Advair Diskus side effects

I took Advair for almost 4 years. I did not take it regularly (as regularly as they prescribed), but took it reasonably regularly.

I think Advair is the worst drug! It wrecked my teeth! I had perfect (no cavities) until I started taking Advair, which is when I started getting cavities. My teeth will never be the same.

The worst part though, was that after about 2 years of use, I got a horrible case of pleurisy. I had it for 8 months. I went to dr. after dr. No one would listen. I finally got one to do a lung x-ray--within which I had scaring throughout my chest/bronchial tubes. My asthma was getting horrible, and I was literally at 75% oxygen intake (yah--my asthma dr. later told me I should have been in the hospital). I finally looked up and researched Advair--and found out that one of it's side effects was lung infections. By the time I found this out, I basically had a lung infection for 2 years. I fought with my asthma dr.--to get off of Advair. Put me on Flovent instead, which has been fine. I was off and on Prednisone for more than a year throughout all this time. Once off of Advair, the dr. put me on a regular dose of Prednisone (probably gained 15-25 pounds during that time), and an anti-biotic, once I finally won that battle. I FINALLY got better after about a month of treatment! But, ever since then I cannot get a cold/upper respiratory infection without having to go on prednisone in order to stop the cough. Plus, I then got my gall bladder out, and I now get major pain in that area when I get a cough.

I flat out refuse to EVER take Advair again. Nothing is worth going through anything like that again! It was miserable! I'm sure I had some other symptoms, such as stomach pains, headaches, depression, anxiety, etc., but seriously, I was just trying to breathe for so long, that none of the other stuff caused me as much worry!

I have been on advair for 1 year and it has helped get me off the rescue inhaler but around 3 weeks ago my hair started falling out in clumps. After every shower i have to clean the drain. Advair is the only medication that i take. Will it grow back when i quit taking it? Has anyone had success with other asthma medications with less side effects?

I was diagnosed with adult allergic asthma one year ago at 38 years old. I started having problems breathing ONLY AT NIGHT on occasion and palpitations. Had a physical and ekg, totally normal. Went to allergist and they said I have alot of allergies and diagnosed me with the asthma. Funny thing, weeks before I biked 20 miles, hiked 12 miles, canoed 3 miles, played golf in a 3 day span and no problems. Since they told me this and started me on advair 250/50 I haven't been able to jog more than 2 miles or bike more than 8 to 10. Its very strange indeed, I have gotten more paranoid feelings when just get a little out of breath, and sometimes cant keep still in a car or sitting down. I cut back on sugar, sodium and started exercising a little every day, only 15 minutes and felt better. But came down with a cold recently and back to square one. I am trying to take the advair only ONCE a day instead of twice and almost feel withdrawal symptoms like shakiness, paranoia, irritability. I do have higher blood pressure than I should. Does anyone have any idea about this? I am really confused! Thanks... J

I promised to write on this board & get the message out in the event that they figured out what was wrong with me after

approximately 4 months of progressive shortness of breath. In April/May 2008, I felt a very slight pain in my chest/lung

area. At first I thought I may have stretched a muscle during basketball, working out or painting a house. I went to my

primary care physician who ordered an X-Ray & a CT Scan. The CT scan showed some consolidation. At this time I had no

shortness of breath and played basketball for hours a day. I merely had a very slight feeling of pain in my chest area when

breathing deep. My primary care physician based on the xray/ct scan results and my concerns, sent me to a lung specialist.

The lung specialist gave me a pulmonary function test, one with and without a bronchiodilater. The specialist indicated that

I have Asthma. I refuted & said that I have never been diagnosed with Asthma and how would that be possible? I ran the 2 mile

in JR High school, played basketball all the time & am extremely athletic. At the age of 32 I've been working out on the

bench with 225 lbs and been playing basketball in leagues forever. In any case, the doctor said that I had exercise induced

asthma and stated that I likely had asthma but never caught it. ----- I did not believe it or agree. I was put on Proventil.

For whatever reason, I got very sick the next day after visiting with the lung specialist for several days & recovered about

10 days after my visit. I believed it was from taking the bronchiodilater or being on their machine or around all the sick

people - who knows to this day.

I failed to mention that my specialist did not view my CT Scan or XRay while diagnosing my problem, he relied solely on my

Pulmonary test. He said he'd get the CT Scan/XRays, review & give me a follow up call. He never called. I started calling a

couple weeks after my visit to see if he had seen my reports, but no response and my condition was not getting better. I

tried taking proventil twice a day, then just 20 minutes prior to my basketball game and even during my basketball game. I

tried everything, but nothing improved.

I dropped off the CT Scan cd for the lung specialist to review, since they stated they never received it from the hospital.

--- I had no problem getting it, why would a doctors office have problems getting it & if they couldn't get it, then why

weren't they calling me?????

Finally in late July, I was able to schedule an appointment with the lung specialist again. The lung specialist did another

CT Scan & Pulmonary Test. The verdict after reviewing these tests - the specialist states that I don't have Asthma. I refuted

again & pleaded with the doctor that I had a serious problem & could not play basketball like I use to. I could no longer jog

50 yards before short of breath. He then suggested I try their bike test with EKGs and measurements of my breathing. I got on

the bike & in approximately 4 minutes I was short of breath and my oxygen levels went from 95 to below 90!!!! I could barely

bike anymore.

The verdict after the bike test, my lung specialist indicated that the results looked odd, but more than likely it's

exercise induced asthma yet again. He prescribed me ADVAIR.

I took ADVAIR as prescribed 2x a day. My condition got progressively worse....shortness of breath even worse... it got to a

point that I could not walk 100 feet with my briefcase without being short of breath. I was starting to get very irritable &

stressed as a result. I read all the online side effects about ADVAIR leading me to this website & was disturbed by the

readings like all the others. I scheduled another appointment with the lung specialist to tell him my feelings & that Advair

was not helping after a month.

He indicated that the report received from my CT SCAN A MONTH AGO showed some calcification in one of my lower left arteries

& that I should visit a cardiologist to take a look. He prescribed 2 months more of ADVAIR to see if I'd improve, because it

takes time apparently.

