Advair HFA side effects

I have been on Advair for about 5 months. It really controls my asthma symptoms well- I had wheezing with exercise and now can run without wheezing. However, I am losing my voice. I feel like I have to strain to speak and this leaves me out of breath, which is a problem since I teach 3rd grade for a living! I also have a chronically sore throat and a white coating on my tongue and throat, despite rinsing my mouth and brushing my tongue after using the Diskus. I am torn about what to do because I hate the asthma symptoms I had but I hate these side effects just as much!

Wow!!! I can't believe it! I just found this site. I've actually been on Advair 500/50 for years now, about 7 years at least. Just as a bit of a background, I'm 24 years old, used to be extremely active, played water polo, was on the swim team, and was just overall very active in high school. I've had severe chronic asthma since I was 8 years old, so in order to help me stabilize my asthma, my critical care pulmonologist put me on Advair. It was a "miracle drug"! However, while my asthma was under control, I was experiencing all these other symptoms that everyone else has been talking about.
Anyway, to make things worse, I just talked to my (new) doctor and she told me that the Advair makes it so that some organ (I'm sorry, I don't remember the name) actually stops producing prednisone (or the same stuff that your body naturally produces itself to keep your lungs working correctly) if on it for long enough. It makes sense because for the first few years it was prescribed to me, I really only filled the prescription as I was getting sick as a backup, but other then that I was generally under control. For the last I'd say about a year, I've been consistent and used it regularly as the doctor actually prescribed, every day, twice a day, whether I was sick or not. Now, I can't go even a week without it, otherwise I'm in the hospital.
During the last year or so that I've been consistent with taking the medication, I've had major depression, gained 45 lbs, fatigue, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, heartburn, leg pains, sore throat, sinus infections (we just finally decided I was just allergic to our animals and I've been on decongestants for pretty much the whole year, doing sinus flushes, etc and I'm still all stuffy!), unexplained bruising, crazy mood swings, muscle pains, headaches, heartburn, etc. I thought I was just completely crazy, I kept believing it was all in my head!!!
I'm going to my doctor today and asking her to prescribe me something else. The funny thing was, I was just on my way to the hospital b/c my doctor's been treating me for the last 3 weeks for vertigo accompanied by the heart palpitations and the nausea, she finally is giving up and is sending me to the emergency room. I figured before I went that route, I'd look into it myself. Go figure!

Okay so I'm going to say something good about Advair HFA. I have been on it for 6 months. And, yes, in the beginning I had leg cramps, heart palps, slight depression and hoarse throat. Early in my treatment my doctor dropped my dose down to 1/2 of what I was taking. Suddenly those mentioned side effects went away and the only thing I find slightly annoying now is the hoarseness of my voice and some increased post nasal drip...but all I do is pop a few guaifenesin mucous thinning pills and up my water intake and that goes right away. I think it's important to realize that inhaler technique is VERY important in decreasing the amount of side effects one can expect to have or not have. I have found that if my technique is good every time, I am able to get by on less medicine - meaning less side effects. Still 12 hour dosing and proper sleep, nutrition, and stress management are in order. For me this is the best thing out there....and I have tried everything! Not EVERYBODY will have a bad reaction to a medication. Thumbs up to the makers of Advair HFA!

Good day.

Boy can I relate to all of you. I have chronic bronchitis I think and adult onset asthma or is this lining of symptoms the side effects of advair. I live on albuterol as I keep thinking the advair is not working but keep taking ti 2 times a day. I have more breathing problems, the heartburn is a killer and now on Nexium for that.. My throat feels like it is closing up and the mucous stuck in my throat is a killer PLUS all the crap draining from my sinuses. This is all been going on sicne I started taking Advair. I found your site as I was looking to see if Advair was causing my visual problems. Yup, I think it is. This drug needs more warning posted all over it. I am off the damn med as of right now. Down the trash it goes.

First of all let me state that I stopped Advair (or Seretide 125 here in the UK) before I was aware of a plethora of potential side-effects.

