Advair HFA and albuterol inhaler

August 5, 2008

Thank you for this website. These testimonies has confirmed by suspicions of Advair's side effects.

I am 52 years old and was diagnosed with adult onset asthma 10 months ago. My physician prescribed Advair (500) and Albuterol inhaler. I was instructed to take the Advair 2 times/day and Albuterol 3 times/day. During the last few months, I have noticed a slight weight gain, fatigue, hoarseness, dry mouth and occasional insomnia. The hoarseness has resulted in 2.5 weeks of losing my voice. Also, I have noticed that my recovery from a prior illness, such as cold, was very slow.

As a result, I discontinued the Advair and use the albuterol as needed. My voice began to returned to normal in two days and I am feeling much better.

Now I am wondering if I am experiencing drug withdrawal symptoms due to discontinuing Advair five day ago. The following symptoms are: dizziness, and needle-like tingling in hands, feet and side.

Again, thank you gals for sharing you'll experience with Advair.

I am a 26 year old female and was prescribed Advair some years ago by my Asthma & Allergy doctor. I took it off and on for several years. Honestly I was scared to take it because of the side effects I thought it might have. About 16 months ago I went off birth control because my husband and I wanted to have a baby. I continued to take Advair 150/50 twice a day. I got pregnant in July and had a miscarriage Sep 1. Then while still taking Advair I got pregnant again shortly after that. After my first OB appointment it was established that the fetus/egg sack had no heartbeat. I had a D & C done in December to clear out the unsuccessful pregnancy. I decided after reading all these comments and thinking about my own side effects of taking Advair that my miscarriage were the cause of taking Advair. I believe Advair may have decreased my body's ability to clot blood properly and that is what has caused my babies not to thrive. I decided in January of 08 to stop taking Advair. I asked my doctor about the Advair and being put on another medicine in Jan and he seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with me taking Advair. I stopped taking it anyways. I decided since mostly all of my mild Asthma symptoms were caused by exercising that I would just use Proventil/Albuterol inhaler before exercise. It worked great and in Jan, Feb, March of 08 I trained for a 5k, and ran it in March under 26 minutes. I have been off Advair ever since Jan and have been fine. I used a peak flow meter to be sure my breathing was normal. I only use the Albuterol occasionally now. Furthermore I am now almost 20 weeks pregnant and doing fine. Besides the miscarriages I also blame Advair on other side effects I experienced when taking it including leg cramps, increase in heart rate, restlessness after taking in evening, night sweat, hoarseness, dry throat, headaches, and whenever I would get a cut or something it would take forever for me to stop bleeding.
now my blood clots quickly no problem. I was taking no other meds besides Advair when I experienced all this. DON'T TAKE ADVAIR...unless you feel the benefits of the drug outweigh all of the horrible side effects. Demand another med. with fewer side effects.

I am a 61 year old male and I have COPD with 40% loss in lung function. My allergist started me on Advair 250/50 a couple of years ago. As I was still having trouble with shortness of breath, my internist put me on Spiriva, also. Breathing got easier, but I was experiencing a number of symptoms.

The one that clued me into knowing something in the medicine was bothering me was bright red eyes. Also focus problems and blurry vision. My ophthalmologist found no reason for the eye condition. So I also looked at some other symptoms I had: Severe muscle cramping if any muscle was contracted; severe lower back pain after walking only 5 minutes; hoarseness; loss of voice; Extreme weight gain (55 pound in 1-1/2 years), all in my middle; bloating and tooth/gum problems that were nonexistent 2 years ago; BPH symptoms (poor urine stream, difficulty emptying and many nighttime bathroom visits with normal prostate & PSA tests). E.D.

Whoa! What’s going on here? So I began stopping all my drugs one at a time for one week. Just got to the Advair yesterday and my eyes have already almost returned to white. My hoarseness is almost gone. Was it the power of autosuggestion? Somehow, I don’t think so. This drug works, but one has to balance the side effects with the help it provides. I’m going to try just using my albuterol inhaler and stay off these steroids.

Good luck to you all!

