Advair Diskus and advair

I have been on Advair 100/50 for 3 years. I have dry mouth, dry eyes, dizziness, and night tremors. But all of this I can deal with since I can breath much better on the medication compared to off. I have COPD. I have not had any hair loss but did start gaining weight almost immediately after starting Advair. If I miss a dose, I know it within an hour or so. I wish it wasn't so expensive.

I also had a seizure from advair .In July of 2004 I was on my lunch break . I came home and decided I needed to take the Advair . Which I usually took twice a day . I took a puff and then I immediately felt dizzy fell over the counter and started shaking . I could hear my mother trying to yell my name in my right ear but i was unable to respond . It was the scariest moment of my life . She immediately called the doctor and I never took it again .

I've been on Advair 500/50 for about five years now. Nothing seemed to control my adult onset asthma before then. Singulair worked great but caused shin pain. I seem to tolerate the Advair well in most regards. About 3-4 years ago, I started having a productive cough. It is not all day long, but usually upon first rising and occasional bouts during the evening. I am also hoarse, but it could be due to other meds. I have had pulmonary workup which was great. I have recent cardiac workup, also great. Breathing is fine, better than ever. It is this cough that makes me sound worse than tv's Felix Unger. I am beginning to think it is caused by the Advair, as no other diagnosis is forthcoming.

I have been on Advair for about 8 months. The only side effect I am trying to confirm is form the Advair is an odd smell in my nasal cavity and my taste is off. At first I thought old favorites had changed their ingredients - tasted a bit like chicken broth. I tried a nasal wash and it smelled, too. When I eat hot items that make my nose run, the smell melts into my mouth and ruins the flavor. Is there a way to confirm this is an Advair issue? I brush my teeth and/or rinse after each use.

I have been on and off advair for the past few years and yes, it does seem to take the wheezes away....it was prescribed to me as a result of what was diagnosed as a GERD symptom altho I didn't feel breathless, just wheezy. The wheeze did go away, but I have also suffered hair loss, which my GP brushes off as menopause which does not make me happy. So having read all the preceding posts I think I shall ease off the Advair and see how I am without it (GERD seems better controlled with diet changes), and switch to Flovent I think it is...the old inhaled steroid. I did ask for that and was given the prescription. I didn't find these asthma like symptoms bad enough to warrant a strong drug like Advair - I think it would be fantastic for severe asthma that needs it. Wonder if the other inhaled steroids affect hair too? Just praying it all comes back! Nothing worse than getting old AND losing your hair as a woman!!! I see some regrowth so fingers crossed.

I've been on Advair for a little over 35 days. I started to notice a swelling or feeling of sores or loose skin in my mouth or lips. Then I started getting a pain and burning in both the nipples of my breast. I am going to stop taking it to see if both symptoms go away. Come Monday I'll call my doctor.

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS DRUG! IT"S LETHAL> I was on Advair 500/50 for 2years to control my severe asthma, which it did and for about 6months I felt great, but at what a price?....Chronic Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Teeth Breaking, Bone Density Issues, severe hair loss, most awful leg cramps, dizziness, shortness of breath, night sweats, anxiety and chest pains. I suspected that Advair was too blame, came across this site and it all just clicked!. I immediately quit Advair cold turkey in March this year. In May during my annual physical I had an abnormal EKG and a murmur was noticed (for the 1st time in 20years). My primary care physician of 25years was as baffled as I was,.I had a perfect EKG the year before. She referred me to a cardiologist and he did a battery of tests (EKG, echocardiogram and stress test with contrast).The echocardiogram came back as abnormal with mitral valve regurgitation and tricuspid valve regurgitation. Is it coincidental that some of the side effects triggered by Advair such as Chest Pain, dizziness, heart palpitations is also the common symptoms of heart valve issues? I don't know. I'm not a doctor, but my common sense tells me that this drug is the culprit.
Before taking this drug, I was a very healthy 40 year old. I could run 10miles a day, work 10hours a day and take care of 4year old. 3months ago before quitting Advair, I felt like a 83year old with advance heart failure. I'm finding my way back to almost feeling and looking my old self again minus less hair, broken teeth and a not so perfect ticker, courtesy of GSK and Advair.