I've had asthma for 4 years (male 39) and I started just over two years ago when I had a chest infection. Two days later I developed quite a bad pneumonia and ended up in hospital. Thankfully it cleared OK and I got out quickly enough. After that I continued with it. Around late summer last year I noticed my libido dropping off, bad sleep patterns (really tired at 10pm yet waking up at 2am and unable to sleep again), depressive episodes, mood swings and mental fogginess especially in the afternoon. Blood tests showed borderline low testosterone levels and I was referred to an endocrinologist early in 2009. A few tests later and I was no further forward but I started to suspect my adrenal function was poor. An ATCH stimulation test was done but it was "normal". I then had a tremendously bad depressive episode and went to the doctors. He offered me prozac until we got to the bottom of the issue but I declined as I suspect it would make things worse. I then started to analyze what had changed in my life and the only thing that had the potential was the Seretide. I then changed back to Clenil (beclomethasone) and the difference was like day and night. My sleep patterns immediately restored themselves and my mental state went back to normal. I also run up to 50 miles per week and suffered occasional cramps - I could even cramp at will by placing my lower leg in a particular place! Needless to say this has gone too. I now have another blood test next week and it'll be very interesting to see where my T levels are now.

I suspect that Advair/Seretide causes adrenal issues in susceptible people. Once your adrenals are out of whack then your thyroid and other hormonal systems start to get affected.

I was started on Advair HFA about 35 days ago. A little background about me is that I'm 35 years old, in good physical shape. I'm a competitive cyclists doing road races anywhere from 45-100 miles, I work out 2-4 hours everyday. I've had lifelong chronic asthma, but have fought the disease with my healthy lifestyle. I also play the saxophone.

Since I've been on Advair I've developed a constant sore throat. Been coughing up stuff constantly when I'm out training on my bike. Can't seem to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. The worst side affect has been the leg cramps which are killing my training for up coming races. I have constant leg cramps that force me to get out of bed over and over to work them out. My energy levels have dropped to the point that I can't do even half a workout without being totally wiped out. This is coming from a guy that averages 60miles a day on the bike, the other day I couldn't even do 15 miles and had to stop from the constant cramps and tiredness. This stuff is a nightmare. I've gone back to using nothing but my albuterol inhaler. I'll continue to do lung exercises 4 times a day and completely clean up my diet and basically get this stuff out of my system. Let this be a warning that you can't get something positive without something negative as well.

I've been on this med for 6 years. It was not until I started reading this site that I figured out that my problems might be related to Advair use. I've had sore joints/muscles for years. Terrible insomnia, in fact my doctor has me on prescription sleeping pills, but I still can't sleep. I've gained 50 lbs in five years. My eyes bother me continuously. I feel depressed for no good reason. The bottoms of my feel are so sore in the morning that I can hardly walk. I can't exercise - just too tired. (and I used to all the time).

I've recently quit taking advair - cold turkey, but I'm not sure if that's wise. It's been two weeks and today is the first day that I haven't felt very well. I'm wondering how long the body stores this stuff and if I should have weaned off more slowly.

Thanks for all your comments and for this site. What a blessing!

I was on Advair for a few months back in about 2005. I was taking it for asthma. I noticed after about a month of using it that I would have these severe asthma attacks if I came in contact with an irritant. Instead of minor coughing if I was near someone smoking my lungs would practically slam shut and I could not get any air. These were far more reactive and severe than I have had on any other meds or none at all. I stopped taking it, switched back to Flovent and the problem went away. A few months later the FDA announced the black box warning for Advair and that this was a possible severe side effect. They need to be more up front with patients about this risk so they can decide if it is worth using, I wasn't given that option.

I am so glad I found this site. I am sitting here with heart flutters that I have occasionally. I have had asthma since childhood and was placed on Advair about 10 years ago because it controlled my asthma much better. I have not felt normal since. I am 42 years old and I have experienced most the the symptoms described. I thought I was going through per-menopause, but that was not the case. I am so glad i found this site. I would have never link my leg cramps, migraines, hair thinning, fatigue, unexplainable bruising, forgetfulness and moodiness to ADVAIR! I am going off this stuff and back to my rescue inhaler. Thanks everyone!

I have been on advair for 2 years and am starting to experience headaches that last the entire day. It helps with my breathing difficulties and I am unsure if I can just stop taking the medication. Its really difficult for me right now and I'm starting to feel depressed about it. I'm not sure how I'll get through this.

