Advair HFA and dry mouth

I have just been started on Advair as of today and now I am concerned.

I have been ill for a month with a upper respiratory bug and my doctor is trying to help ease the breathlessness I have been experiencing with it.
But, after reading all these posts of the side effects, I wonder if there are alternatives I should ask my doctor about?

I don't need the weight gain, dealing with that thanks to Cymbalta (which I am off of now) and the other symptoms don't sound fun either.

The only thing I am having from today is a dry mouth and sore throat.
I say, that's enough!

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 have used Advair for about 4 years now. My dental hygiene has always been impeccable, but recently I have had to have three root canals in a very short period of time and my dentist has gotten very concerned about how rapidly my teeth have developed so many problems. He immediately asked if I was using an asthma inhaler and I told him about Advair. He said that drugs like this cause dry mouth at night and this reduces the immune response in the salivary glands. These root canals have come at great expense and I am experiencing a lot of dental sensitivity too. The day he told me about this I threw my diskus away! I have been using some homeopathic stuff ever since and I haven't had a problem. My dentist told me to send my recent bills - some $6,000 - to my asthma doctor and ask her to pay for them!! Can't wait for that appointment. :-))

I have been taking Advair 500/50 for about two years ( I am now 60 years old,) to help control my allergy related asthma (that only presented itself when I had to take steroid eye drops for glaucoma.) While I had the hoarseness, dry mouth and occasional mouth sores, they seemed livable compared to uncontrolled asthma.

One morning about a month ago, when I was taking my normal AM puff, I suddenly felt as though a giant sledge hammer banged down on my head - pounding me into the floor - almost losing consciousness. Then, I experienced pounding, racing heart that felt as though it might jump out of my chest. I turned white and gray - my family and I thought I was having a heart attack.

I was terrified to take another puff - thinking it might be my last. Two days went by, when, I decided to experiment by taking a very light puff, barely taking any into my lungs. (I had been further scared by warning about suddenly going off steroids.) My doctor was out of the country and no one wanted the liability of advising me.

One hesitant puff of Advair caused the exact same pounding - heart jumping and racing reaction. I decided right then that I did not need further evidence to "pound into my head" that Advair was now toxic for me.

The odd thing is that my doctor seems to discount my experience by saying I am the only person this has ever happened to (implying there must be something wrong with me!) When I asked about the dangers and appropriate process for suddenly stopping steroids, she pooh-poohed my concern saying there are no side effects from inhalers with steroids. (Several nurses recently told me that was not necessarily true. Who knows what to believe!)

I have stopped Spiriva and Advair and have scheduled an appointment with a doctor and nurse practitioner who use diet, exercise and nutritional supplements to help treat asthma. A friend has gone to them for several years and is now off all asthma medication, has lost about 50 pounds, has improved health and looks 10 years younger! I can only hope this works for me!

I am also writing Advair manufacturer with my experience;copies to FDA. I can only wonder if there are others as 'rare' as me? If so, let it be known. thanks

I

I've had a case of Asthmatic Bronchitis for the last two months. Doctor prescribed the Z-pack (2 Rounds) and a ProAir inhaler (Albuterol). After 1 month of this I felt better...but still not 100%.

Then he gave me the wretched Advair. I took one puff...and 15 minutes later was in the emergency room. I completely couldn't breathe...lost all color in my face...heart was racing...nervousness...tremors...chills...etc. I took a couple puffs off the Albuterol and that helped open the airways so the ambulance ride wasn't necessary. But the ER visit was still necessary.

They gave me a nebulizer treatment and 60mg of Prednisone and after an about 2 hours I was released. Now today...exactly 12 hours later I have the dry mouth, hoarseness, and leg cramps others have mentioned. Hoping this will clear up soon...I mean common I only took 1 puff!

Long and short...stay away from this medication at all costs! Something must be wrong if so many people are having these types of effects.

I started with a new allergist 3 years ago (other had retired). She said my asthma, moderate to severe, was out of control. Put me on allergy shots AND Advair Discus to begin with. I had too many problems with hoarseness, and being I'm a teacher, that interfered with my teaching! Then she put me on Advair HFA two years ago. It seemed to be better for awhile. Then I noticed hoarseness, dry mouth, and so I went down to 1/2 dose. I told her about it, and she got very angry that I would not follow her directions. She probably does not like me as a patient since I do speak up to her.
I decided to go off the HFA yesterday. Today I have no dry mouth, and my voice is normal, also no palpitations. I started Spring Forest Qigong which is a Chinese healing discipline, part of which there are certain breathing exercises and self healing techniques I can use, some directed toward asthma specifically. I will watch my diet more carefully for the worst trigger foods; I usually get a delayed sensitive reaction of some kind so I rotate those known foods. In addition red wine, I know, has a lot of histamines. I can get an immediate reaction from that, mostly palpitations.
I am thinking strongly of changing allergists or seeking a pulmonary specialist' opinion.