HEllo.. I am a 47 year woman, whom started losing alot of hair all of a sudden... I had been losing, a few to 20, throughout a days brushing.> But the last few weeks a good chunk on and off for months.. I started advair last year.. Just got my 3rd refill... I been on albuterol for about 4 years.. My airways close severely..Allergies to foods, chemical, nature flowers and plants.. I also have Apnea sleep disorder which closes airways.. I take, singulair, albuterol, advair, naproxen, and flonase.. daily... I try to take the advair only if really needed.. BUt usually needed every day.. BUT I got the thought the more recent meds have to be the culprit..Not unusual to lose a 100 hairs a day by studies ! But clumps from same spot, all of a sudden! >YEa something not right ! So I started searching..Found so far nsaids such as the naproxen , and this advair both can make you lose your hair and then some ! I also get the itching for your life itch ! HEad to toe ! Dry, Told the doctor I use ever cream, lotion, gel, To Moisturize and it not help..
I been bloating on and off for years, with bowel trouble(IBS).. And nsaids also give constipation problems it seems , as advair has been said by users. BUt the last few years even more so.. I always excerscized..BUt bloat would make me not even appear as I exercise regular.. I have nerve problems all the time.. NEver had blood pressure... ALways read low if anything..NOW I am rating higher blood pressure when I go the dr.. I noticed in the last year My blood vessels show through my skin aLot ! That seemed weird to me ! Perhaps the meds? I been gettin more backaches than usual.. I always have them along in my life..BUT MOre prevailed Now in Lower back . My Eyes stay dry No matter what I do, Even feels like something in my eye, like a small bug or something... BUt never nothing there.. I get the ringing in the ears quite often now.. I think I will quit advair.. As for albuterol I do not know !? I do not know.>BUt Advair is the only meds I started recent.. And the clumps of hair been recent.>So I assume yes the advair !

THe person saying bad mouthing the advair or any med... that it is as prescribed only etc.. YOUR right ! Some people cannot take wat other persons can.> We take meds from a dr.. Not realizing we can have allergy reactions to the med, other people will not have ! PErhaps that it I have another chemical I cannot take in the advair, And perhaps the albuterol !

And another thing.>>The OZone harming chemical had been taken out the ALBUTEROL... they switched it to something else but calls it Albuterol still.. THat is what my Dr told me ! So if harmful to the Ozone, why not harmeful to humans. IT is about Sales to the medical fields more than HElping humans ! Money talks !

GOOD Luck.. and remember GOD is the 1st Physician.>HE cures still !

Thank you all for sharing your experiences of the side affects of Advair. I am 46 years-old and have been on Advair for almost 2 years. I've experienced hair loss, joint stiffness. I find myself taking Tylenol for body and back pains every night, and Bayer aspirin in the mornings. My feet are so sore. I've also had decrease in libido.. at first I thought I was going through menopause. I did not have all these problems before Advair. Look what most of us had to sacrifice just to be able to take in deep breaths without feeling like someone is standing on our chest. I will search for other alternatives. My grandmother used to make tea from lobelia leaves to help my uncle who suffered with asthma.
The drug industry is a business. Once we start taking any pharmaceutical drugs... we open ourselves to other health problems due to the side affects of those drugs.

I have had mild asthma for twenty some years but lately allergies made it worse and I was using my rescue inhaler every night. I went to the doctor and got Advair. My asthma cleared up right away but within a week I was having chest pains and pressure on my chest. My doctor diagnosed costochondritis, which is probably part of my problem. Still, I didn't feel right - bloated, jittery, coughing, dry mouth, constricted throat. I am prone to anxiety but in the past 24 hrs, I've had the worst panic attacks I've ever had in my life. I'm going off Advair. How long does it take for the effects to wear off?

I'm very happy to have found this forum! I've had asthma for 25 years now. I was given Advair 250/50 when my Dr. noted that I'd been using my rescue inhaler way too much, about 5-7 times/day. That was 5 years ago. My asthma symptoms were immediately improved. I could take a deep breath for the first time in a year, and after a couple months was almost completely off the Albuterol. However... the last few years (especially the last year) have been not so good. My friend finally put 2 and 2 together after I was complaining (yet again) of feeling run down and having another throat infection (the fourth this year). She told me to check the info for the meds I'm currently on, which led me here. My symptoms are as follows: about 2-3 years ago, I experienced the hair loss and mood swings (severe) and anxiety. Then I started getting recurring tonsil infection, laryngitis, joint pain and constant "rundown" feeling. I've had full blown Pneumonia twice in the last three years. I never had any of this before I started taking Advair. I constantly have some sort of low-grade infection. I was considering removing my tonsils (which was why I was complaining to my friend). Now, I'm trying to figure out if I should try to just quit cold turkey or gradually. I know my asthma symptoms will return, but at this point-which is worse? The problem or the "solution".

