Advair HFA and heartburn

10/18/2007 I was diagnosed with adult onset asthma 4 years ago. I have been on Flovent HFA 110MG (2) puffs every morning. That seemed to be working fine but about a month ago my asthma got worse. My Doctor prescribed Advari 250/50 twice a day. I took my first does Monday (10/15) and within 4 hours had a horrific migraine, such horrific pressure in my head I thought I was going to pass out. I threw away the Advair IMMEDIATELY however, 4 days later, my headache is better but still there a bit - that intense pressure is coming and going in waves, heartburn that has made me sick to my stomach and I feel this AWFUL pressure and soreness on the sides of the neck and in my throat. Has anyone else experienced this? Any idea when I can expect some relief? Thank you to everyone who posted - it made me feel so much better.

My Doctor made it sound like Advair was the best drug EVER -- that is so wrong.

Hi, I just ran across your website. My 11 yr. old son is very much allergic to every airborne thing one can be allergic to. He has been on Advair 100/50 for about 3-4 years now because he has also been diagnosed with asthma. Recently we took him to the pediatrician for what he thinks might be lower chest wall muscle spams. Plus in the past he complained on/off of leg cramps which I attributed to growing pains but after reading your website am not sure. Recently we have him on Prevacid because the allergist thinks he is suffereing from heartburn. Also, yesterday, we took him to get his eyes checked and he needs glasses now for nearsightedness. All could be occurring on their own accord or could this be due to Advair? He is overweight as well and we always suspected Advair and now to hear others say it sure makes me worry.

I had been taking Advair 100/50 for a few years, with little downside until about 6 weeks ago when my asthma became considerably worse. After using albuterol 3-4 times a day, in addition to the Advair, I was getting no relief and a lot of heartburn. I contacted my PCP, who upped my Advair doseage to 250/50. This stuff is awful! I've only been using it for 3 days and I'm stopping it immediately. Every time I use it, I get this flushing sensation throughout my head and cheeks. I've also developed this awful odor, primarily on my hands of all places.

I am a 71 year old man with COPD (emphysema) My pulmonologist has prescribed Spiriva and Advair. I have taken Advair for over three years and Spiriva for about 18 months. Lately, I have experience a rapid heart beat (sometimes 138 bpm), problems with hoarseness, thick mucus in the throat, weight gain including an unpleasant, distended belly after eating, leg cramps at night, heartburn, dizziness and slow stream urination. I've been checked for prostate problems, the results of which were normal. My heart has always been healthy but lately with the rapid heartbeat, I've become very concerned. I am going to stop taking the Advair and see what the results are. The Spiriva seems to be doing a good job for me and I will continue with it since it is not a steroid.

I am a healthy 43 year old woman, recently diagnosed with bronchitis, I had a persistant cough on and off for about a month, my doctor prescribed antibiotics and gave me advair discus, since then I have a burning sensation, like heartburn continuasly and my tongue feels funny, I have also experienced a rash like itching, i have only used it for about a week, it is also given me palpitations I will stop, I never had problems breathing and now I do, whwn will this sensation go away?

I am so glad I found this site. I thought I was going crazy!

I have been an Advair user for about four years now and have gained 45lbs. The weight gain is solidly in my mid section and is bearing down on my lungs, stomach and intestines. I am only 5'3" and I am pretty miserable.

So the dizziness, heartburn, heart palpitations, hoarse throat, coughing, etc that everyone else is experiencing - me too. Thought it was the weight gain. I have dieted, exercised every day - sometimes twice a day, adjusted my eating routine, anything and everything to get my weight down but to no avail.

Each winter I am slighly worse than the last - and after four years, I can't walk more than 2 blocks without use of an inhaler. I thought it was me - the weight gain - and my work schedule. The ability to walk less and less was really starting to scare me. I can't do stairs without stopping halfway to catch a breath. I wasn't like this 4 years ago! I PRACTICALLY RAN UP AND DOWN TWO - THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS each day of work! and could walk a hiking trail for hours without worrying about my breathing.

Swimming is the only exercise that seems to help, takes the heavy feeling away from the mid-section so I can breathe again.

It seems alot of people are experiencing problems. Shouldn't the makers of Advair be told and the doctors informed?

Since I just started taking Advair I have developed terrible heartburn and pack pain. When I eat something I can feel it burn all the way down no matter what it is.

I am SO relieved to hear of all of the side effects that people have mentioned here. I have only taken this stuff for a week and have had the "sticking toes", foot cramps, back cramps, and debilitating heartburn after I eat anything. Fortunately, I was given the advair temporarily for a bronchial issue, but will not be taking it any more....

I posted May 10. Since then, I have continued taking Advair, but am now almost completely SIDE EFFECT FREE!

The trick is to remove what doesn't make it to your lungs. DON'T SWALLOW ANY! Rinse and gargle five times.:

1,2 - Gargle lightly and deeply 2x to get it off your voice box. Spit each time.
3,4 - Gargle strongly 2x to get it off the sides of your throat. Spit each time.
5 - Rinse mouth thoroughly and spit

After 1 week, heartburn and hoarseness were gone. After two weeks now, I have regained some voice control. (It may never be perfect with Advair because he bronchodilator may also be relaxing the muscles around the voice box.)

It's likely that a lot of the long-term symptoms like bruising could be from prolonged swallowing/ingestion of the stuff.

If Advair can control my asthma with no side effects, then I don't care about addiction. Have to take something daily in any case.

Please, anyone who tries the gargling, share whay you have learned!!!