I'm so glad I found this! I thought I was going mad for a while there. Background: I'm a 34 yr old female. Diagnosed w/ asthma at 12, but they suspect I had it before that. Used only Ventolin for a long time. Five years ago, right around the time I had my second child, my symptoms (and allergies) seemed to get much worse. We moved around that time, to a house with a HUGE Chinese elm in the backyard (which I now know I'm allergic to) and right next to a main freeway. Around this time, Dr. prescribed Advair 250/50 when he realized I was using Ventolin up to 6 & 7 times/ day. The first year, I actually felt so much better (I could BREATHE!!) that I think I wouldn't have noticed any side affects. Year two I had MAJOR hair thinning. Dr said "age and hormones". Following 3 years on it: Almost constant nasal congestion (despite always being on a decongestant), sinus infection, tonsil infections, laryngitis, TWO bouts of pneumonia in 3 years. Around the year mark on it, I did experience the depression and anxiety, however, I had had the "baby blues" with my first child and just thought it was a more severe version of that. Now, I feel CONSTANTLY "run down" and almost always have some low-grade infection (yeast, UTI, sinus, bronchitis...etc.), am always hoarse and am just waiting for another round of pneumonia. I also get dizzy A LOT. I am in the second day of a cold turkey quit and am looking for alternative diet/exercise therapies. Good Luck to everyone!

My son is 8 years old he has been taking Advair for about 3 years and he has leg pain all the time some times he gets up at night wanting something for the pain its so bad we have been to doctors and all kinds of stuff now they are sending us to childrens hospital to see a doctor for joint pain.they sent us to childrens hospital before my son was rolling his eyes and blinking a lot for about 2 and half years the doctors said he has tourettes and he doesn't thats another story (stupid doctors some of them) we
thought he may have a nervous problem or something because his dad works out of state and he misses him and maybe its
anxiety or something.And at night he
would grind his teeth so bad I thought he was going to brake one of them. And when I don't give him the advair at all that day he sleeps so good no teeth grinding , no waking up with leg pain no moving all over. My son is all most 9 and everyone things he is 5 I really think this stuff has did a number on my child I am going today to the Doctors again and telling them I don't want him on ADVAIR no more! MY son and my family has suffered to much over this stuff!

i started taking advair 250/50 about 5 days...........I started getting chest pains.............I was scared.........having 2 small children at home and having chest pains was difficult for me..................I am throwing it away in the garbage...........please don;t take this medicine...................

please don't take this medicine.............I started taking advair for 4 days and start getting chest pains.........................I am going to stop this medicine it is not worth it.............I was scared using this medicine.........I have 2 small children at home when I started getting chest pains it was a difficult time for me............I am throwing it away...................

I am a part-time professional singer and attorney. I developed an odd cough-variant asthma this winter at age 42 -- it had scary breath shortness and wheezing plus lots of phlegm coughed up. I had never before had the shortness/wheezing/asthma, though I have always had allergies and occasional bronchitis following a cold. The asthma/allergy specialists put me on Advair 500 twice a day with each attack, plus an oral prednisone burst/short taper, nebulized (not just rescue inhaler) albuterol (beta 2 agonist), and antibiotics (a different one each time). I also take Claritin, Rhinocort and Astelin for my allergies. I had four attacks of asthma this winter that were treated this way; after the fourth, they put me on Advair 250 maintenance for a month. With each attack, I would get hoarse, have trouble sleeping, and get odd muscle cramps I never had had. The hoarseness was worse each time, but I was able to sing through it at my regular gigs. I attributed the side effects to the prednisone. With my fifth attack, they told me to ramp up the Advair to 500 and do all else the same, but as an experiment to see how this would alter those side effects, I decided to treat it with everything but the prednisone. The hoarseness, sleep trouble, and muscle cramps were all much worse. I found this site, noted the recommendation of several other singers to try Asmanex instead of Advair, and asked the docs about it. They agreed that all these symptoms could be related to the Advair and gave me Asmanex 250 twice/day instead instead of the Advair, plus all the other meds for the attack. The symptoms went away within a week, although it took a little longer for me to get over the asthma attack this time. I am extremely grateful to this site and all the users posting comments. I can sing again, sleep again, and exist without weird muscle cramps during treatment of my asthma. Thank you very much.

Im so glad I found this site. I thought I'm going crazy. I have been using Advair for 2 years now, and started taking it 2 times a day 3 months ago. I experienced severe depression, frequent dental visits due to loss of bone (im 39, thats far too early and I never had problems like that before).