I met with the cardiologist the next day, they did a Stress Test & Echo cardiogram. The stress test showed up normal & the

echo came back ABNORMAL. It indicated that I had pressure on one side of my heart due to the lungs not receiving or

exchanging enough oxygen for some unexplained reason!!

The cardiologist stated that we'd have to do a Cardiac Cath to determine the cause & treatment. This seemed very major & can

be a risky procedure although done frequently I was told.

Another CT Scan was performed. AND FORTUNATELY, now listen up..... A VQ SCAN was ordered up to be performed before the

Cardiac Cath. During a VQ Scan they inject radio iodine and have you breath-in a radio active substance. THE VQ SCAN SHOWED

BLOOD CLOTTING ON BOTH SIDES OF MY LUNGS!!!!

I am literally now in the Hospital being treated CORRECTLY for blood clotting and on blood thinners. The moral of the story

on this message board for ME is THAT ADVAIR WAS NOT HELPING, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT THE RIGHT TREATMENT. I was MISDIAGNOSED and

there was not enough follow up from the doctors in my perception, because it took approximately 4 MONTHS to determine.

If I had stayed on ADVAIR, supposedly treating "exercise induced asthma", then I may have DIED due to LUNG FAILURE or HEART

FAILURE!

DISCLAIMER - I am not a doctor & this is only a synopsis of my personal experience. Again, I promised to share this

information, so others could hopefully benefit.

My recommendation - If you never had asthma are athletic over the age of 30 and the doctor prescribes ADVAIR for ASTHMA, then

I would highly recommend you have a VQ(Perfusion) scan performed. I hope this saves someones misery or life.

I'm still in the hospital, they are treating my blood clots and continue to try to determine the cause of my blood clots. If

anyone has any theories as to where my small blood clots may have come from, then please oblige.

I have only been on Advair for a couple of weeks but went online because my gums are bleeding like crazy and my mouth is very sensitive. I stopped a few days ago because my asthmatic symptoms had subsided, but i think that the Advair is responsible for my mouth problems.

My 71 year old mother was put on Advair approximately two years ago after she was diagnosed with COPD. She has always been a tiny, petit woman her entire life, and after being placed on Advair she has nearly doubled in weight. This week she has broken out in shingles (herpes zoster) on her back and left breast. For a year she has had psoriasis on her right hand. Never before has she had so many rashes and skin issues since being on Advair. She has also experienced joint pain and numbness since being placed on Advair and began having panic/anxiety attacks as well - something she has never had in her life. Also, the hoarseness, or "lump in her throat" she is always trying to clear is nearly always present. Monday she is suggesting to her GP that she be weaned off of Advair altogether and we'll see what other options are available. Maybe this is the "miracle drug" for some; but for others it has been a nightmare.

SIX POUNDS IN FOUR DAYS!!! (AND I'm NOT PREGNANT!) I was in bed thinking to myself how could I have gained six pounds in four days???? For an average 35 years old, I'm pretty active mother of a soon-to-be-four year old son. I was diagnosed with chronic sinisitis and along came the weazing!!! My primary MD was the first one to give me the sample during about with bronchitis. You trust doctors because their the ones with the medical training right? what did he know??? But I could have easily researched this drug online. Needless to say after a very scary incident during a step class- I was completely out of breath- what an awful feeling!!! I usually would have reached for my inhaler (albuterol) but I was out of it- so I grabbed the advair. Now since I was only a once-in-awhile user, I didn't see any side affects. But after a soild month of using this drug- I did feel anxious jittery--needless to say - my husband thought I was pre-menopausal (we're trying to have baby #2) I begin to see the awful light of this drug- PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT!!! I AM VERY FRIGHTENED OF THESE SIDE AFFECTS!!
What a relief to have this posted today!!

I have had severe asthma since I was 3 years old (25 now). I have been on about every asthma med and for the past 5 years have been on advair. For 5 years I have had chronic hives that can only be controlled by zyrtec and if I try to go off adviar it will put me in the hospital within a week. I have developed a dependency to this awful drug....and now I can't get off of it. I have experienced weight gain and have to eat a very script diet so that I don't become fat. If you have just started this drug I suggest to get off of it ASAP.

my experience with advair, is every three months I have severe lung infections, and nervousness, also i have irregular heartbeat and a leaking heart valve.

I was also on advair and I contracted alopecia universalis. I lost ALL my hair. I am sure there is a connection between these side effects and ADVAIR!! By the way. I stopped taking any steroid inhalers, and my breathing is better. What does that say?? Some of my hair has also started growing back since I stopped the steroid inhalers. Not much, but why is it growing now? This is a very devastating side effect, and I think there should be some legal action taken here. My life performing on stage has been ruined. My image shot. Now, i wasn't a "star", but still, I really can't enjoy performing anymore.

I am a 53yr old female, I started with bronchitis in Feb 2008, after two er visits, and treatment with antibiotics/ cough meds/ decongestants, etc. thought I was finally over it after 2/3 weeks, then all of a sudden I would start up with the same tight, non productive cough, twice accompanied by strep throut also, these symptoms started to return almost monthly, without warning. The last episode I had in July I was put on prevacid for acid reflux, (the first dosage of that gave me a slight improvement of symptoms of the cough, then the following week prednisone was added with almost instant improvement, Wow finally, each day better that the last, then as I started to taper off a bit of increase in congestion, nothing that a child's dose of mucinex didn't help. Then almost a month to the day after thinking that I was finally better, I started all over again, up for almost 36 hours straight from coughing, started back on steroids, antibiotics, etc. But this time is tougher, The initial steroids helped right away, but there is a lot more mucous with this episode, My Doctor set me up for a PFT (pulmonary function test) and pending results plan to followup with a Pulmonary specialist, but as I've been tapering off the prednisone again the symptoms have increased, almost back to the beginning of the episode, with more coughing than not. Nervous about the last day of my steroids, my doctor put me on the Advair Diskus, my results of my pft should be in tomorrow, I took my first dose this morning, (quite nervous about it because I have several medication allergies and reactions) Now for my dilemma, my dose went well, I almost thought I felt a little something good, I know it's supposed to take awhile to help, but I felt positive about it and looked forward to my next dose in 12hrs. A little later in the day I started feeling funny, kind of spacey, fuzzy headed. Is it possible that this feeling is from the Advair? I've read the side affects and a lot of feedback from Advair users, and nothing matches what I;m feeling. Is there anyone out there that has felt like this? Please help, I'm almost due for my next dose and don't know what to do.
PMB in CT.