I have only been taking this drug for about 3 weeks and I could not explain at first but just knew things were off. I can not sleep, have terrible nightmares all night long, wake up at 4 if I do sleep. I am 53 and have long hair and my head itches all the time. I now fear hair loss as I have read in other complaints. My eyes are dry, I just feel off, majorly ! My back and legs ache all the time, especially when I first get up in the morning I can seriously barely move or bend down. I feel like I am 83 instead of 53. I have had no headaches but have had weight gain already, especially in my midsection. I feel off mentally all the time, not able to concentrate at all. I am calling my doctor on Monday and they have to give me something else. Has anyone else had these symptoms and what else can you take or do?

Dizziness, weight gain, muscle cramping, nightmares, nausea, bloating, water retention. My legs look like elephant legs they are so swollen. I have been on Advair for 3 mos and I have gained 9 lbs. I exercise 45 minutes a day and still gain weight. The blood pressure is up, the blood sugar is up, the hemoglobin is down and the GERD is not responding to the Protonix. It is exacerbating everything and I am going to request a change in meds. I am 53 and I do not want to go diabetic at this stage.

After being treated for COPD, first with prednisone (some years ago) and with Advair subsequently, I have suffered waves of extreme fatigue and panic attacks. I don't know if it was the original prednisone treatment or the use of Advair. The dosage was reduced last year from 500/50 to 250/50, but the waves of attacks continue. I cannot attribute the condition to anything else. I am not on any other medications except Duoneb. I do not have high-blood pressure. I have developed a pad of fat on my abdomen, but am otherwise slender. Considering that I eat very little, I am probably overweight inspite of my weighing only 120 pounds. Has anyone else suffered with my problems following the use of Advair (or prednisone)?.

I'm 46 and have been taking Advair for 7 years and I'm amazed at all of the side effects I've noticed of Advair that I've never had before. Asthma aside, I've always been healthy, moderately active and eat healthy yet noticed over the last couple of years I constantly feel like a puff ball from water retention and bloating - it's awful. My eyesight is worse, blurry and dry eyes. Constant muscle and joint pain, occasional dizziness and lightheadness, mood swings, just about everything . I've also noticed a decrease in libido and an increase in blood pressure. Does anyone have experience with a better replacement for it that I can discuss with my physician that does not cause any additional side effects from switching from Advair to a different long-term inhaler?

I must admit I am very surprised by all of the side effects of Advair. I have been taking Advair 250 for years and have NEVER had any problems. I'm 28, healthy, thin, and happy. I exercise several times a week. ALL drugs have side effects. I don't think it's fair for anyone to say "don't take Advair, it's a horrible drug" because it works for some of us. I was taking Flovent before but it didn't work for me. I needed a rescue inhaler several times a week. Since I've been taking Advair I don't even fill my prescription for my rescue inhaler! All drugs have side effects, but they don't effect all people!

Has anyone experienced anal fissures? Since Advair has mucus forming as one of it's side effects my husband and I were curious to see if anyone else was reporting weeping around the anus which is causing very painful skin irritation and a fissure. He also has terrible leg cramps while sleeping at night, hair loss, mouth sores, thrush in his throat. He has been on advair for over two years and we are now reading of all the same side effects that have been plaguing him for some time now. The anal fissure is difficult to discuss, but I did read of a mother below that wondered if her son's soiled underwear could be related. Does anyone else have this symptom?

My only problem with Advair, but believe me it was a doozy, was pain in my feet - on the bottoms of my feet. I mean, this pain was so terrible that when I woke up in the morning I could barely walk because the bottoms of my feet hurt that much. All day long I would have to put up with the pain. This went on for almost two years before I decided to quit the Advair. After I quit it the pain in my feet was completely gone within two months. The problem isn't the Flovent in the Advair. The problem is the Serevent in it. I know this because after quitting the Advair I still continued with a Flovent HFA inhaler for my asthma and the pain still went away.

i am 58 diagnosed with copd 2 years ago i was never sick and worked construction since 1969 but i did smoke 3 packs a day i thought my 30 lbs weight was from not smoking anymore im sure some is but not all of it i have been reading about the side effects other people have and i have more than i realized the worst besides the weight gain is the heart rate i recently was hospitalized for it if we are sick we need medicine but i don't know about this i have read about people who have stopped taking advair and then became worse when they had to go back it damed if you do and damed if you don't all i know is that i am retired and cant afford a $1000.00 hospital stay and now that i think about it i had two other 3 day stays in the hospital for lung infections and yes i get moody have headaches chest pains sore joints im on my way to getting old i don't think all those things are from age i think the advair has to go good luck

I was on Advair for less than a year and the Doctor's kept upping my dose. I went off of it for about 4 months last spring because of the weight gain issue. then I got sick with a respiratory infection last summer and Dr. put me on it again -- and I started immediately having jaw pain and terrible headaches. Went to dentist and found out my teeth were disintegrating (called resorption). I go to dentist every 6 months for cleaning and have xrays each year and never had a problem or cavities. Genetically both sides of my family have very strong teeth for their entire life (into their 90's). So I saw many dental specialists and surgeons and it was baffling to them. I'm 44 years old and now my teeth and jaw are a total mess. I've had my front teeth pulled and multiple bone grafts. The reconstruction process (if it works) will take more than a year and over $25,000 (not covered by insurance). And my Doctors still don't know if my other teeth now showing problems will also eventually fail as well.