I am 56 years old and was on Advair for about a month and found that I was having night time leg cramps. I have always had occasional problems with night time leg cramps, but the Advair was causing cramps every night. Many nights I was having several episodes which would cause me to get out of bed and walk off the cramp. One night I counted about six times that I got up with very painful cramps. So I stopped the Advair and now I am sleeping again. I think it will take a while before I feel rested again. I am so tired from this whole experience. Leg cramps are not listed as a major side effect for Advair, but it should be. These leg cramps were agonizingly painful.

Hey all. I have had asthmatic bronchitis for about 6 weeks now and I have never had asthma or bronchitis before. It started off as a normal flu for 3 days with fever. Then when the flu went away, I started having trouble breathing and shortness of breath. I never had that before. The doctor told me it was bronchitis. All tests were fine. I was taking azithromycin (took 3 paks of them) and that was the only thing that made me feel normal, but it did not get rid of the infection. Then I was placed on cipro and steroids. Now I'm not on any antibiotics. I'm taking steroids and just started the advair inhaler. I was having asthma attacks and everything. Very scary. I was just wondering how long it took you to get over it and what you did to get over it. I have been to so many doctors and had so many tests done. It's affecting my life. I won't leave the house due to fear of having another asthma attack. I just hope I feel normal again soon, please.

Hi All, I am here for the first time in desperation trying to ascertain if my problems are Advair related. I have been on it for over 20 years (started as a study patient). I probably would be dead if it hadn't come along - seriously - and I had been on prednisone a lot. But, to add a voice to what others are saying, I can't sleep, and always wake with the most terrible headache, along with other general aches and fatigue. I was coping so so until I was rear-ended and developed some neck issues. Now I live with never ending headaches and fatigue and a tendency towards depression. Pain killers and sleeping pills get me through the winter months and then in the summer with lots of activity outside I rebound so that I can go through another yearly slide downward. What is really a killer is that I can't get going in the early mornings and have been hassled by my employer who has determined by a psychologist that I am a malingerer because there is little proof of physical illness! If I didn't have a history of having been, and still being, a very hardworking and persistent individual I would think I was going nuts (I'm 60). If anyone has a similar story, please comment further. Thanks

I just started it yesterday, 3 doses of Advair discus in combo with methylprednisolone to treat this "post viral asthma".
Every time I take these meds, i experience tightness in my chest, difficulty breathing and a constant tickle in my throat leading me to cough a lot sometimes so much that i almost vomit.

Cannot handle this anymore. Need advice. Thank you

thank gosh I found this website. I seriously was thinking I was losing my mind! I have been on Advair for 3 days...and I'm not kidding I have barely slept ten hours in those 3 days. I can't sleep...I shake so bad I can barely type this and my heart is beating out of my chest.

I called my doctor...he claimed it was not a "normal" reaction and suggests I stop drinking caffeine. I've been a caffeine addict for years and have never had this reaction. I'm so frustrated because I have bad asthma, and it's only controlled when I'm on medication, but this is ridiculous. I'm sure it works wonders for some people, but for me...I think I'm stopping it ASAP.

I was on singulair before this and had sort of the same reaction. I was also on another medication that made my asthma worse...so I'm beginning to think there is no hope out there.

I was given Advair by the doctor's office they started it there at about 1:00 PM in the afternoon and I started have chest pain, coughing, wheezing etc. by 6:00 PM at night. I was not even given a rescue inhaler. They "think" I may have asthma again but I have not been on an inhaler for years. I am not getting enough oxygen in my blood, especially during the night. Needless to say, I quit taking it and called the doctor's office the next morning. It has taken 12 days for the nurse to get back to me. She said the doctor recommended that I start taking it again but did not offer any rescue inhaler. I told her that I live in a remote location, no street signs even and that my nearest neighbor is on vacation. We all have 20+ acres each so no one is close and I am alone. She brushed aside my comments and said of course, it was up to me if I wanted to continue it. After reading many of these comments, I am not sure I want to even try it again.