Hello everyone. My name is Michael, and my experiences with Advair were so horrific, I thought I would post here as a both a cautionary to those who would use this product, and to validate those who thought "they were crazy" while using it.

I was diagnosed with "World Trade cough" as a result of my four month exposure from that disaster. It finally culminated in frequent walking pneumonias and a sinus-drip initiated cough, which is really part of a complicated process from GERD, also World Trade related. Finally, the pulmonologist diagnosed the obvious "RADS", Reactive Airway Disease.

I was prescribed Aidvair Diskus inhaler 500/250 twice a day, along with Nasonex and Nexium. The first two months seemed uneventful. As my cough cleared, I saw no reason to take the medication anymore and slowly titrated its discontinuation.

Then everything went awfully wrong and my nightmare started. First, panic and anxiety attacks, which I hadn't suffered since World Trade overtook me at different times of the day. Only the Toprol for my high blood pressure kept me under control and out of the E/R with uncontrollable tachycardia. Next, the Depression which also was overwhelming, and the compounded fears from physical symptoms. Then the "TRUSH" came in my mouth and a concomitant fungal infection in my groin. Swollen glands in my neck. Fever, fatigue, listlessness joined the symptoms.

Though a committed heterosexual, a bachelor party a month ago raised spectre's too awful to contemplate and I insisted on the most ultra-sensitive diagnostic blood tests to rule out dreaded disease ( I did responsibly use a condom ). The 24 hours from yesterday to today were like sitting on death row, awaiting an answer. ALL NEGATIVE, including Diabetes.

Then I saw this site and had to enroll to tell this story. All of it was here from the THRUSH, which scared me the most, to the Depression and anxiety attacks, which made my fears really get out of control. The Advair had nearly destroyed my immune system.

I am taking "CLORIMAZOLE" for the fungus, which is no bargain...liver toxicity and nausea. Still, far preferable to the feared diseases.

I learned that so-called "modern medicine" is little advanced from the witch doctor. If you read the Pharmacology inserts, half the time they don't even know why something works, and they can't isolate the good effect from the bad. Then, they assault your body with another extreme ( anti-fungal ) to combat what they caused from the first medicine.

My new girlfriend is Chinese. Next time I am sick, I am trying alternative medicine. In the meantime, for anyone prescribed or handed a sample by their doctor, AVOID THIS MEDICATION IF YOU CAN!

What a Godsend this website is. I am a 48 year old female, and I have been taking Advair (the lowest dose) for about 2 months now, with steadily worstening side effects. Although I have to admit, my first dose of Advair was like a much need "breath of fresh air", the side effects are not worth it. In fact, I just got off the phone with my doctor, telling her I will no longer be taking the Advair. These were the side effects I have experienced: rapid heartbeat, rib pain, joint pain in my legs and fingers, loose bowels, and a noticeable change in weight / body shape. I have always been complimented on my tiny waist and flat stomach, but as of late I have noticed my waist size increasing, despite my usual exercise. In addition, the most serious and most disturbing side effects are insomnia and the onset of severe depression / anxiety / paranoia. I had issues with depression as a young woman in my 20's with anorexia, with no relapse until I began this medication. Yesterday, I had to pull over to a store parking lot to cry for no reason! If it were not for this website, I would have blamed myself for some sort of mental weakness or unhealthy thinking. Also, I have never experienced anxiety in my life, and while on this medication I have had several episodes of intense panic, where I was convinced I should immediately draft a last will and testament. My vision has been blurring in and out considerably, my voice sounds as if I have larynxitis daily, and I have also experienced profoundly increased thirst and urination. I have not had my blood pressure checked, but I feel like what must be an increase in this, as well. Lastly, the past few days I have noticed severe hair loss, which, until I read this website, I attributed to my recent dieting. (I have been desperately dieting and increasing exercise to try to regain my figure that this medication is apparently ruining. Until this time, I have weighed the same and had the same or stronger body than high school school (5'4'', 115 - 120 lbs.) God bless everyone who has contributed to this website to educate others about the horrors of this medication. My doctor wants to see me to "give me something else", but I am going look into alternative therapies (yoga, breathing exercises, teas, etc.) The comment that made the most sense on this website was the person who wrote "break up with your asthma...begin by taking a deep breath and telling yourself you no longer have asthma." Also, I have seen that God / Jesus can heal anything, so I am going to turn to Him in prayer instead of the doctors. After all, Who created our bodies to begin with? I will add you all to my prayers, and that God will help us all heal from this... both the asthma and the suffering created by Advair.

I hope this helps someone.

I was never allergic to anything in my life until I went around this cat at the age of 33. I sneezed and got a really scratchy throat. I thought it would go away, but it turned into a cold. I thought the cold would go away, but it turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia. I was jogging everyday at the time and realized something was wrong when I couldn't finish my run.

I was hospitalized for two days and upon discharge I was stocked up with a cocktail of drugs: Singular, Advair, Albuterol inhaler, and Claritin. Needless to say, I took them all, because I was scared of dying. Thank God I'm not a good medicine taker, because I missed many doses and only took them as needed. I think this is why after 3 years I have only started to see the effects of these meds in the last 8 months.

Okay... I have major joint stiffness(all over) especially neck and fingers, heart palpitations, nervousness, short patience, horrible memory, lack of motivation. Oh my God! The weight gain...Please!

Before this, I was completely healthy. After reading this I will reduce myself to my inhaler and Claritin. I notice they are cool. Otherwise, if I keep my stress level down my breathing does really well. It would probably help if I got rid of the cat. Shhhh...Don't tell anyone. LOL.

I have since put my self on a juice fast using a high powered juicer to cleanse my system of all the trash the doctors gave me.

God bless you all and I speak life and breath into each of our lives.

BreathWrite.

