I was also starting to get little blood blisters. I started to become concerned and the next day after going to the zoo with my family i came home and my legs were swollen three times there normal size and very sore. I put them up just to find the felt like play dough had been stuffed in to them and I had blood blisters the size of pencil erasers. I made an appointment to see the doctor. he said and i Quote " Heather I have No idea what the Hell you have" he sent me to a specialist. between the time of my first appointment and the appointment with the specialist my legs stopped working from the hips down i was 90% paralyzed (not spelled right ) they just wouldn't work right. My ten year old daughter was helping me get to the bathroom. I was soooo sick i had a headache all the time couldn't eat or sleep and when i did it was only for a few hours I couldn't move very well and to get up out of bed hurt so bad i almost fell every morning. by the time i had gotten to the specialist I had gone to the E.R. three times for the pain.and the last time was because my toes stopped moving altogether. at the appointment the doctor ran all kinds of tests checking me for everything from S.T.D.s (which i have been happily married for years) to Lupus. I felt Like and 80 year old Lady And like i said i was only 29. after the extensive tests and everything coming back normal the doctor put me on a steriod. for 4 months i was told i had to take prednisone After the first dose i could move again I still hurt but i could move.But now i had the side effect from that. i was gaining weight like it was going out of style, but at least i could move. after the 4 months things seemed normal kinda. I could move but if i sit still to long my legs go numb not fall sleep go completely numb even if i am standing to long. I am still afraid that i will wake up again feeling like i did that Fall three years ago. I still have problems but im not sure they are tied in but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I only took three Pills of Levaquin three years ago!!!! How long does this stuff hang on really??????

My daughter is 7 and was just put on Singular as a preventive medication for croup which she gets when she has an infection. She is not on a daily inhaler nor does she have asthma attacks at school. I asked the doctor for an alternative to the pulmicort breathing treatments b/c the prolonged use of this caused her to have dental issues (8 cavities) and he gave her singular. I am concerned of the side effects in the reviews of this medication but I need some relief for my child. She has been on the medication only 1 day is frequent urination a side effect and can it come on that quick? If there is another medication that doesn't have the side effects apparently singular has please let me know.

i just posted a message and wanted to add a little to it...when i said she has screaming fits i mean she arches her back her eyes go blank and she screams at the top of her lungs. she picks things up and throws them she will hit, kick, punch, pinch, and call you names its like anything she can do to hurt you. One day at daycare she was in a bad mood and a little boy walked by her and accidentally bumped her and she punched him in the face and when they tried to put her in timeout she decided to pull the phone jack out of the wall. This is the 2nd daycare she has been in since being put on singulair the first one she broke 3 of the owners fingernails off by kicking her and she got suspended for a week due to her being violent towards other kids. As far as the asthma goes I will say that singulair works great for it i haven't had to do as many breathing treatments on her but i will do 50 breathing treatments a day if i have to because she has been off of the meds now for 2 weeks and i am seeing a slight improvement in her attitude.

I am so thankful to have found this information!!!!! We have an appt tomorrow afternoon because of my 3 1/2 yr old daughters chronic leg pain. It hasn't fit the growing pains symptoms and I have to give her Tylenol or ibuprofen every day - she is inconsolable with pain at times. (She has been on Singulair for 2 years!!!) After reading these situations, I checked singulair's side effects which include 2 other symptoms that my daughter has all the time without explanation - nose bleeds and stomach pain!!! I am taking all this to the doctor appt tomorrow. We missed a nightly dose of Singulair once before and she had to start breathing treatments the next day, every 2 hrs for a few days until we got her breathing under control again. I am anxious as to what our alternatives are and what they're side effects may be....
Thank y'all for sharing your experiences !!!!