I am in my second month of ADVAIR HFA 115/21 inhaler. Take two puffs twice a day. Great improvement in my lung capacity. I am 72 and enjoying senior aerobics twice a week, the treadmill, and senior tennis. Pulmonologist also wants me to take Xopenex, which I do about three times a week.

Tonight, I developed a vaginitis. The after-hours nurse and I think it's from these two steroids. I also wake up with leg cramps.

Any help to stop the cramping and the vaginitis.

For those with dry mouth, try Biotene products. They are marvelous. For sores in your mouth and on your tongue, get your doc to prescribe triamcinolone 0.1% paste. Fantastic.

After living with asthma and relying on a rescue inhaler for 28 years, I was prescribed advair 500/50 and it has changed my life. I have not used my rescue inhaler since. It is like a miracle cure. I know its not a cure but it really works great. Do you know what it feels like to leave the house without panicking because I couldn't find my rescue inhaler?

I started using advair in early December 2006. The first month was great, no asthma symptoms, no side effects. However, after the second month (I am a very healthy female, exept for the asthma), I got pneumonia, chronic sinus infections, night sweats, dry mouth (especially at night), chest pain, swollen glands in neck,constant heartburn, anxiety, cystic acne, leg cramping. I weaned myself off the drug after doing more research on it. I was only on 100/50 once a day. I have been put on singulair for a few days now and feel great. I attribute all these symptoms to Advair use. It is not for everybody and those who use it should be well informed of these side effects. It made my life a living hell.

My sister had been using advair for many years the past 6 to 12 months she had been experiencing unexplained problems. weight gain-mainly in midsection( Dr did ultrasound to check for tumor), increasing dry mouth to the point of mouth and throat sticking together Dr. did tests to rule out serious conditions but came up with no answers, She has been complaining of being tired more easily and getting short of breath unable at times to climb stairs, in the last month she was mentioning problem sleeping, acid reflux getting worse, on September 5th she had a sudden attack and died within minutes. The Dr said the cause was bronchiospasms. I heard something on TV and started doing some checking and advair has been known to be involved in sudden deaths due to bronciospasms. The symptoms she experienced in the months prior sound like they also might of been side affects or adverse reactions and the Dr. never suspected her medication when no other cause could be found. I want to warn people that if they are even possibly having adverse reactions to advair check it out closely befor continuing. My sister was only 58.

Hello All,
I have been taking Advair for at least 5 years now and have not had too many side effects (dry mouth being the main one). My advice would be to try using the weakest dose and only using it once a day (if at all possible). This has worked for me...

I have been on Advair 500/50 for 3 years now. I have so many of the already mentioned symptoms which include a 40 lb. weight gain, the horrendous foot cramps that last about 15 minutes and can happen as often as they feel like it. I also have the heartburn, indegestion and very dry mouth. My doctor has never mentioned that my foot cramps were due to this medicine, he has tested everything to see why. I have decided no more!! I am tired of looking and feeling horrible, I feel like the goodyear blimp. Before I started taking this medicine I weighed in at 98 lbs for over 20 years Now I am at a whopping 147, can anyone tell me once you stop this medicine how fast does the weight and other symptoms go away?

I only used advair for one month,for bronchitis, and I have mild asthma, and I expereinced eye pains, and foot locking up, and stiff fingers.and joint pains.
Some of these side effects happened after I weaned myself off advair.
I still get eye pain, and need to get it checked.
During the time I used advair, I had a very dry mouth and sore throat, and difficulty breathing.
I still get the sore throat now and then, and I have been off advair for two months.....so I am not sure what it is.
Scary thought that advair is listed as a black warning drug...the most serious kind of warning for a drug.

dry mouth, phlegm, joint pain
cough due to post nasal drip

I have been using Advair on & off for a year. I too suffer from post nasal drip, phlegm, dry mouth & coughing fits.
I heard about the side effects on the Today show this morning and had just taken a dose of Advair. I immediately went to the web to research this drug and after reading dozens of postings detailing the same side effects, I am convinced my lingering cold-like symptoms are a direct result of using Advair. I've taken my last dose and I'm anxious to see if my health improves.