My mother, 70 years, just visited me and is on Advair Diskus, I want to say at least 2 years now. She has COPD with chronic bronchitis. I don't even know this woman anymore. She is depressed and extremely short with everyone. She has a rash that started on the back of her legs that fills with fluid then scabs. She has informed me she has had the rash almost a year now. It has spread to her arms and neck lately. It comes and goes in it's severity. Her Dr. cannot give her a diagnosis. She too, has spoken the words "miracle drug" in the beginning. I just got off the phone with her and she said she would rather risk an asthma attack than stay on Advair. Risk death than stay on Advair? What is this drug doing to people?

After never having asthma in my life I was put on Advair 100/50 at 34 ...
I have been on it for a little over a year but I have been reading these side effects and wanted to try and ween myself off this stuff. I cut back to 1 per day then 1 every other day and now I am down to 1 per week. Hopefully I am going to be off it soon. The side effects are real with the weight problems people are having with this stuff .... My question is does anyone else have the feeling in their throat like there is an obstruction or a lump? or like something is stuck in the back of their throat?? Does this go away ?

I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth after every use .... so I am not sure if this will go away with lower use or not

I am a 63 year old male that has COPD and a few days ago my doctor prescribed ADVAIR. A lady that works with my wife recently lost her husband to a heart attach and he was also on ADVAIR. Another worker overheard the conversation and said that he had recently lost his father to a heart attach who was also on ADVAIR.

Think I will stick with the inhalers and skip the ADVAIR.

Thanks all.

Roy

I can't believe that this drug is legal and that it has not been taken off the market. I have been on it for a year and couldn't understand why I was gaining weight, nothing helped to get those pounds off. I started at 160 and now at 195 and growing. Three years ago I had triple bypass, weight 150, some of the meds caused some weight gain, but nothing like this. My joints was so sore in the morning I couldn't hardly walk, I just knew I was going to be using a walker if this kept up. BTW I'm 65 female, always been active and busy, now I just do what I have to or can and that doesn't make me happy. I have recently been having crying spells and sore throat, voice lost, and enlarged tongue. The enlarged tongue caused me to do some searching on side effects.....I am so glad I found this page. I haven't taken any puffs of Advair since., that was 3 days ago. My tongue is starting to shrink, my joints aren't as sore, my crying is stopping. The weight is still with me and might never lose it, time will tell. I don't seem as hungry and eating less so maybe there is hope. This is a drug that should have Big warning all over it. Advair has taken a year of my life at this point. If there is ever a law suit I would be the 1st to sign. I didn't have that many breathing issues and really didn't understand why the Dr. put me on it.
I usually check up on drugs before I take them, this one slipped through the cracks, guess cause it wasn't a pill. At this point I just hope that others find this in time and stop using Advair before it ruins their lives.
God Bless
Barbie Kay

I was on the low dose, 100/50, for 2 years. I had blurry vision in my right eye and lethargy. Last week I woke up and could not breathe AT ALL. I was choking for about 45 seconds with no air coming in. I have read that Advair can bring on sleep apnea. After a couple of days of doing research, I stopped cold turkey. My vision cleared up in a day and my lethargy is gone. I am now using apple cider vinegar for my asthma (brought on by my 2 dogs and cat) and so far, all is well. How that stuff is legal, I don't know.

I just got done reading a lot of this page, I was in tears. I'm a 23 year old female; I started taking Advair 250/50 (two times a day) about 3 1/2 years ago for COPD. Before my problems started I was working overtime every week, just financed a car a year previous, moved out of my parents and felt like I was on top of the world. Minus my general anxiety and clinical depression, I was only on 2 medications plus an albuterol inhahler.
I kept getting sick, was having trouble breathing, so I was put on Advair; at first It's like I read in almost all these forums...It's a miracle drug! I was able to breathe, but I noticed I was starting to feel pretty lazy, in 2 months I gained 30lbs. I kept taking it along with a lot of other medications for more problems that seemed to keep coming along. In late summer of 2005 I had a seizure while I was at work in a restaurant kitchen. I was opening and had passed out between 4 fryers and a flat-top grill; an ambulance picked me up. I kept getting dizzy spells and vertigo, I started having seizures a few times a week; I was released from my job on a long-term medical leave because of the hazard it was for me to work there. Things kept getting worse, It got to the point of averaging 17 pills a day because of medical problems. Before I got sick I weighed 131lbs, I currently weigh 170lbs. I was having seizures everyday, then every other day, and it slowly decreased over time. I went through so many tests, I'm still going through them. I started having really bad bowel problems which I'm still dealing with; It's sort of like IBS. I also deal with chronic daily stomach/abdominal pain; in a laproscopy, the doctor said that my small intestine looked like "a bag of snakes". Another daily pain that I'm still dealing with mouth/teeth/jaw pain. Although I rinsed my mouth out after each use, I believe Advair royally screwed my mouth up for life. My gums bled everyday, I had to use a kids toothbrush, my gums were peeling off; It was told to me that It's like a mouth yeast infection. The gums over my canines started receding and didn't stop until I quit taking advair. The nerves on my canines are exposed and partially rotted, other teeth have chips and are rotten around them. The gums above my canines are still raised and will still flare up from time to time. I haven't been able to work since August 2005. I've been denied disability twice. I have panic attacks when I'm around people. I'm scared to drive because I've had a seizure behind the wheel. I'm in so much pain everyday that I normally don't move unless It's to use the bathroom. I used to cook 80 hours a week, hang out with friends, and work out. Now, I can't work, can't be around people, and take enough medications to start a pharmacy. It's odd how it all seemed to start when I began Advair. One other thing, I'm constantly coughing up these weird mucas spheres. My advice if you're thinking about taking advair...well, I'll just say if I would have known that this is what it'd do to me, I would have chose bronchitis 4 times a year.

I am a 44 year old women that has been dealing with asthma almost my entire life on and off.But I started a new job(housecleaning)and I believe it started up my asthma.So after having to use my albuteral inhaler a couple times a day,I decided to see my dr.He put me on advair.The first day I started taking it I was breathing so much better.I thought this is it!I finally found the miracle pill!Well about 5 days or so into it I started getting a really bad sore throat.The kind that is deep down-maybe in your larynax or whatever.And yes-I rinsed really good after every use.Well I ended up in the e.r. at 12:00 at night.I could hardly swallow and it felt like something was stuck in my throat.They gave me an ekg and did a neck xray on me.Dr. told me it was most likely from advair and to stop using it now and he put me on prednisone for 5 days.I called my doctor that put me on it 2 days later and told him what happened.He said huh,I wonder why that happened?Anyways,now he prescribed singulair to me but after reading all the negative comments I am not sure what the hec to try?I have missed 3 days work.I will most likely change jobs.I am real weak and anxious.Probably from prednisone.Anyone have any ideas on what works best for asthma that has few side effects?HELP!