I have taken Advair 250/50 for approximately 7 years. It was a life saver for me. My asthma was out of control. I slept with my albuterol inhaler in my hand at night. Advair was the wonder drug. It worked when nothing else did. I had bouts of depression and weight gain over the years, but nothing really major. I ran out of Advair a few days ago and just hadn't had the chance to get a refill.I had been experiencing daily headaches, and an inability to sleep at night. I felt lethargic and beginning to feel a little depressed. I contributed it to the lack of sleep, but wasn't really sure why I wasn't sleeping. Today while sitting in class (I am a Nursing Student & will graduate in December 2009), I got a horrible cramp in my left leg, then my left arm went numb. I got a little light-headed and my head was busting! My heart rate felt fast, so I had my instructor take my Blood Pressure. It was 164/105. Now my B/P has NEVER been anywhere near this. I went to the ER, had labs done (all normal) and an EKG (perfect). After about 4 hours my B/P went back to 117/78, normal for me. The Dr. had no explanation for what happened or why. My husband came home, got online and found several forums addressing these same symptoms. I have made a decision to talk with my doctor about alternative treatment.

My mother has been experiencing visual disturbances, seeing people that she knows are not there. We have tracked this back to where, these disturbances began soon after she began taking Advair twice daily. This has been very difficult for the family and her to deal with, until we figured this out last evening. She is not taking one more dose of ADvair~~!

I have experienced the muscle/joint aches (thought I was getting arthritis) and blurred vision, but never thought Advair to blame till now.
Had blood test and discovered my sugar level is way too high and now they're worried about diabetes! I see on the side effects that Advair can effect blood sugar levels. Anyone else have this problem?
I should add that I am not a normal diabetes candidate - no family history and I've been thin all my life.

So I never sleep I now I am short tempered but Its way worse... Even when I have a few beerz I cant sleep more than a few hours I am on like day 26 of my first 30 day dose and I was haven leg cramps but I thought it was lack of
potassium so I take it in a pill. the charle horses would be so bad I would wake up screaming and unable to walk for a while.... I never associated with advair... I went to bed at 11 and I been up since 2 I cant sleep and my throat hurts too ,,, so i was like i should look up some side effects on this stuff.. low and behold... i am miserable and i just got a refill

I've been taking Advair for about 14months months, first 100/50 and then 250/50 to control my asthma and chronic bronchitis. During the past year I have actually lost 10lbs but over the past six months have experienced increasing symptoms/possible side effects from Advair: chest pains, leg pains/cramps, neasua, dizziness, acid reflux, trouble sleeping, memory issues and extreme muscle weakness. The leg cramps I've been able to control by taking vitamins and enzymes but the chest pains is worrying me. I was searching for possible answers to the mysterious chest pains and thought that Advair may be the culprit. Hence my entering this site. I'm going to chuck mine in the trashcan and go cold turkey Hopefully my symptoms will subside overtime and nothing damaged permanently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

two years ago I had the pneumonia vaccine. Less than a year ago, I had a cold. .. and while taking Advil, my cold quickly turned into pneumonia and I had to go through two different antibiotics to get rid of it and this ended up going on for about 2 months to get free from it all. A real mess! By then I came off Advair as I thought it might be related to the reason I got Pneumonia!

A year later, I have a cough --getting over a cold - and my primary care doctor wants to put me back on Advair again. To be honest, I don't want to touch the stuff. I'm very sensitive to drugs. If they give me pain killers at the E.R., I am a "sinker". I know my doctor is trying to do the best, but I'm really hesitant about it! I think my cough will get better on its own..with my inhalers.. atrovent, etc. although it's constant. But I have a suspicion that Advair could have been a part of the reason I got pneumonia. Any ideas on any other help?

I started taking Advair a few years ago because my doctor suggested it. I noticed after taking for a bit and then stiopping, I would get ill and have bronchitis. After a few episodes of this, I started taking it regularly. I was supposed to be taking it 2x a day but only took it at night. After about a few months of regualry taking it at night, I forgot to take it one evening and woke up in the middle of the night with the worst attack ever. I started testing this with on and off uses of the advair to see what the relationship was and one for one, if I did not take the medication, I had an attack. I believe that the regular use of Advair caused my body to become dependant on it. I wish I had never taken it in the first place. I am now having asthma attacks 1 to 2 times a day and before Advair, once every 3 months or so.

I am 66 yrs and have been on Advair 150 for several years. I have experienced leg camping and some PVC's but a year ago I had routine blood work and it was so abnormal that the doctor's have checked me for every kind of cancer you can think of and every thing is ok, however, I am still under doctor's care for this. Recently I thought it might be the advair and wonder if any one else has had the problem

I am a 44 year old male. I was on Advair for 7 years. I had Cataract surgery at 42 in both eyes. I was just diagnosed with Osteoporosis in my lumbar spine and osteopenia in my legs. Has anyone has these side effects? And has anyone been able to prove a link to Advair and these side effects? Please email me at ****** and thank you in advance.