Boy i thought i was the only one and my family thought i was just making this stuff up. I have asthma and have had it since i was 10 now age 23. Recently i went to the doctor because i was using my albuterol inhaler to much i was using one a week. The doctor told me i had bronchitis now even worse so he put my advair 250/50 ive been on it for about 2 months. One week after taking it i notice my voice changed and my troat was bothering me, i was having nose bleeds. This week i started having really bad headaches my hands fall asleep at night without my even sleeping on them, also bad back pains my legs get bad cramps at night. One bad thing i really hate is i know i have gained a good mount of weight about 30lbs in so little time. My husband notice my mood swings ive been having towards him getting mad at him for no reason. Thank goodness im not going crazy seeing that im not alone. IM GONNA STOP TAKING THIS MEDICINCE AND CALLING MY DOC MONDAY MORNING!!!!1

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

I am 19 years old & I have been on a low dose of Advair for about a year & a half. It has done wonders for me. Weezing is a thing of the past. I forgot how constricting & uncomfortable I used to be. It makes my atheletic hobbies more exciting & less of a burden than before. Taking that first 6 foot sprint was a nightmare & regretful in the long "run". Now I'm vurtually worry free. I still keep an albuterol inhaler close just in case, but rarely use it except for when allergies act up. I know of no side effects thus far.

I recently began to take Advair (about 2 months) and have experienced very few side effects. My voice gets a little heavy by the end of the day and I sometimes wake up with a sore throat (once a week). But my doctor had warned me about these effects and so I was not surprised. I do have more phlegm, which I hadn't associated with Advair, but rather with allergies. Overall, I am very pleased with Advair. I had a chronic cough for almost 3 years and used Albuterol inhaler 2-3x a day before begin prescribed Advair. I have not used the inhaler once in 2 months. I will continue to use Advair as prescribed, 2x a day!

i was on advair for about 4 months, i too experienced many of the side effects mentioned.

i had hoarsenss, thrush, sores on my gums and tongue.
my body i experienced hip pain and immobility, arthritis in pinky. i am very active in sports, i noticed muscle weakness in my abdomen, i also noticed i couldn;t get ripped like i used to while on advair, and a sagginess and roundness to my face. also experienced back pain/ache due to the advair. i noticed i tended to get injured much more quickly. i felt i constantly had to exercise to maintain my strength.

also frequent urination and slow urination, dribble etc.

then i tried serevent and flovent, almost all the same symptoms, got off of that

also had sinus problems, , when i got off advair, it's been around 4-5 months the side effects are all gone.

right now , i'm not on any meds except albuterol inhaler, it's been tough, but i am experimenting with other alternatives.

I am 32 years old. I have had asthma since age 8.
I was prescribed Advair by my obgyn 1 1/2 yrs ago when pregnant. It helped my asthma tremendously. I had been using my albuterol inhaler up to 5 times a day prior to starting the Advair. However, my side effects have been consistent weight gain since having the baby - I weigh almost as much as when I was 9 months pregnant. And it's all in my mid section like many other people. I have always had a slim waist. My hair is also thinning on the top.
I have tried unsuccessfully to quit the Advair. I currently take the 100/50 and have cut back to once a day.
Is there any other long term asthma medication out there without the steroids?

I am a 42 yro who has been using Advair 250/50 for over a year now. The Doc prescribed 2 puffs a day but I prefer to take 1 puff every day (shhhh...don't tell the doc!). Before going to Advair I was taking albuterol inhaler on an as needed basis (allergy/exercise induced asthma). I am not sure if its old age, or me moving from NE to the SE USA (where its hot & humid), or Advair itself but I am noticing that I am getting more and more dependent on Advair to the point where If I don't take my once-a-day-puff, I find myself starting to wheeze. I was never like this with Albuterol. Sometimes I wonder if there is a chemical in Advair that makes you become dependent on it just so the drug company can make more profit on your depenency. The other two minor side effects that I attribute to Advair is the occasional hoarsness in my voice, and a minor tingling sensation in my arm and leg (Restless Leg Syndrome?) at night. Anyone else can make a connection between Advair and RLS?

I don't smoke, drink caffine free drinks, athletic, and work out regularly, and take no other medications or vitamins.