I am suddenly experiencing double vision and wonder if Advair is at fault. Would be interested to hear of such a side effect.
K

I have had EXTREME hair loss and I did not know what from. I never thought it was my advair. I checked all of my other medications and only one other one said there was a possibility of hair loss (PREVACID) so I went off of that but my hair was still falling out. I have been so desperate that I scheduled and appointment to see a dermatologist tomorrow. Today I happened to google "advair/hair loss" and I cannot believe all of the articles that came up with people expressing the correlation.
I have been so depressed from this hair loss. I had the thickest, shiniest hair and now I barely have a pony tail. I wear hats all of the time because I am embarrassed.It has been totally devastating.
What I need to know is which other asthma medication will NOT cause hair loss so I can switch? Too bad I just dropped $100 on a 3-month supply of Advair and now cannot use it.
Also, those of you who went off the Advair, how long did it take for you to experience hair growth or it not falling out?

I'm now 43, and I've had bad allergy symptoms since about age 17. Perennial symptoms and nearly daily headaches and facial pressure and bad throat drainage. Also, every time I got a cold, I'd get a cough that would not go away for months.

Finally, a few years ago, a new family doctor suggested I try Advair for that cough. Wow. Cough gone in days. Wow. That seemed invaluable to me.

But, I do notice thick mucus in my throat now, and I can't seem to clear it, at times. My voice is affected and diminished, it seems.

I'm not sure that any other side effects are occurring for me. However, after my wife saw a commercial about death risks associated with Advair(naturally the commercial was from a law firm), I decided to do some internet reading. I am curious about the possible heart effects. I had a mitro-valve prolapse in my teens, and am not sure I should be taking medications that can alter your heart rhythms.

I think I'll call my doctor and see what other options I have. I am intrigued by the idea I read below, from April of 2008, about reducing dosage to once a day, or every other day, or once a week, or down from 250 to 100, or all of the above. If it still controls my cough, that's may be all I need.

I've never had bad asthma. Just bad allergies, that have led me to this.
So, I just might try a reduction plan.

Did I mention, hair loss? Well, that's also what's going on!

I'm a 41 year old female. I was diagnosed with asthma at age 9 and had taken a number of different drugs until the birth of my daughter who is nearing age 7. I had never had problems with my weight or loosing any excess after childbirth. However, after beginning Advair 100/50 over the course of 6 months and after ridding myself of the baby weight, I gained about 25 lbs. 2 years 3 months later came the birth of my son with whom I’d gained nearly 100 lbs after changing to Advair 250/50.

My son was born 9 lbs. and gained 3 more before his first peds visit less than a week later. He has had a number of food and skin allergies since birth and at 4 ½ weighs 98 lbs and is 4 feet fall. His bone age is 8.5 and still growing. Both my son and daughter eat the same things but she is lean and healthy at 170 lbs. and 4’41/2” tall with no food or skin allergies and no other health problems. Therefore, I’m inclined to believe he too was negatively affected by Advair.

My normal weight of 133 lbs. and a perfect size 8 was no more. I actually consume less now than before and with a 4 and 6 year old, I’m quite active and as conscious of my diet as my kids’. However, I’m still tipping the scales at between 195 and 200 lbs. I’ve never had hypertension, headaches, chest pains, muscle spasms, fatigue, feelings of depression or suicidal thoughts but I did...often.

I recently changed insurance plans and tried filling the script only to learn that the rate was so far out of my range that I could no longer afford it. I’ve not taken it for at nearly 60 days and have noticed my headaches are less frequent and far less intense, no chest pain or muscle spasms and I feel more in control able to deal more effectively with my children and colleagues and just life in general. I have to take my Albuterol inhaler far more frequently than I should but I’d rather do that than to feel the way I did taking Advair.

My dosage has been 250/50 and I have been using the medication for about 3 years. I have experienced increased mucus, hoarseness, and thrush. I now have the thrush under control by thoroughly rinsing my mouth after using the inhaler. The hoarseness was not caused directly by the Advair, rather it was caused by frequently clearing my throat due to the mucus. My wife is a speech language pathologist and noticed my frequent throat clearing and explained that throat clearing irritates the vocal chords and causes hoarseness. By avoiding harsh throat clearing the hoarseness has gone away. I still have issues with thick mucus but it is minor nuisance compared with the improvements to my breathing.

Hello all! My 9 year old son has been taking Advair inhaler for about 1 1/2 years with 2 puffs a day. One at night and one in the morning. He is too young for him to notice any symptoms and for him to explain them to us and we didn't know about any side effects until reading this forum. He has the sniffles all the time which sound kind of stuffy too and some blotched skin on his forehead. He also might have another symptom regarding his bowels, not being able to control them is what I'm getting at and everyday has accidents. I don't know if that's because of Advair or laziness. I would make an intelligent guess and relate it to the Advair under muscle spasms? Does anyone have this symptom and are just too embarrassed to tell your doc? I am at my wits end with this "symptom". Also I heard very strong reports that cow milk is responsible for asthma. Humans were not designed to drink animal milk at all. The Molecules are way too large for us to digest. Almond milk is best and better for you. Now think about it, we are the only species that drink milk after we are nursed from out mothers. The animals do not go back to drinking after they are weened. I've also heard a study that after grown cows drink cow milk they got very sick or died. Anyone else heard that?

I am a 45 year old female, I have been on Advair for about 4 years now. I tried to go off of it once because I was having heart palpitations, I had to go back on it because of my asthma, waking up in the morning feeling like I couldn't breath just didn't work for me. I have less heart palpitations and my asthma is in much better control, however (isn't there always a "however"! I have been dieting and exercising like crazy (ok, all my life, but seriously for about 6 months now.) The scale has not moved...and I mean nothing, not a pound! I could not put my finger on it until now...it must be this drug! What else could it be? So now I have to decide if I want to be thinner or breath! Huh....some choice!