I have a 4 year old whom was diagnosed with Asthma over this winter. She has always had coughing at night and Asthma treatment seemed to really work. We wanted to take her off the breathing treatments to build her system back up so she was given two months of Singulair. It seemed to work great. Asthma symptoms seemed to be controlled without puffers and nebulizers. However the last week which would be the 6th week on singulair she suddenly had severe separation anxiety. Even at Vacation Bible School which she loved and knew her teachers she had what I would call an anxiety attack which was completely not her normal disposition. I didn't put it together though until last night. She woke up and got in bed with me. After barely falling asleep about 3am she woke up screaming that there were bugs everywhere. She "saw" them and "heard" them and began slapping at her legs arms and face. At first I thought it was just a nightmare that I couldn't get her to wake up from. I put her in the shower and she still screamed. This went on through the rest of the night. She finally calmed down a little after an hour of histarics but still said she saw bugs. The more I thought about it I thought it may be the singulair and as soon as I searched for it I found this site. Needless to say she will not be taking this drug again. We will try to find some other way to treat her asthma. Thanks for all the insight.

I was put on Yaz (same as Yasmin but with a smaller estrogen dose) due to irregular periods and a presumed hormonal imbalance. That was in September '07. Four month later, on Jan 1, '08, I went to the ER with breathing difficulties, and weakness in my arms and legs. I had been having muscle cramps/ charley horses in my right calf, but that was the only other health problem I had experienced. I thought I was having an asthma attack. So did the ER - at first. After I did not respond to the breathing treatments, and I became completely out of breath and exhausted after walking across the hall to the restroom, the ER doc checked my D-Dimer level to see if I was at risk for blood clots. He said if it came back over 500, he would have to do further testing for clots. It came back 4500!! I was sent immediately down for a CT Scan which showed mulitple clots in both lungs, mostly small, but several of significant size. I was immediately put on oxygen and a heart monitor, and an IV drip of heparin was started. I was in the hospital for 4 days, had to learn to give myself shots of Lovenol in my stomach until my pill form of blood thinner had time to kick in. I am now taking Coumadin blood thinner every day until July, when my D-Dimer will be checked again. Depending on the results, I may come off the Coumadin, or I may have to commit to it for 3 years. However, I was tested for all the hereditary blood clotting disorders and all came back negative, so my doctor feels as though the cause has to be the YAZ! Everyone tells me I was very lucky and that I could have easily died, especially when I was just thinking I was having an asthma attack and put off going to the ER for a few days. If you are taking Yaz or Yasmin, and you begin to have difficulty breathing, any kind of leg cramps, weakness, or tightness in your chest (I had also been having severe heart burn) - go have yourself checked out!!!!!

I have suffered with chronic sinusitis for about 8 years, and concurrent asthma for about 6 years. I am a 46 year old male.

I have worked with highly noted ENT in the area, and he tried many (non-prescription) recommendations over the course of a few months, but nothing worked. I had a CT scan that showed profound sinusitis in all regions, especially the ones that nasal corticosteroids cannot reach. In an attempt to avoid surgery, which he described as risky and not particularly effective with the type of widespread sinusitis I had (my orbital lobes were involved), he then suggested I get a single intramuscular corticosteroid shot, which he administered about 10 days ago. I was not advised of any potential side effects.

I called today to ask what it was, and was told Kenalog 60mg - I was getting a prescription for something else and wanted to make sure the pharmacist knew what I already had in my system. No comment from the pharmacist.

First of all, the Kenalog has worked like a miracle drug on my sinusitis. I can breathe normally, I can fly without intense ear pain, my sense of smell and taste has returned after an absence of almost a year, and my asthma seems to have improved. Also, and perhaps strangely, I had a noticeably enlarged lymph node below my left ear on the lower part of my neck for many, many years. It felt like a pea under the skin. None of the doctors in any of my physicals expressed concern about it over the years. Since receiving the Kenalog, this node has returned to normal and I cannot feel it unless I really search for it. I thought it has just calcified and was going to remain that way forever, but perhaps it was permanently inflamed from permanent sinusitis.

The only side effect while on Kenalog that I have noticed is that following Albuterol inhalation (for the asthma), my lungs burn a little and I have a productive cough for a few hours. I suspect that two things are going on: the Kenalog has decreased bronchial inflammation, and increased a vast amount of sinus drainage, some of which is going into my lungs to be expectorated.