And I didn't associate the Advair with the problem until I started to take Advair again (2 months after last jaw surgery) and almost immediately my mouth start gushing blood from where the bone grafts were healing. I stopped Advair again -- waited 2 weeks and took it again (just to make sure) and again severe bleeding occurred. I wrote the scientists that were testifying before the FDA's Advair Black Box hearing that this drug should be illegal. At 44 years old I am looking at the prospect of being disfigured for life, no less and issue is the enormous cost that it presents -- and who is going to hire someone with missing front teeth (it has destroyed my career as well).

Before I took Advair I never had joint pain, GI issues, much less teeth/jaw issues and now this is my reality everyday. I feel like I aged 20 years by taking Advair for 1 year. I also know that this damage is permanent and likely to continue to get worse despite having stopped the drug. I think GSK knows how dangerous this really is. I also think it stays in your body a lot longer than they say it does. We know it kills people and they admit it does. STAY AWAY FROM IT!

All Steroids are equally terrible -- stay away from Prednisone, Pulmicort, Nasonex -- they are all killers.

I started on Advair on January 14, 2008. Soon after that I developed
dermatitis on my legs which I was treated for and it went away.
Shortly thereafter, on occasion, my legs would itch so badly at times that I though I would have to SCRATCH!!!!!! FOREVER!!!!!!! Not a good situation. It is now a year later. I resorted to using a Psoriasis cream and with Benadryl , knock on wood, I have been two days without itching. Keeping my fingers crossed. The Advair has really helped with my asthma, but I'm wondering if
anyone has had this side effect?

I have been taking advair for years on and off. I was upped my dose to 250/50 and for the last year have struggled with feeling terrible. I didn't really think it was the advair for a long time. Thought it was something else and the doctors didn't find anything wrong, they were looking at hepatitis, thyroid, adrenal etc. But I feel sickly all the time, like I have the flu... those body aches all in my back and chest and I feel tired all of the time. My lungs sometimes hurt. I get dizzy spells as well and am struggling through my day. Has anyone experienced this on Advair? I have just decided to go off and use my inhaler... which I am trying not to use unless I am really wheezing. Trying to get all the steroid out of my body to see if that makes a difference. How long will it take before the advair is totally out of my system? I am so tired of feeling so tired and sick. Please if anyone has experienced I'd like to know I am not alone.

I would like to say something about advair that is POSITIVE. I have taken this drug, with NO SIDE EFFECTS for 5 years now and it has made a huge difference in my life.
I have had no isues with thrush (i rinse and spit) or weight gain or hair loss or coughs-

please don't condem a drug just based on your experience. reading through these comments I see a lot of times this has been prescribed fr folks who were not ashthmatic or with COPD. This drug is not for folks who don't have hyper reactive airways-but for those of us who do, it has been a lifesaver.

BTW I changed careers 2 years ago and entered the health field as a Respiratory therapist and adair has helped many many people. But its not a miracle drug-it has a specific purpose and if hat is not your problem, its not likely to be a good solution.

I'm a 56 year old male who has been taking 500/50 Advair since it came out - about 9 years ago or so. Having severe asthma since my mid-twenties, this medication has been the best for me than anything else, and has greatly limited my dependency on prednisone and has kept my general well-being fairly stable. I always try to cut back when I'm breathing better, but have never been able to skip more than one day before asthma symptoms begin to come back. So far, I have notice no side effects! Anyone know what's up with that?
Also, I've tried everything under the sun to naturally get away from all medications, but have never been even close to successful....but I'm still looking.