I've been on it for 3 months. I am suffering, anxiety attacts, sharp pain in bottom of lung (even when I'm breathing well). Sharp pain in middle of back and lower back, extreme fatigue atttacks. Mood swings (extreme depression and euphoria).

Drug was working at first, and I no longer needed to use my Ibuterol inhauler, but now I'm back to using it every day.

I've found rinsing mouth well and brushing teeths and tounge gets rid of the dry mouth symptom.

I am 20 years old and have been on Advair 250/50 for 5 days. Already I am experiencing extreme fatigue, a sort of spacy, hypnotic feeling, anxiety, depression, mood swings, dry mouth, thick phlegm, constant throat clearing and it is ruining my life. I'm in a tap dance company and have not been able to perform even simple rountines. It has also placed a strain on my relationship with my boyfriend due to the mood swings, depression and increased irritability. I am harder to be around and he doesn't understand why. I am so glad I checked this site. I thought I was going crazy.

Well, at least now I know, I'm not crazy! Since having started on the Advair Diskus, I have been having chronic dry mouth! I can't drink enough, to the point where I feel sick. At night, my mouth dries out, and I am constantly clearing the back of my throat which feels like it is covered in mucus. Which extends to not just my throat, but my nose and eyes. I've also been getting ear aches that are very painful, as well as jitters.

have been on advair 4 yrs, did'nt relize that my throat and mouth problem until later i have blisters in my mouth and throat can't eat without a lot of pain i have been reduced to eating liquids and they hurt just as badi also have loss of voice very dry mouth,headache,muscle pain and the sores have reached down into the back of my throat i am going to stop takeing advair for a few days and see what happens my doctor says he don't know what the problem is well i think i just found out thanks to this web sight thank you for posting it

Took advair for one month
Quit taking it a couple of weeks ago

side effects:

sore throat, sore gums and a nasty rash on my neck, and dehydration of my skin, got wrinkles I never had before, dry skin dry mouth, dry eyes

I originally wrote in my side effects in August 2005, guest #13014.I have been off of Advair since the end of August, and I no longer have cramps in my legs,bone pain, chest pain coughing, or thrush in my throat! I feel so much better and sleep the night through.My doctor did not like that I stopped Advair, but it's my body. I am now on Spiriva HandiHaler and so far the only side effect I have is dry mouth. I can handle that!

very dry mouth -very thirsty and am on very low salt diet and on demadex diuretic

I have been using Seretide (Advair) for around 6 months and like a lot of you thought the drug was wonderful with how it was controlling my Asthma. I am usually a fit and well person but over the last couple of weeks have been feeling so tired and lethargic, even the smallest task wiping me out. I thought nothing of it really, just stresses and strains of modern life. Then I started to get frequent palpitations and every time I fell asleep my heart would miss a beat and I would wake up. This would last a couple of hours and obviously over a matter of weeks I was getting more and more exhausted. I talked to my Doctor and she said that Seretide could cause abnormal heart rythyms, and along with the frequent oral thrush and dry mouth I have decided to give up on Seretide, hope it hasn't done any long term damage and resolve to using my salbutamol more often. It was great to find this site and discover that these side effects are not uncommon amongst others.

Recently, I contracted some sort of virus or infection and had been coughing for 6 weeks straight. Coupled with asthma and allergies, I was just miserable and *so* tired of coughing. My doc prescribed a Z-pak and Advair. I had taken Advair before and stopped, but I couldn't remember why, I thought it was because I was adverse to taking a steriod, in any form. The Z-pak stopped the cough, and the Advair helped me breathe MUCH better. However, now I remember why I stopped taking it before. I started getting a sore throat, very dry mouth, and it felt like I had a lump in my throat, and phlegm that I could not clear from my throat. I've stopped already, I had been on it only a week and started feeling the dry, sore throat after only three days. It's getting a little better now, but I'm just glad I stopped when I did. The irony is that it does work for me, and in the week I was on it I didn't have to use my albuterol once. I would just rather suffer with a known ailment rather than be surprised by new side effects.

I saw a couple posts here that had statements along the lines of these side effects being in our heads, and while in some cases that is true, keep in mind that every person has a different reaction to medicines. Every human is unique in their body chemistry. I didn't experience any of the muscle cramps or nausea or other effects, but I have taken medicines that have done that. When I started Advair 100/50, I took the proper twice a day dosage, and it was in good faith (i.e. I didn't know about or expect any side effects). Using inhalers and nasal sprays and the like is very common for asthma sufferers, so I wasn't "looking" for something to be wrong, so to say. And yes, it did work for me very well. In the day and a half that I've been off it, I've already gone back to needing my Albuterol. So, before a person can try to say that the side effects are made up out of paranoia, please do remember that we are all different, and we all react to foreign particles in our bodies differently.