I was diagnosed with Valley Fever right out of high school. I was always very active in high school and in competitive cheer. I was in amazing shape and great lung strength. After have Valley Fever everything changed dramatically and still do this day I cannot breath right and am totally out of breath doing the smallest things. I was eventually diagnosed with COPD and was instructed to take advair 2x a day. I have never felt worse in my life. I get all shaky, my heart races, anxiety, I am out of breath and feel sometimes that I am going to pass out. I am an avid snowboarder and last week on our yearly snowboard trip in Colorado I started feeling shaky and passed out on the mountain shortly after taking advair. I do not recommend this to anyone. I would rather have a nasty cough than to feel totally out of control of my body.

I was diagnosed with asthma as a child. In late teens it seemed to not be problem, however after 50, I started developing symptoms of asthma again as evidenced from COPD tests. I am currently using Advair 250/50 since 55 yo.

One symptom, that I have not seen addressed here is that of "slow healing" after injuries. I injured my back awhile ago, and it seemed like 2 years before most of my symptoms were gone. To this day I still feel lingering effects. Then I scraped my shinbone. It seemed like it took forever to heal, and now there is an ugly red/purple scar where the minor scrape was.

I had never taken so long to heal before, and read that this was a problem with taking Advair. I never figured my asthma was that serious in the first place, so I simply cut back on the Advair to once/day or less as it seems still to keep my breathing OK. Sometimes, after a few days of not taking Advair, I feel some minor difficulty with breathing.

Now that I am 63, and so concerned about "slow healing", which I attribute to Advair, I have asked my Dr. to perhaps take me off Advair and simply take Albuterol when needed. Then I read that Asthma patients should only use Albuterol if that is sufficient to control symptoms and to advance to Advair to control more severe symptoms. Another article says that Albuterol does not heal Asthma, only assists with sudden onset of breathing difficulties and that I may still damage my lungs if I do not take Advair.

I remain at a loss as to what is best: Taking Albuterol when needed (perhaps a few to several times/week) or as I was doing before, contrary to recommended dosage, of 1-2 times/day. Fortunately my Dr. goes along with my changes, but tells me if symptoms get worse, she will put me on Advair 2X's/Day (which I probably will ignore dosage because of healing side effects, and use once/day or less).

I will report back later after trying Albuterol for time without the use of Advair at all.

Wow to the 10 year old story above. I'm on here because my 10 year old started Advair back in Sept for a nagging nighttime cough, asthma associated. Then his grades started to tank. He has aced his SOL's in math/science, but, this year has a D in Math! Today when we met with his teacher and found out he had been 'daydreaming' and seemingly 'asleep' in class, thanks teach for letting us know before now, we finally put it together, the new med. So, he has complained about being tired and having some sleepless nights. We put our kids to bed at 8:30pm and we don't run them to death with sports, etc. We couldn't figure it out. But, I can tell you, beginning tonight, no more Advair for him. We'll see by next week if this was the problem. Scary that this isn't rated as a 'side effect' of the med.

I was having problems taking a deep breath. I have had light asthma since i was a kid, very controllable. In late Nov. or early Dec., it was suggested I take Advair. I was already having lower back difficulties. The middle of Dec. I began experiencing muscle pain in my arms, chest and back. I have had little to no appetite and have been nauseous to the point of gagging. I began thinking that it was hard to swallow and I actually at times thought that my voice sounded weird, guess what that is a side effect also. I have had irregular heart beating, high blood pressure. This all lead to anxiety and depression. I also felt like my insides were extremely shaky. I can tell you this I WILL NEVER TAKE ADVAIR AGAIN!!! I can't wait for it to completely get out of my body.
by: KMA

A few years ago, my doctor prescribed advair to better control my asthma. After a few days, I had an almost fatal reaction to the medication. I woke up feeling fine, took a shower, and got ready for work. I took a puff from the advair discus and immediately felt my throat closing. I started gasping for air and took my rescue inhaler which didn't work at all. The nebulizer didn't work either. Within minutes I collapsed and became unconscious.Luckily, my son was late for work that day so he called 911 and gave me mouth to mouth resuscitation until the paramedics arrived. My blood pressure dropped to 60/30 and I had to be intubated for the first time. I remained unconscious until I reached the hospital. The doctor said the only reason I survived was because my son saved me. If I had been alone that day I'm sure everyone would have assumed that I died from an asthma attack. I wonder how many other people that happened to. Since then, I have been very careful about taking new medications.