Well it is 5:02 am and thanks to Advair I am still wide awake.
So here goes my experience of taking only two (2) doses of advair.
In my part of the world there is this cold virus that everyone wants to pass on. Seems this monster will stay with you for 3-6 weeks and no meds seem to help. I now am going into my third week dealing with this leach. So today I went to see my doc. He took a listen to my lungs and said wow you really are sick.....dah I was thinking. So he gave me advair and suggested I take a dose right then. I did thinking boy I hope this helps. He then told me to take my second dose in the evening. After I returned home I go the shakes. I just chalked it up to not eating breakfast and went on about my day. I did eat, but I still wasn't feeling right and of course thinking it was the cold virus taking it tole on me. I was nearing 6:00 and I knew I had to be out the door by 6 to go coach my girls basketball team. So before I headed out the door I took my second dose of advair. When I arrived at the gym I was really shaking and my vision was a bit off. I had my son get me a candy bar thinking I just might need some sugar. Now I haven't had a candy bar in years, it is just not my thing, but I was desperate at this time. I told my son as he helps me coach that I wasn't feeling right and if you see me start to go down, you better catch me before I hit the floor..Finally I made it through the ballgame and got home. It wasn't long until I started getting these super sharp chest pains, a pounding headache, and then my arms started feeling numb....I am thinking oh no....I told my hubbie you better call 911, but before he made the call we started discussing the meds the doc gave me today. I had no information on advair, because it was a sample and the doc threw the information in the trash. I never though one thing about it he has been my doc for years. I go to my computer and look for information and side effects for this drug and bingo it described all my symptoms right on the nose. In my reading also I found the FDA voted down the recall on this drug 12-0.
Anyway I voted to stay home, stay awake, sit by the phone, and let the family sleep. After reading the side effects I knew what was going on and in reading also the doctors do not have a magic pill to help, but they can give you a handful of pills to help each of your symptoms and oh boy just what I need more drugs with more side effects.
As I await for all the alarms to go off I still have a slight headache, still a little shaking, the muscles in my arms and legs are still a bit numb, and I still have some chest pain. I will go see another doctor today just for piece of mind or the kids will drag me there anyway.
Now, you have my story of what advair did to me in just one day. I wonder how many others it has effected and how many had to spend hundreds of dollars to find the answer...

I must go now and thanks for reading my story and also I hope everyone is doing well after your experience with advair.....

i've been taking the 100/50 advair for years now. i have only ever taken one dose a day, frankly out of cheapness. i was unwilling to take anything that expensive twice a day! in the beginning of my asthma experience, i was also put on singulair but again, when i filled the prescription and saw how much it cost, i never refilled it (boy, am i grateful for that after reading what people have posted about it!)
i cough up lots of yellow glom from my lungs and i blow similar stuff from my nose. a CT scan showed my sinuses to be completely blocked with polyps and the doctors said that if i had the surgery, i could get off advair.
in dec of 2006, i had the surgery but within weeks of going without advair, my lungs were tight again and i couldn't breathe and had to do a week of prednisone to open things up. back to advair for maintenance, but this time the surgeon added 2 nasal sprays (veramyst & astelin) and other inhalers (ventolin & maxair), plus wanted me to go to an allergy doctor for immunology injections.
the surgeon also told me that polyps could grow back in a month after surgery! wish he had told me this before the surgery. i certainly knew that they could grow back but i figured i'd have a good 20 years! now i'm told that i need these 4 other medications, plus advair, plus allergy shots to keep my polyps from growing back!
i still have no sense of smell, i still sniff, cough up glom and have constant sinus infection, just like i did before having a $25,000 operation!
however, i don't take the other medication- just the advair once a day or once every other day.
i never thought i had any side effects until i started reading here. happily i have not gained weight. but a few years ago, i did notice a lot more hair in the shower drain. and my voice is often hoarse. i didn't connect this to advair use until i read people's complaints here.
i am determined to get off this crap!
i have a resistance pump to exercise my lungs and strengthen their capacity.
also trying a dry salt inhaler and various supplements.
this is a great site. we need to get all our complaints to the FDA- they have to stop allowing drug companies to profit while using us as unsuspecting guinea pigs

After reading all the side effects from Advair. I am glad I decided to wean myself off this horrible drug. My pulmonologist gave me a sample after I was diagnosed with asthma in March. Before I was diagnosed with asthma I had a severe bout of bronchitis followed by pneumonia. At first I felt much better using Advair, but then the horror kicked in. I experienced hoarseness and felt like I had an obstruction in my throat. I am not going into all of the side effects I experienced with this drug because it is a repeat of what people are saying on this website.

I stopped taking it two weeks ago. I am already noticing how much better I feel. The withdrawal has been difficult. I have no intention of taking this drug again. I plan on using alternative medicine in the future.

This drug must be taken off the market!!!!

I am a 58 year old women.I have been on advair for three years. I have gained a few pounds and have bone loss in my left jaw. Resulting from taking advair. Went to see my family doctor about the bone loss. He has taken me off of advair. A lot of pain due to taking advair. Possible surgery in future. I think advair should be taken off the market due to so many side affects.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.