My doctor is an older, seasoned pro, and I trust him. I just found and read online the BMS prescribing leaflet (the one for doctors) and it is very explicit that unless the injection is given as a DEEP intramuscular injection, then local atrophy is LIKELY to occur (their words, not mine). It does appear, therefore, that the side effect of atrophy is potentially dependent on the skill of the administering doctor.

I know I will get about 2-3 months relief from this medication, but with all the very tragic tales of side effects listed here, with which I sympathize deeply, I will be reluctant to take it again.

I am hoping the skill of my doctor - and my body's own system - cope with injection without some of the more serious side effects that the people here have been experiencing, though I expect I will have to wait a couple of months to see what happens. For some of us, the drug has (so far) saved us from a life of constant misery and fatigue. I am keeping my fingers crossed and will report back.

Wishing you all well.

Thanks for all these posts! My 4 year old daughter has a history of allergies which have in the past led to sinus infections and bronchitis. We used Xopenex and Pulmicort with the nebulizer along with Vazobid and Delsym and cleared up the bronchitis during Christmas 2007, but her pediatrician suggested her taking Singulair as a preventive medication for her allergies. This medication has turned our household upside down. She has taken it every night for 3 weeks and the side effects are the same as others have posted.......aggressive behavior, severe defiance to simple tasks, nightmares, stomach cramps, wetting accident at school (first time ever), weight gain, bruising, and vomiting. When told "no" she replies with wanting to kick me and tells me she doesn't want me as a mom anymore. The devilish behavior is intolerable. She was never like this before she started taking Singulair, and I am so thankful that I found this website quickly enough to put 2 and 2 together, and I am taking her off of it TODAY!!!

I have been on Singulair now for about 14 years. I am 58 yr old white female with Asthma. Severe enough to go to the ER every 2 weeks and get the breathing treatments, IV steroids, etc. Breathlessness is something I do not ever want to experience again.

I went to an allergist and had only a reaction to dust mites, however, my Asthma attacks were triggered by all odors, scents, pollutions from cars, trucks, and construction, (tar smelling products.) I wasn't able to go grocery shopping and go down the detergent aisle. I wasn't able to go to the Mall for fear someone would have on perfume or cologne. Funeral homes were out of the question because of the above mentioned and the flowers. I was basically home bound. Now my allergist had me on another medication, but it required blood tests every month to check the liver enzymes. So he switched me to Singulair. About a month into the drug, I noticed I no longer needed my rescue inhaler, not even at night, or my steroid-laced inhaler for prevention. I thought this drug was a life restoring miracle. Now having read all these comments, and I have almost all the same side effects,: weight gain, restlessness, restless legs, insomnia, ear infections, tinnitus. Gee, I thought these were all because of my age, and now I see it is my Singulair. I don't know if I am brave enough to try to wean off this drug, because when you can't breath, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS. so .........WHAT DO I DO?

My son is 4 1/2 years old and has been on Singulair since he was 2. We have been happy with the improvement we have seen in regards to his asthma. No more breathing treatments have been great. The last couple of years though he has continued to get severe headaches that put him out for at least a day with high fevers. The first time it happened was when he was 2 and he had a mild seizure with spiked fever. I haven't thought about it at all until he was due to get another headache and hasn't. We have missed some doings due to the holidays and walked out schedule. The timing and symptoms are seeming a little to coincidental. We have seen a hematologist and immunologist for his chronic headaches but no one knows why he is having them. He has even been admitted for them. His white blood cell count has been elevated with no known cause as to what his body is fighting. I think we will take him off of the Singulair for at another month and see if he gets anymore headaches.

I've had asthma since I was a teenager, and about 9 years ago I went to an allergy and asthma specialist and had the whole gamet of tests run to find out why my allergies and asthma were worsening. I was prescribed Advair, Albuterol, Prednisone, & Servient. At the time, these were the only medications I was taking and never experienced any severe side effects. My asthma was much better and by my one year check up, I had almost completely stopped using the Albuterol for sudden attacks. Due to my graduation from college, I was no longer covered under my parents insurance and due to the cost of the medications, discontinued my treatments. I felt fine, hadn't had any attacks or breathing episodes, so I felt I could do this without any problems.