I have been on Advair 250/50 for 2 years now and it has been a MIRACLE drug for me. I have moderate/severe asthma, diagnosed at 11 and now I'm 43. I was constantly taking puffs from my albuterol inhaler and now I rarely use it. I was initially prescribed Advair 2x/day but reduced to once a day because I felt "jittery" on 2x/day. Occasionally, I get some hoarseness but it's the Kathleen Turner sexy kind of hoarseness, so I don't mind. I have never had any adverse side effects from this drug other than the jitters but that was gone once I went to 1 dose a day. I also take Singulair for asthma.

Like many other users, my voice is affected by Advair. I constantly feel the need to clear my throat, but it has no effect.

My greater concern arose when I indavertently ran out and had to wait 7-10 days for a refill. For that period, I found that my left ear was weeping continually, blocking my hearing. Upon resumption of the Advair, it stopped. I told my doctor and he had never heard it before.

The drug enclosure does list "ear signs" as a side effect, presumably of taking the drug, not of ceasing it. Now, though I find it expensive and feel I would rather do without it and use my albuterol inhaler as needed, I am afraid to stop.

I have taken advair now for 3 yrs. at first I started out with the 250/50mg and then decressed myself down to the 100/50. I've put on alot of weight, and have tryed getting off of it. I only inhaled this once a day in the AM. I don't need it in the PM. I do have an albuterol back up if I need it, and when I tried to stop using it, (the advair) I was using the albuterol inhaler twice a day. I also have backaches, headaches, blurred vision at times, (not bad though). achey joints, trying to get rid of the weight gain is harder then I thought no matter what I do it just won't come off, Advair does help me breath, but how the heck do you come off of it if you feel you absolutely don't need it?

I have been on Advair for about 1 month. It has helped my asthma but I am concerned about my throat. Sometimes it is such a strain to speak. At first I thought I was getting laryngitis but then I came to the conclusion that it was a side effect of the Advair. I do not get soar throat symptoms but I am really concerned about the possible damage this drug may have on vocal cords, larynx or the throat in the long term. I just assume go back on an albuterol inhaler which helped my asthma just as well. I have used singulair (the directions say to take at night) but I have to make sure that I'm practically asleep, otheriwise, it makes me sick to my stomach and horrible acid reflux.

I have been on Advair for three months now after the Albuterol inhaler didn't seem to be working. Since then, I have noticed I am gaining weight. I have an active job and my diet is healthy (vegetarian). In six years my weight has hardly fluctuated. Aside from weight gain, the most disturbing side effect has by insomnia. I am simply not tired and when I do sleep, not matter for how long, I always feel tired. I did a search when it dawned on me that the only thing I have changed in the last three months has been the Advair.

I started taking advair 500/50 about 6mths ago after coming down with really bad cold which later turned into pneumonia. I was on albuterol inhaler 5-6times a day for 3 mths. The advair made a big difference. I'm now on the 250/50 which is great. But I've had increasing problems with anxiety as well as muscle spasms in my hands. My doctor immediately recommended anxiety meds instead even entertaining the idea that it might be the drugs I was on. I refused to take anxiety meds and instead on her recommendation started exercising regularly and have started seeing a phychologist. I also tried Singulair briefly but developed rash on my face and had sudden cold symptoms which went away once I stopped taking it. I'm not crazy, my side effects are real and I'm convinced that the muscle spasms are due to my medication, most likely the advair. Currently I'm on rhinocort, albuterol for emergencies, and advair 250/50. I also had allergy testing done and am very allergic to everything they test for except animal dander i.e. grass and tree pollen, ragweed, mold, both kinds of dust mites. I keep taking my meds, exercising, cleaning regularly, have encased my bedding to control dust mites. I'm also taking allergy shots every week now. The thrush can be avoided if you rinse after every dose of advair. Rinsing is very important - I've had no problems with thrush at all and am now in my 7th month of taking Advair.

I have had major asthma problems for years - usually needing prednisone 3 or 4 times a year, using albuterol inhaler around the clock. I have been using Advair for about 2 months now and I have had absolutely no asthma attacks at all. I can exercise and feel like a normal person for the first time in years. I have had several side effects that are problematic - one of them being dizziness, scratchy thoat and chronic sinus congestion. What is worse, debilitating asthma or a chronic sinus infection? I have decided breathing is better than anything so I will stay on it.