Jessica

I have been on Advair 100/50 for over 2-1/2 years and it's the best thing I've ever taken. It increased my lung capacity 33.5% and I do not wake up at night with asthma attacks. I don't have to depend on my Albuterol for rescue all the time either. I took Azmacourt 4 times a day prior and constantly had shortness of breath and asthma issues. I've been very fortunate on Advair! I have not had insomnia, difficulty sleeping, no musle weakness, no heartburn, and no rashes. I have had slight weight gain, and managed to get it off. I have constant allergies and allergic rhinitis so I do get occasional headaches. I can actually take a deep breath and not cough my head off. I can actually run and workout now! I do get dry mouth but that's easy enough to deal overcome. I may be an exception but it's a blessing for me! I take Allegra too and it is the best thing I've taken too. Seldane is better but they took it off the market. So I guess it works for some! Thanks.

My 8 year old son was put on Advair 18 months ago because his idiot father and step-mother smoked around him and this was the only medicine that got his asthma under control.
My son has been showing signs of ADHD and may fail 3rd grade if I cannot get him to pass the End of grade testing. I thought his problems in school were because he was having problems with Dad. Eventually it became evident that it wasn't his Dad and I figured out it was ADVAIR. I knew an adult who was on Advair and also showed signs A.D.D. after she began taking Advair. I confronted my son's allergist and he confirmed that A.D.H.D. is a side effect. My son also had problems with headaches, sinus infections, problems with his bowels, dry mouth, sores on his penius, depression and just not my little boy. I even had my son tested to see if we can figure out why he is doing so poorly in school, and I am awaiting on the results. They are factoring ADVAIR and all his allergy medicine in the end result. I am very happy to report that since my son has been off of ADVAIR his reading has picked up and homework is getting a little easier.

I took Advair about for 2 years. Hoping, that it would help to breath easier. I did not feel significant changes in my breathing. But I started coughing.Bedly. At work my collegues
kept bigger distance from me, they did not want to be infected
from me. They did not know, it was not contagious. I have sinus infection, dry mouth, respiratory problems, since I was
using Advair. Now, on my own, I stopped to take it. I had enough. Taking medicines for the side effect of the medicines. Maybe I never had asthma, only the doctors irresponsible decisions made me belive, I had it. I already suffered from the side effects of prednison. (joint surgery) The doctors used to give to me, in large dose. Now, after several years, I was told, maybe I never had asthma. How can we trust doctors?

dry mouth
difficulty sleeping
tooth pain
muscular weakness
occasional paradoxical effects

I took Advair for 1 months 2 puff a day ..I had experienced dry mouth..My hands ache and also Muscle spasms..that My doctor told me no side effects of Advair.I fight with my DR ..And told him go get some more education.Then i had extra Advair to my girfriend .She is now writing the rest of this e mail..! She experienced pain in her hands and fingers and alsohoarsness and Wight again also...

Weight Gain/puffiness in face
My face broke out - I have always had good skin but now my face is red and blotchy.
Dry Mouth
Have only been on it 2 weeks so far. My asthma is better but I think I will stop taking it once the winter is over (my tough time)

Dry Mouth, Strange taste in the Back of my mouth, Jitters
Other than that it is a blessing!

What side effects should I watch for?
Although side effects from fluticasone and salmeterol are not common, they can occur. Tell you doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

dry or irritated throat
cough
difficult or painful speech
tremor
nervousness
dizziness
headache
upset stomach
diarrhea
cough
dry mouth
throat irritation

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
vision problems
white spots or sores in your mouth
swollen face, lower legs, or ankles
cold or infection that lasts a long time
muscle weakness
increased difficulty breathing
skin rash
unusual bleeding or bruising
rapid or increased heart rate
chest pain or discomfort

I have been on the medication for a few days and already notice dizziness, I feel weak and the need to "hold myself" up is strong. Blurred vision, dry mouth and nausea. Have not had difficulty breathing as often as before I was prescribed it.

I have been taking Advair for 2 weeks. My side effects are headache,light headed, dry mouth, horse voice, face breaking out around mouth, irratation inside ears. It does work on the asthma but not sure I can handle the side effects.

Since taking Advair four weeks ago, I've experienced the following: Fast heartbeat, dizziness, dry mouth, severe stomache cramping and bloating