Fast forward to this summer. My asthma symptoms had returned and my PCP put me back on the Albuterol. It helped the sudden attacks, but I was blowing through an inhaler in a month. Last week I found myself in my local urgent care center, barely able to breathe, gasping for breath. I'm 31 years old with an almost one year old. They gave my 3 breathing treatments and prescribed Prednisone (only 5 days worth), Albuterol, and the Advair. After a week on the Advair, I feel so strange. I haven't had to use my fast acting inhaler since last week, but I feel like my heart is going to jump right out of my chest. I have a constant headache, a weird ache in my right arm, can't sleep even though I am exhausted, and my mind is constantly racing. It's like I can't slow down. After reading all these crazy side effects and comparing them with my own, I'm stopping the Advair. I have an apt. with my asthma specialist in 2 weeks and I will be sure that he doesn't put me back on this med. It's awful...can't imagine taking any drug with a side effect of death.

No side effects. My 6 year old has been on it for a year and it has controlled his asthma. No breathing treatments. No problems with moodiness. Great drug so far. I hope he does not develop any of the many side effects listed on this site.

I'm not sure what to think about Advair. My 16 yr old son has asthma & has been on Advair for a few years & did well for the most part. While on vacation last summer he came down w/2 ear infections & quickly went downhill. He had an attack & was nearly closed up completely; went to the ER & received several breathing treatments, a steroid shot & was released w/oral steroid prescription/antibiotics. The next afternoon he had another attck & went back to the ER. He was given breathing treatments & then an IV steroid treatment. He immediately got a raging headache & got morphine for the pain, started severely hallucinating & violently flipped for hours. He eventually was well enough to leave & woke up the next morn as a vegetable. Didn't know where he was...was hallucinating, couldn't walk etc. We went back home to his family doctor. It turned out the steroids was the culprit. I didn't know Advair was a form of steroid, & the IV steroids caused his psychosis, & he just had too much steroids in his system overall. A few days later he came out of it. My mother had said she heard Advair can cause severe infections & actually worsen asthma. I asked his DR & he said there were other reasons for those problems which didn't pertain to my son, so he's still taking Advair.

Ever since that episode, he is much more susceptible to EVERYTHING. First semester of school he missed a total of 10 days. He'd also been having horrible mood swings, could not sleep at night & then went into a depression. So he was precribed a low dosage of Elavil. This was about 10 weeks ago. 12 days ago he started wheezing & coughing, so we did his at home nebulizer treatments. He went to the DR & was diagnosed w/bronchitus & was given a Z-pak. Last weekend he worsened, took him back to the DR Monday & was diagnosed w/walking pnemonia. He was given another Z-pak & oral steroids. He's slowly getting better, but has missed 9 days of school & I don't know when he'll be well enough to return.

My mom researched Advair again & found that you shouldn't take it w/Elavil, which he is still taking. She also found that side effects from Advair are eveything my son is dealing with. My husband thinks she's nuts, but I have to wonder can Advair actually be making my son worse?

I agree with guest 33852 about the burning and the frequent trip to the bath room. I have a 3 year old and see spent 3 days in the hospital and many trip to the emergency room due to her weezy and not able to get it controlled with breathing treatments. So she has been on singular now for 3 weeks and ever since she goes pee some times 10 times in one hour and always complains of it hurting down there. So I asked the doctor when we where still in the icu of this and he said the antibiotic she was on would take care of it. It still happen after that. So I took her to her ped doctor and they did a urine test and nothing but it still has yet to go away. She also Is not listening she seems really silly and she has been complaining of being scared ever since and shes never done that before. So I have a appointment with the asthma specialists and I am going to get her on something else. Singulair is horriable and I think doctors are just throwing it at everyone who has asthma. My brothers on it and the doctor tried to give it to my two other kids who don't have asthma ( but have a dry cough through the winter).