I am 23 years old and was diagnosed with asthma when I was 2 years old. I beleive I have taken every medication out there. I was on and off steroids since I was 6. I take my albuterol inhaler when needed and advair diskus 250/50. I began taking advair about 3 or 4 years ago and have seen an increase in weight gain over the past 2 years. I work out obsessively and still no weight loss. I joined weight watchers and eat under the points I am suppose to and still no results. I tired taking singular and broke out with lumps all over my body, so I had to immediatley get off of that. After reading everyone else's reactions to advair, i feel that I am not alone in the asthma world. I as well have really bad mood swings, headaches, trouble sleeping. After reading this website, i am going to get off Advair immediatley.

I took Advair for asthma for the past 6 months. At first, it did make me breathe deeper, and I felt like my lungs were much stronger. I never had to use my Albuterol before exercising. It was like I didn't even have asthma anymore.

Then I forgot to take the diskus of Advair on vacation with me. After not using the Advair, my asthma came back and was more difficult to control. It took 4-5 puffs of my Albuterol inhaler to relieve my chest tightness and wheezing. My Albuterol inhaler barely worked on my asthma after being on Advair. It became clear to me that Advair had actually made my lungs weaker.

I have been off Advair for about 3 weeks, and my lungs are still weaker than they've ever been. My chest is still tight, and I have difficulty inhaling. (It's almost like my lungs have forgotten how to breathe.) I feel like there is a stack of books on my chest. I also have a slight burning feeling in my chest especially when I inhale. I'm just hoping that these symptoms are not permanent.

I started doing deep breathing exercises 10-15 times a day(Inhale 8 counts, Hold Breath 24 counts, Exhale over 16 counts...) which are slowly strengthening my lungs. My friend, who had asthma as a kid recommended swimming and meditation.

I am turning to Chinese Medicine. I no longer trust Western drugs.

Hello Everyone,
Like all of you. I am a highschool student and competitive athlete (football and baseball) and was diagnosed with asthma 2 years ago. As months passed and numerous trips to my general practicioner/allergist I was given a lot of prescriptions including advair, clarinex, xopenex with the nebulizer, my asthma and lung function became increasingly worse. It was hard to be so dependent on all these medications, which in combination all can make you feel kind of lousy. When my asthma was at its worst I started seeing a chiropractor, and was being adjusted 2-3 days a week. Its hard for me to explain who chiropractic care can reduce asthma, but it has something to do with the spine controlling all systems in the body and when there is disallignment all of these symptoms cant work properly. For asthma sufferers and those sick of taking all kinds of medication I strongly suggest looking into chriropractic care. Today I am completely asthma symptom free, and no longer take a single thing other then carrying the albuterol inhaler with me for comfort, although I havent really needed it. Any questions I would be happy to answer at ******

hello
i am 37 and have had severe chronic asthma all my life. as a child,teen, and young adult i was in the emrgency room at least twice a year for cold related asthma problems. i started taking theophylline at the age of 16, used over the counter inhalers til my mid-twenties when was given albuterol, and have gone on prednisone treatments numerous times. about 2 years ago my condition started deterioating, none of my previous medications were working well. by this time last year i was so bad that i went through an albuterol inhaler every two weeks, and i was constantly sick with lung infections. thats when my pulmonary dr (same one for almost 20 yrs) put me on advair and singulair. i noticed a MAJOR, near miraculous change for the positive almost right away, i could breathe again! i haven't been this clear for years. a few months after i started treatment i gained 10 lbs in less than a month. i thought it was because i changed birth control pills but changing back didn;t seem to help. i have started having attacks of diarrhea at least once a week, gas, bloating, swelling (of feet, hands, middle). lately i've been feeling nauseous, my lifleong insomnia has gotten MUCH worse, i've had blurry vision and the feeling like my head is going to explode. not to mention dizzines, lightheadedness, pressure in my head, dry mouth, hoarseness, back & feet pain, severe anxiety, tremors, rapid heartbeat- what seem to be all the classic symptoms! i had no idea it was the medication. i was so ill the other day i almost had my boyfriend take me to the emrgency room. i had been hearing on the news about serevent being unsafe so i started looking up the side effects and realized that's what it was (i now also see singulair can have similar effects) i stopped taking the advair for 2 days but my severe asthma started returning almost imeediately so i had to use it this morning- and i feel like CRAP right now. i know i need to see my dr ASAP but i am worried about controlling my asthma- i can't deal with these side effects but i also can't return to the state i was in last year- i could NOT BREATHE and was using my albuterol so much it was causing it's own problems (jittery, rapid heartbeat). PLEASE email me (******)if anyone has had any luck with alternatives! (does flovent cause the same long term problems?)

