I was started on Advair HFA about 35 days ago. A little backgroun...

I had a similar reaction to Advair. I got the leg cramps and sore throat fairly quickly after a few weeks. I am a 61 year old cyclist although I don't race I do put in about 300 miles a month. I have exercised induced asthma. For the first 3 months or so the Advair was amazing. I went from being about average in my group to one of the strongest riders. After that I very slowly declined, almost unnoticeable until after about 6 or 7 months I was always getting dropped on the club rides. By the 8th or 9th month I went from being able to ride 60 hilly miles to where I had to stop after a flat 15 miles on my last ride with it because I was totally exhausted.
I believe most of the problems with Advair is caused by the Salmeterol which is the LABA component or long lasting form of Albuterol. The other component is Fluticisone which is a corticosteroid. Most of the daily asthma medicines only contain the steroid component. So my suggestion is to have your doctor put you on a corticosteroid only medicine such as Flovent (same steroid as Advair but safer alone) Asmanex (which I take). Q-var or one of the others. That way your lung inflammation will be controlled on a 24/7 basis.. However it still might not be a bad idea to take the Albuterol about 20 minutes before riding. There are other techniques for exercise such getting into a refractory period. Do a Google search "asthma refractory period" and it may be helpful.

I am a 5o year old male who has been on Flovent for about 10 years. Unfortunately I am now having issues with Flovent. My last eye exam revealed an increase in eye pressure which could mean Glaucoma. Also I have noticed that my vision is never 100% clear. The doctor took a closer look into my eyes and discovered that I have cataracts. They said I was on the young side for cataracts and I started doing my own research. Apparently Flovent has an adverse side effect that includes both of these eye ailments. I want to get off of this stuff but I don't know what the alternatives are and if they work as well. Does anyone else have these issues?

I can help you with those horrible leg cramps. I was unable to take any long acting product for my asthma because of leg cramps. Then I read a study from Duke Univ. about cramping in another class of drugs that was relieved with the easy to purchase supplement CoQ10. It was an absolute MIRACLE. Now, instead of walking with a shuffle because of the cramps, I can fully practice my martial arts. It virtually changed my life.

I am a competitive road cyclist also (female age 43) and found the advair helped my breathing, but experience big weight gain. How can a woman who eats well, trains 15 hours a week and doesn't drink alcohol gain 10 lbs.???? I am getting off the stuff and hopefully the weight will get under control.