MY WIFE HAS BEEN ON PREDNISONE FOR 4 YEARS HER FOR FIRST SIGN OF ASTHMA SHE IS 25 NOW WE HAVE BEEN IN AND OUT OF THE HOSPITAL WITH NO INS. THEY TESTED HER FOR EVERY DISEASE AND FOUND NONE THE DOCTOR SAID THE BREATHING PROBLEMS ARE CAUSED FROM SEVERE ALERGIES WE CANT GET THE ALERGIE SKIN TEST DONE ON HER BACK BECAUSE THE DOCTOR SAID SHE HAS TO BE OFF THE DRUG WHEN SHE STOPS THIS DRUG HER ALERGIES CAUSES HER TO HAVE BAD ASTHMA AND BREATHING TREATMENTS DONT WORK WHEN SHE STOPS THIS DRUG SHE ALSO BRAKES OUT IN RASH AND IT TURNS INTO A BRUISES SHE CANT GET OFF THIS DRUG WE NEED HELP SHE IS A MOTHER OF 2 AND HAD A MISCARRIAGE 7 MONTHES AGO HOW CAN SHE STOP TAKEING THIS DRUG?

I have been on Advair since 2001 and it has been the miracle drug. I used to have to do nebs twice a day and was using my rescue inhaler constantly. When I would get a cold for flu I would end up in the hospital and would have to take steriods for a couple of weeks.

A couple of weeks ago, I began having heart palpatations. I went to my internal medicine doctor and she ran many tests to exclude any underlying heart problem. All tests came back normal except for the fact that I was running PVCs. At first, the doctor didn't want me to go off the Advair. I mentioned getting off of it and taking Singulair and she was fine with it, but wanted me to consult with my pulmonoloigst. After speaking with him, he decided that we could try taking me off the Advair.

It has been a week and I feel pretty good. I have used my rescue inhaler, but not excessively and I have not had to do any breathing treatments.

There are a couple things that I have noticed the most since I have stopped Advair - my knees are not hurting going up and down stairs and I am starting to feel as if I am not so swollen. I have also gained about 20 pounds since I started taking Advair.

Hopefully everything will work out.

I would be interested to know if anyone that has gone off Advair has actually lost weight?

I have been on Advair for 7 months. I started on 500, then went to 250 and now am trying 100. I have gained 30 lbs - even with going to the gym regularly and eating less than 1500 calories a day. When I tell my dtr I am gaining weight from Advair he laughs and tells me to eat less. And that any other symptoms I have are not from this medicine. I had also found a lump in my calf by my ankle and had to have an MRI. They said it is a 'limpoma', a lump attributable to steriods. So now I have to have that cut out and will not be able to run for quite some time, which means more weight gain. I don't know what to do. Since I have started taking it, I have never been able to breathe better. And I have had severe ashtma for years. When I try to wean myself off, I immediately have a bad attack. I want to stop taking it, but don't know how to get off. Even switching to the lower dosage this week has made me lethargic, dizzy and barely able to keep awake. What a nightmare. My body is so bloated and heavy, I can't fit into any clothes. And I can barely run more than 2 miles without my chest burning. This is from someone who has run a marathon before no problem. We need a new solution for asthma - Advair is NOT it.

I have a 17 month old that has been on Singular for 6 weeks. Even though she has been sleeping through the night since she was 8 weeks old, she has been crying out during the night, 3-5 times, for the past 6 weeks. I finally started to think back on what has been different since this 6 week time period. She has been very sick for 2-3 months but she is finally off breathing treatments and the singular is the only thing that she has been on for the past 2 weeks. I finally put 2 and 2 together and took her off the singular 3 nights ago and last night was the first night in 6 weeks that she sleeped all night long with no crying out!!
Just to finish, the crying out was more like night terrors. She didn't want a bottle, she didn't want to be held, she really wasn't even awake...She would just cry out like she had hurt herself. She was unable to tell me about any real side effects but give me another week to be sure, but I think I have solved our problem!!