This site is such a relief. I was on Advair for about a 6 months in total. I had many of the same adverse effects listed by countless people on this site. I decided on my own (after my allergist told me that Advair was virtually side effect free - he did tell me to make sure to rinse my mouth vigorously) to quit taking it and go back to just using my albuterol inhaler when needed. Advair definitely helped me breathe, but I developed this weird metallic taste in my mouth that has taken forever to go away. Now I only get it every now and then. I have two questions - I am HIGHLY allergic to cats. Going to Wisconsin to visit my wife's family, and to put it mildly, her Mom has many cats. On advair I won't have any allergic reaction. I was thinking about taking it for the 5 days I am in Wisconsin (although I am concerned that advair will cause that metallic taste to come back with a vengeance). Are there any dangers from hopping on/hopping off the advair?
Second - does anyone know if there are any long term side effects of using an albuterol inhaler? I probably use it once a day. Excersize and cold weather tend to bring on an attack...and of course, cats...

**Sorry about my previous post. I cut and paste from Word and it changes some of the characters for some reason and makes it hard to read. Here is the corrected version.**

I started taking Advair 250/50 (I started out with a higher dose for 2 or 3 weeks) on October 9, 2004 after a weekend stay at the hospital. Before this time, I was not taking any medication except for my Albuterol inhaler, which I took mostly at night. I often have a worse time with asthma during the winter, but a visit to the emergency room has only happened 3 times in my life.

Anyway, after leaving the hospital, I noticed right away that my eyesight was blurry. My husband joked that it was because I was used to the close walls in the hospital and that I wasn't used to seeing far away. Well, I thought nothing more of it until I found this website. I am still not seeing as well and today (11-19-04) I stepped on the scale and noticed that I had gained 10 pounds. :( I weighed 120 before the hospital ( I am 31 years old and 5'2). I am not happy.

I have not wheezed even a squeak since taking Advair and have not touched the Albuterol. Is it worth it?

I have also had a few minor headaches, my face broke out once, I had one night where I couldn't sleep because of intense heartburn (I have never experienced this before!), and my stomach seems puffy.

Like someone else said, I think I will stop taking it when winter is over. I really love being able to do aerobics and not having to take my Albuterol. I don't wheeze at all after exercise now, but what exactly is the point of exercising if I am gaining weight?? :p

******

Thank God I took the initiative to find this web site! As a Registered Respiratory Therapist, I can say I am absolutely floored by the entries I have read! The following will make some absolutely gasp with fright because of the age, but my 4 year old was started on advair 2 months ago. He has exercised-induced asthma and we needed some maintenance therapy started so he could "play" with his friends at preschool. Just this past week, he has now become hoarse. I couldn't understand where the problem was coming from because he had no fever nor runny nose, etc. Well, just so happened that this morning, he ran out of the diskus. Now, this afternoon, the hoarseness is slowly going away! That's the end of Advair, I just hope we can find a solution. Looks like it is back to the old trusty albuterol inhaler. Please parents, don't start your children on this medication! Funny thing is, I was very hesitant about this medication to start with and actually got on the internet reading all the information I could about it before administering it. As I go back into my practice ( I now instruct), I will definitely share all the stories I have read with physicians, students, and fellow co-workers in the medical field. THANKS to all who entered a comment, you may have just saved my precious son's life!

The dr. said no side effects. I've been on it for five months and big weight gain from 32C bra to 36D. Not happy about this. Also major foot and leg cramps. I used to sleep holding my albuterol inhaler and have gone weeks without even using it. But these side effects including itching, weakness, etc. are not worth it. I am going to try and go without it. Inhaled steriods DO cause side effects despite what the doctors say. I am so absolutely thrilled to hear that I am not the only one with bad side effects.