I am 34 years old and was prescribed Advair about two years ago. I have had minor asthma issues over the years but nothing major. So the doctor gave me an inhaler. Then one winter I get sick and started going through the inhaler in about a month, so he prescribed Advair.
To back up I had lower back surgery for a bulged disc. So I had a lot of pain and was taking vicodin. Six months after surgery my back started feeling better than it had for a long time. I was able to exercise and get by with one vicodin in the morning. This went on for about a year. The pain was stable for the most part, but would increase every now and then.
Now enters the Advair. When I first started taking it I felt a little weird but it made my breathing a lot better. After a little while I would forget to take it or just feel like I didn't need it. But I could not stop taking it because my breathing got to bad without it. Over time my pain was getting worse and worse. I ended up being put on time release morphine because we thought the back pain was increasing. Then after being on morphine it seemed like I was always sick. I have been to the hospital twice for breathing and lung infections. I thought my back pain was turning into sciatica!!!! All along it is this F@#$ ADVAIR!!!! I have had a super short temper,daily head ache's,depression, HORRIBLE PAIN in my legs and back. I am so glad I found this site. ADVAIR IS EVIL!!!!! I have stopped taking it for two days now. I really need help from anyone who has info about quitting it. PLEASE CONTACT ME. Thanks : )

I have been taking the advair diskus 100/50 for two years, and I also thought it was my miracle drug. I can breath great , and only take my inhaler a lot less. I also have hoarseness, due to the advair, but recently was told by my doctor I have a mild heart murmur. I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do, maybe talk with them on what else I could take instead of Advair. It's hard only because my breathing has been so good, but my heart is also very important. I have not had any leg problems, I have had some problems sleeping, not to bad.

I have been taking Advair/250 for just about 1 month now. I was prescribed 2x a day but have only been taking it once a day in the AM. It has controlled my seasonal asthma very well but .... leg cramps, head aches (which I never got before), short temper,some trouble sleeping. i think I will stop and rely on my albuterol. I am happy I found this site!!!

I have used Advair for just two days and every muscle in my body has developed weakness and pain, so I stopped and will seek another drug for my newly diagnosed bronchial COPD

I have been on Advair 2X a day for 2 weeks with a history of migraines. The last 3 days I have had 3 separate migraines with preceding scotomas- the third migraine headache on the third day- was the worst ever and didn't respond to migraine medicine. My husband figured out it was the Advair and I stopped the medication. For those with a history of migraines- don't take Advair as run the risk of severe migraine headaches.

Hi - I was on advair for a couple of weeks after a horrible bout of asthmatic bronchitis. I now have this constant pressure under my rib cage that will not go away. I was wondering if any one else has experienced this while on or after stopping advair. Thanks and happy holidays!

I have been on Advair since Feb. of this year, I have had a lot of these side effects but didn't really realize it was from this med. At first I was told to take it 2x a day, reading the directions it says it has to be 12 hours exactly apart. My work schedule didn't allow that so I just took it 1x....Working 2 jobs I just thought when I couldn't sleep and was always tired, it was from working a lot. When I told the Dr. about not being able to sleep more than 4 hours, I was told since I was taking the meds 1x a day that wasn't it. After a bad cold and bronchitis I was told I had to take the Advair 2x a day, now i'm more tired than ever, still can't sleep and have a headache that won't go away even with migraine medicine. I'm even jittery and forgetful--kinda ditsy now and itchy off and on all day...After reading this blog site I see its not in my mind and i'm going to stop taking this med. I think i'm going to the health food store and find something natural.

Advair made me tired, so tired, I felt like the simplest chore was exhausting. I was told by the pulmonologist that of course the fatigue was unrelated to the medication. Personally, I think the doctors push the meds that they get perks from the pharmacy companies. They may get good results from 75% of their patients but be darned the 25% that may be sensitive to the meds, Modern medicine?