After reading this site I'm so ridiculously upset with my allergist. I was specifically told that the 100/50 dose of advair had such a small amount of steroid that it shouldn't have any adverse effects.
In the 5 months I've been taking advair I've gained 20 pounds, and I've been unable to lose even an ounce of it despite diet and exercise. After reading this page I decided to cut down to one dose a day, and magically I dropped 3 pounds. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow and just let him try to tell me that advair doesn't cause weight gain.
Oh also, I'd been feeling very down and depressed lately, and I'd even considered going to a psychologist. I just attributed my feelings to issues in my personal and work life. Well, as soon as a I cut down on the advair I went back to feeling like myself again. I hadn't even noticed how much I had changed until I suddenly felt a million times less irritable and able to smile and really laugh again.
I'm worried about just quitting the advair (I'm paranoid about side effects) but I feel so much better without it that I don't know if I can bring myself to take my next dose.
What a choice - breathe perfectly and be miserable or constantly suffer with asthma and not even be yourself.

I was prescribed advair diskus (100/50) twice a day, 10 days ago. It was for chronic cough which almost instantly improved 90%, however the medication kept me wide awake at night and caused pain in my chest while I was asleep. I was told to take it only once a day, but when it wore off at night, I had labored breathing and could not sleep. I have hardly slept in all this time and am exhausted. Albuterol does not help, and I have been to urgent care twice in the last two days. They only offer breathing treatment. By the way, except for the cough, my health was excellent. I haven't had true asthma in years. I would rather have my cough back. At least codeine cough syrup worked, and helped me sleep.

My doc assured me that it wasn't possible that my hoarseness was due to a residual build-up of the med on my vocal chords. I raised the question, "If there could not be any build up, why the need to rinse ones mouth after each use." I was told I needed to do that to prevent thrush. That's all well and good but still leaves my query a bit open. It stands to reason that if one could get thrush from the medication being in ones mouth, one could also have other problems from it being in ones system.

I've been doing research on asthma and other medical issues. If you want to do some good reading, look up Dr. Mercola. Also, look up MMS. Interesting stuff. I also found one woman's recommendation that at the start of a wheeze, let some sea salt dissolve in your mouth and then drino a glass of water. (Those with problems taking salt in should be careful about that.) And also, drink more water and check out your overall nutrition and fitness levels. Positively impacting those may make changes you'd be surprised by!

Jack Lalanne spoke against refined sugars and becoming fit way back in the 50's and not many listened. Look at a current photo of him today, a man in his 90's, and think about it. Look up sugars on Mercola's webpage as well. I had no idea the things sugar can do to ones body.

Blessings

I was diagnosed with allergy induced asthma in my freshman year of high school. I was given Advair for a couple of weeks to help deal with a major attack I experienced. After seeing an allergy-asthma specialist I was told to continue with the Advair until I could get my AIA under control. I was also placed on Singulair, Flonase, MaxAir AutoHaler (for emergencies), Acuneb (also for emergencies) and I was already on Zyrtec and an eye drop Patanol. At the time my Zyrtec and the Astelin I was on were not enough to treat both the allergies and asthma. I also began taking allergy shots. I was an athlete playing fast pitch softball, conditioning P.E. including weight lifting and running, and I was also doing aerobics in my regular P.E. class. I swam often, was an active outdoors man, rode horses, and ate a fairly healthy diet. I could not figure out why I weighed 145 lbs at 5'2. My doctor said I was healthy and that I shouldn't worry about my weight but now that I am a 19 year old 5'3 weighing 130 lbs I realize that my weight gain was not normal. Although I do not play softball right now, I practice belly dancing and yoga. I often go hiking, running and swimming and I walk about 30 minutes a day to get to and from classes at LSU. I worked hard to keep a healthy diet, and exercise often so that I would not gain the dreaded freshman 15. It took me two years to get down to 130 lbs and I never attributed my weight gain and inability to lose weight to my Advair until I was off it for almost a year and then had to start taking it again to deal with a flare up. In less than two weeks I had gained almost 10 lbs and was feeling miserable.After I got to college, I would often go for runs to help keep myself in shape. I got to the point where I had to quit running because I was always short of breath and I would have severe asthma attacks. I was on all of the above mentioned medications and often on Prednisone for sinus infections. I also experienced the dry cough and the tightness of chest. I experienced almost daily headaches -some were attributed to stress but I am not sure if the Advair caused the others. I was also very groggy, dizzy, and EXTREMELY moody. I disliked the way I was feeling while I was on Advair and took myself off it earlier than I was recommended. Since then I have been feeling a lot better and I am able to control my occasional flare ups with zyrtec and flonase and occasionally singulair if I feel my asthma acting up. I got dizzy easily for a few weeks after I took myself I was not told by my doctor that I needed to rinse my mouth out to avoid thrush, nor was I told about the possible weight gain and some of the other side effects. I am going to stop taking Advair unless I absolutely need it and I am not going to stay on it for long, especially if I start feeling like I was before.

I've been on Advair for the past 6 months. First on the 250/50 now I am on the 500/50 dose. I've noticed my blood pressure has increased during this time. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm not sure if it is from the Advair or I am just developing high blood pressure.

I'm a 40 year old female with severe asthma (since I was about 4). I have taken more meds in my life than I can count and nothing has worked like Advair Diskus 500/50. I absolutely LOVE this stuff (so far). I have been taking it 2x a day for two months and no longer need any other meds, not even my inhaler which I always used as my security blanket. I have also had major skin issues since childhood and my skin is now softer and smoother than ever. I don't have any weight gain issues, sore throat, cough, headaches, etc., but I am noticing that lately my body feels TIRED and my legs feel crampy at times, mostly when I wake up after a full night's sleep. I really think this med is well worth it for me, but maybe not for all. Is everyone here rinsing their mouth out after each use? Maybe that is the cause of the sore throat side effect. I wish everyone good health!