I have used Advair 250 for a few years now and have noticed a few of the same symptoms as the other posters, but my main concern is whenever I go off the drug for too long my asthma gets drastically worse. I have become extremely dependent on this expensive drug that I can barely afford and I fear it is just weakening my health while only mildly suppressing my asthma. I feel stuck with this drug now. I feel like a slave to it. It's an awful feeling.

I just wanted to comment to all of you asthma sufferers. I grew up with bronchitis and my brother with asthma. We were always getting sick while young, about every 6 weeks. My nephew inherited asthma from my brother, and he had it very bad, was always getting sick, needing oxygen, etc. While in his teens, someone told him to start playing an instrument like the trumpet or trombone which really exercises your lungs. He started taking lessons in school and it didn't take very long at all to notice a remarkable difference. His other siblings would even get sick and he wouldn't! The exercise, being natural, is a far better and healthy prevention, and makes your lungs stronger. I can't believe doctors don't spread this amazingly helpful advice around. I'm VERY sure they must have heard this before. Wouldn't news like that spread like wildfire through the medical community? But they would probably lose some business!!! So I wanted to help pass it around. I hope it helps some of you!

I think that since I have started the Advair, if anybody has had this symptom and I do not find it in the regular side effects, I have numbness from my waist all the way down to my feet. I have not felt my toes since about 3 weeks ago. I have already had the MRI of the spine and was told nothing to worry about, I have the best looking spine any radiologist had seen. My doctor took labs and they were all negative and normal and now she is going to send me to a neurologists because she is stumped. I believe I am going to stop taking the Advair, because it is the only NEW drug I have started since this began and see if that is the problem and if so. My problem is solved. If anybody else has had this problem let me know. Also numbness has began in my hands and fingers.

I've had all these same symptoms at one point during the two years I've been taking Advair. I've had exercise induced asthma since I was 18 but I can still work out at age 38 regularly with the help of Albuterol/Proventil. I stopped taking Advair after I completed my last disk in Sept, 08. It all makes sense now after the fact from reading here. Firstly, I cant tell you how severe the muscle cramps were. No words can describe upper body cramping in every muscle that I endured for weeks (it felt like knives all over)!!! The same happened with my legs...the muscles became so tight they contorted! My Dr. gave me an m.r.i. took x-rays and several blood tests...even gave me an h.i.v. test because he had no idea what would cause all these symptoms. He said it was "complicated". The test results found nothing. All lof my symptoms are gone now that I've stopped taking it (mouth sores, bleeding gums, strange skin lumps, hair loss, dry eyes, swollen tongue feeling, lump in throat feeling, severe cramping all over my body for 3 weeks). The Dr. noted that I had gained 10lbs since my last visit. I told him, "I've barely been able to MOVE with this cramping much less exercise with my regular weekly routine!" "It even hurts to breath deeply!" I still have a dry cough that hasn't gone away and normally I clear up after the seasonal rag weed season is over. We have had two hard frosts already...that usually clears my allergies.

Bleeding Gums, Severe Leg Cramping, Yeast Rashes, Sleeplessness, Blurred Vision:

I am a 49 year old woman who was recently prescribed Advair for asthma control. I also have severe allergies. My gums began bleeding almost immediately so I worried that I wasn't rinsing my mouth well enough. I stopped the Advair for a several days since in my mind, that was the culprit. Then my breathing/wheezing/persistent cough came back. So, I started back on my Advair and then started almost immediately having the worst leg cramps of my life. After figuring out that this new symptom correlated to my Advair use, I stopped it again cold turkey. I also am not sleeping over about an hour at a time despite my taking Ambien as well as anti-anxiety meds (I have Bipolar Disorder (Depression alternating with Manic Episodes) as well as Anxiety Disorder). Oh yes, and I developed weird yeast rashes underneath my breasts, on my inner thighs and behind my ears....despite if not being hot at all. I have never had this type of rash before or even been troubled with yeast infections. I also just noticed today that my vision is more blurred when trying to read the guide on my TV (42"). I have had no weight gain...in fact am losing weight..but have been watching what I eat. I don't feel more depressed...in fact, I feel the opposite...kinda euphoric at times..which feels good but can be a step towards mania for me. I decided to do a bit of research on Advair as a cause of the leg cramps...my persistent cough is back but I am afraid to take it now. I guess I need to talk to my allergist tomorrow.