I have been on advair 100/50 for almost a year,started with bronchitis,then short of breath,put on inhaler,then predinisone,which was a miracle pill.Then put on the advair,because the test showed I had COPD.A few months ago I started itching,back and forth to the doc.nothing helped,started getting hives,welts,tingling all over my body,all kinds of med.tried.No help,reading all the side effects from advair,I QUIT a week ago,breathing fine,itching,has slowed down and rash is clearing up.I have a doc.appointment Apr.29,2008.I will tell him what I am telling you.I am a male,72 yrs.old,in good physical shape otherwise.Anyone else having these symptoms,please come forward.

hi...........I"ve just finished reading many of the posts on this site and I can't believe how similar my experience has been to others...I went on advair 3 weeks ago for illness induced asthma along with my rescue inhaler. since then I have had horseness/loss of speech altogether,pain in my calfs and thighs, tightness (like a band) across my chest, and itch everywhere. I feel groggy when I wake in the morning and I've always been a morning person! I'm going to try to go off the Advair and just use my rescue inhaler. Thanks everyone for posting.

My father is a 72 y/old man who is being taking Advair for 2 to 3 years. Although his asthma is no longer a problem, his voice is not the same and he continuous loosing weight, so far 25 lbs. His doctor is not able to explain anything at all. Does any one have the same problem?

My 15 y.o. daughter has has first hand experience with weight gain on Advair. About 6 years ago at about 9 y.o., she gained 20 lbs in 6 months - and it started happening exactly when she started the drug. She was very active (swim team, gymnastics, etc) and did not overeat. It is very frustrating that both her pediatrician and her asthma/allergy specialist deny that her small dose of Advair is to blame.

For some reason, and I have talked to others that this has happened to, switching to Singulair did not help her with the weight problem. Seems the people who are hypersensitive to inhaled steroids are also sensitive to Singulair. Concerned about her rapid weight gain, and because she was always so thin, I took her to an endocrinologist to rule out any other problems. After a lot of bloodwork, he concluded that he could not rule out that it was a side effect of the Advair and/or Singulair, and that they may have elevated her blood sugar. I have read tons and tons of postings on the internet about children & adults rapidly gaining weight from inhaled corticosteroids (i.e. Flovent, Advair), along with the round face, bloated stomach, stretch marks, thin skin, easy bruising, etc. but nobody ever says what happens after stopping any of these drugs. Do people ever go back to normal? Do kids look like themselves again? Do any of the side effects disappear?

She is now 15 y.o. and cannot reverse her weight gain no matter what (30 lbs overweight). The last 2 years, she has only been on a small dose of Pulmicort (a different class of corticosteroid even safe to take when pregnant) since she has mild persistent asthma, and allergy shots have helped trememdously. My husband and I have been looking for 6 years now on how to avoid our daughter's weight gain with asthma drugs. If you run into any info., please let us know. Any experiences or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I am a 36 year old male in very good physical condition (except for the asthma) and have been on advair 50/100 for 3 months.

I have since experienced:
Decreased asthma- from using my albuterol inhaler nightly to never.
Increased coughing, congestion, and hoarseness from rarely to daily.
Muscle tightness and joint pain from rarely to daily.
Two pulled muscles in my calf, one in my groin compared to zero in the past five years
One severe abdominal cramp resulting in fainting compared to never before in my life.

It appears that doctors are prescribing this without adequate understanding of the the side effects. Pay attention to your body's response to the medicine. Advair may not be for you.

I'm a 37 year old male and I've had asthma since I was a small child. I did the albuterol inhaler for many years but they took that off the market because of environmental reasons, so I had to switch to something. I wound up with the Advair 100/50 diskus. I noticed fairly early on that when I went to take the second prescribed puff at the end of the day, I didn't really feel I needed it. So, the combination of me being strongly skeptical of drugs and Advair being expensive led me to skip taking the second puff. The next morning, when I went to take my FIRST puff of the day, I noticed I didn't feel I needed that puff either, so I didn't take that puff. Long story short, I now take ONE puff of this Advair every 3 to 5 days. It's been working well for me for about 3 or 4 years. I also take many healthy supplements like Omega Fatty acids, multvitamins, Vitamin C, minerals, etc. So my message here is: Try taking LESS Advair... As little as possible. If your doctor figures it out, tell him/her whatever you feel like. Lie if you want. NOTHING (repeat) NOTHING is more important than your health, and unfortunately the ONLY person who REALLY cares about YOUR health is YOU. You have to protect yourself. Don't let your doctor's ego win out over your health. It is your birthright to refuse a drug, even if it does disappoint your doctor. You don't owe your doctor any anything except payment for your office visit.

I was prescribed Advair one month ago. It was great at first, but after a jog one day only two weeks ago, I noticed a dry cough. I went to the doctor and I hadn't linked the cough to the Advair yet. He kept me on the Advair since I sang its praises. I then looked up the side effects and realized my cough was due to the Advair. I've stopped using the Advair. I still have the cough, but I'm hoping it will go away. I never had the cough before, only shortness of breath. I am feeling a bit dizzy, and my throat hurts a bit.

I'm wondering if the cough and sore throat will go away. I've only been off Advair for 5 days. We'll see!!! Thanks everyone for posting. This has beena great help to me.

26/f on Advair for 1 year, 3 mos. Diagnosed with asthma when I was 17. Was overusing my albuterol and my symptoms got worse so pulmonologist prescribed Advair 250/50. After the first week of taking 2 puffs a day, I didn't need albuterol inhalor and was able to exercise for the first time in YEARS without needing emergency inhaler. Advair was my life saver. Also prescribed to me was Protonix- the doctor thought I had acid reflux which contributed to my asthma symptoms. I take that seasonally now, when I notice a hoarseness in speech. I do get headaches every so often, they have been occurring more frequently as with mood swings so I am researching medications. I have no idea if this is tied into my Advair use since I've been on it over a year now. I might try going off Advair to see if it is related. I've also had a weird muscle cramp in my left armpit area which I NEVER would have thought was related to Advair but several people here have reported it. In short, the headaches, mood swings, etc. do NOT outweigh my ability to exercise and breathe normal. I will most likely try to lower my dose of Advair or ween myself off to see how I do, but if my asthma worsens, I'd rather stay on Advair.

I am a 35 yo male who has had asthma since I was about six years old. I have always used Albuterol/Proventil to deal with any immediate concerns. Additionally, I have used the combination of Pulmicort/Serevent as a long term medication. I felt like the initial effects of that combo were spectacular. At some point, though, the doctor moved me off of that combo to Advair, explaining to me that the latter was just a combination of Pulmicort and Serevent. To this day I don't know the validity of that.

I have used Advair off and on for several years and I've never felt like I've gotten the same results as the previously mentioned combo. In the last two or three years I feel like it's done nothing. Additionally, in the last two to two and a half years, I've developed a low-level wheeze that is with me all the time 24/7. My albuterol does nothing for it. And -- it feels like I have a lump or something in the back of my throat. Some kind of constant obstruction.

The current theory of my ENT (my asthma doctor is worthless on this matter) is that I may have acid reflux. So now I am taking Prilosec OTC to see if, after a month or so, the low-level wheeze disappears.

Has anyone else with a history of asthma developed a constant, low-level wheeze that is unaffected by short term inhalers?

I was on Advair for 3 months. I had the following DAILY symptoms: throat constrictions/swelling, loss of voice, difficulty breathing/panic attack-ish reaction, and most recently heart palpitations followed by my heart skipping beats. I am now off of Advair for 5 days now. The first few days were rough - I got every symptom in full force. I am now taking Flovent 110 mcg. I am supposed to take it 2/day, but have started with only 1/day to see if my body will react to this lower dosage. I look forward to becoming healthy again - like I was prior to taking Advair.

Oh, and I went to 2-3 dr appts every week to try and uncover why I was having these terrible symptoms. All gave up on me. Including the asthma doctor that prescribed the medicine. Surprising that the entire GROUP of doctors did not know the side effects of Advair well enough to recognize them in me.

Maybe I'm not crazy after all. I'm a 55-year-old female who has been taking Advair for close to 5 years. I have adult onset asthma and was using Albuterol to control it until my allergist placed me on Advair. It does a great job on my asthma, but at what price? During that time I've gained weight regardless of my diet and exercise regimen. I feel like I haven't slept in years and I'm convinced that it will eventually kill me because that makes everything else so much more difficult to deal with. I'm having major hair loss, hoarseness (I really miss singing), heart palpitations, extreme fluctuating blood pressure, heartburn, lethargy, blurred vision, twitching muscles. I finally decided that I had to change something and I found this website last week. I quit Advair cold-turkey. Probably not the right thing to do, but I was really on the brink. It's been nearly a week and I'm having extreme dizziness, terrible vision problems and awful headaches, but I am persevering.

I am a 51 year old female who has been taking Advair 500/50 for a number of years now. About a year ago I got a severe sinus infection and have been battling recurring bouts ever since like clockwork. I've lost my sense of smell and my voice sounds like I am sick 24/7. The ENT I went to was absolutely clueless on asthma and allergy medications and their side effects. She told me my sinus problems were caused by my allergies. They may have caused the problem but I should be healthy enough to recover in a week or two not a year or two!!! I have NEVER have a sinus infection before taking Advair. I also now have been diagnoses with Osteopenia and a recent blood test showed elevated blood sugar and cholesterol. My GP says it is a side effect of Advair. I have also recently went thru a barage of tests because of an irregular heart beat and palpitations. I am a triathlete and marathon runner, eat a healthy balanced diet and work hard at trying to keep my weight in check. There is no doubt in my mind that Advair is the cause of these health problems.
I decided to come off Adbvair cold turkey. For about a week I felt exhausted (an understatement). I did experience a few episodes of tightness in my chest but using a puff or two of albuterol was all I needed. I take peak flow readings ever morning and actually had some of my highest readings in months, after stopping. Best part of all, I am starting to get my sense of smell back and have been without symptoms of sinusitus for the first time in over a year!!! My energy is coming back. But the big test will be when I start back training at full throttle.
When I was prescribed Advair the only thing I was told was to make sure that I rinse my mouth out after taking it. No reason and no education on the short and long term effects. This forum is AWESOME!!! This is the first site that I have encountered that gave me honest hard facts and information I can work with. THANKS TO ALL who have posted!!!

I am a 56 yo male. I have been using albuterol for many years, especially at night to be ale to sleep through the night. In April 2007, my doc put me on Advair 250/50. Immediately, I was able to sleep through the night without using the Albuterol. Unfortunately, I also started to have trouble speaking. When I would speak, words would be cut off in the middle. In August, my doc sent me to a throat specialist to see if their were any physical problems. He found nothing wrong, but confirmed that the speech apnea was a possible side affect of Adavair. I stopped using it in the fall, and I have been able to speak normally since then. I have also only had to use the Albuterol twice since then. At least the Advair got me off the nightly use of the Albuterol

OMG! This site is awesome! I honestly thought I was going crazy and something else was wrong with me! I quit smoking back in Dec 2007 and early Jan 2008 I was diagnosed with bronchitis. The bronchitis eventually got worse and at the end of Jan dr put me on steroid packs and an inhaler to assist me with the congestions. Early Feb I was diagnosed with Chronic bronchitis and was sent to a lung specialist. My lungs were only expanding 40% capacity due to the infection in my lungs so I was prescriped the inhaler, antibiotics, seven days of seroid and the Advair twice a day. I have now been using the Advair about three weeks and even though I feel a whole lot better my side effects are bad. I have a lot of congestion still, especially in the mornings, I cough almost all day long, I sleep maybe four or five hours a night (if that), my mood swings are aweful, I have a sharp pain under neath my left arm pit every once in a while, my rib cage hurts 24/7, I get headaches at least once a day, my nose is bleeding at least once a day and my hands tingle all the time. I did not realize that all these symptoms were side effects to the Advair dosage... 250/50???? OMG... I have to stop taking it. I've never had allergies or asthma up until the chronic bronchitis but if these are side-effects to the Advair I wonder if I was just not better off fighting the bronchitis through antibiotis only. I have not experianced weight gain though, and I am thankful for that as I do not need to gain any more weight. :-) Thank you all for sharing your comments as I now know that I might be just fine using allergy medicines and an inhaler from time to time instead of using Advair twice a day.

DANGEROUS LUNG INFECTIONS FOR CF