I have been on advair for at least three or four years and now have been dependant on it. I have gained 55 pounds and I never had a weight problem. I started getting very stiff knees and elbows with leg cramps but shrugged it off as part of the weight gain. Occasionally i get heart palpitations and dizziness and I also have developed serious heartburn or reflux at night. I never thought all these symptoms were related until I came across this website. I am amazed that other people are going through this also.

wow! i am up in the middle of the night, sick to my stomach since i got back on advair (500/50). i try to stop using it for a while but my asthma is so bad that i have to get back on it. singulair does not work for me, and this is the only one that seems to work, but when i got on here and read what everyone says about it, it amazes me. i have gained so much weight since the dr first prescribed it to me. i weighed 145 when i first started it and now i weigh 180 and seem to still be gaining weekly! my dr has never even mentioned weight gain being a side effect of this drug. i also suffer severe heartburn which i thought was linked to asthma in some way. i am going to call my dr in the morning and see if there is an alternative!

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?

When I was on Advair I began having problems with heartburn. Previously I had been lucky and rarely ever had heartburn. While on Advair, I started taking Zantac quite regularly and last spring my heartburn got so bad, I took Prilosec for a month. My stomach just burned.

Been on Advair for 6 months now and have gained 10 pounds. I weighed the same for years prior to Advair.
I even eat less now but still the weight gain around my stomach. Very fatiqued. All I want to do is sleep. Have experienced muscle and joint pain. Have had chest pain which travels down my left arm and tingle feelings in my left hand. Get headaches and back and shoulder pain. Feels like when you have the flu. Been getting heartburn also and the doctor gave me Aciphex for that and it did seem to help the heartburn. I'm so happy to have found this sight. I am going off the Advair and see what happens. I hope they go away soon. I am usually a very active person but now have no interest in much and no desire to get off the couch and do anything. I am usually very tired.

My 11 yr. old daughter does not have asthma yet was put on advair 250/50 because she wheezes everytime she gets a respiratory infection. She is now recovering from the sinus infection that put her on this medicine. She has been on this medicine for 1 week and a day, her last day. Her side effects include...

1. fatigue
2. heartburn
3. mood swings
4. depression
5. acne and red splotches on her face
6. headaches
7. bloody noses (both nostrils at same time)

All this after only one week. She has taken her last dose.
By the way, 2 days after her doc put her on an antibiotic for the sinus infection, no wheezing. She only wheezes when she is sick.... How does advair prevent that? Does it stop her from contracting viruses, I don't think so. New doctor? I think so!

I have been on Advair 500/50 for 2 years taking 1 puff twice daily. I have had these side effects:

weight gain
dry skin
itchy skin
pain in muscles and joints, mostly legs
thin skin on arms
bleeding problems/ clotting disorder
rapid heart beat
thinning hair
difficulty sleeping
thirsty throughout the night
dental problems
water retention
heartburn
I hate taking this drug but it does help keep my COPD(emphysema) under control. I get depressed at times due the side effects of this drug and the impact it has on my life and how I feel about myself. I often think of just stopping the drug and seeing how I feel but I am afraid to.

Wow! I've spent so much time and money at Dr's, specialists for tests to end up with absolutely no idea what is going on with me.
On my own, I decided to look into the medication I was taking ... and ta da!!! Here it is in big bold print! Thank you everyone ... and for this site!
I'd like to go back and just say a few words to all those Dr's that just laughed me out of their office and back in to my own world of frustration.
AND IF ANYONE KNOWS WHEN YOU STOP TAKING ADVAIR (WHICH I DID) ... DO THE SYMPTOMS GO AWAY, DO YOU GAIN YOUR NICE FIGURE BACK AND HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE???

Advair 500 DID relieve my asthma symptoms, excellent!
But with that....
Huge bloated stomach almost painful sometimes
Aching joints/stiffness
Severe Fatigue
Heartburn and reflux (on meds for that now!)
Significant weight gain, especially across the abdomen
Pain/ache across my upper chest area
Puffy face
Slow healing for something as simple as a scratch.

I was prescribed 250/50 Advair, twice a day. Within several days it was noticably helping my breathing. Right away the side effects I had were a dry, raspy throat and hoarseness, which I could live with. Then I got continual sores on my mouth and tongue dispite rinsing after the Advair. I was still thinking I could live with that since I was breathing so much better. I had a lot of indigestion and was constipated, which I was still thinking I could probably live with. BUT after about 2 months of taking the Advair I was noticing a lot of joint pain; most noticable in my fingers, thumbs, wrists and hip. That scared me so I started researching the harder to find effects of taking Advair. I finally decided the cure wasn't worth the unknown damage it was inflicting on my body, so I quit taking it. I just stopped - no bad side effects from stopping it abrubtly, and the joint pain decreased pretty fast. I've been off it for about a month now; can't breathe as well but my fingers and wrists and hips don't hurt anymore and the sores in my mouth have gone away as well as the heartburn and constipation. I think it's a pretty scary drug that's prescribed way too frequently and way too fast without enough research.

Occasional hoarseness

Foot Pain leg pain

Nausea or hunger pangs sudden and painful

Heartburn

Bloated stomach but I eat 3 garlic cloves a day so not too sure if Advair is culprit

throat irritation

Have been using the 100 and 250 at one puff a day for year and a half

Excellent control of asthma but the side effects are not worth it. Will consider alternative, perhaps holistic approach.

began advair 100/50 twice a day for asthma approx 1 year ago. dose
increased to 250/50 after 6 months. has REALLY helped my asthma but after stumbling upon this website i am left wondering about it's side effects. i have experienced:
unexplained calf and feet cramps
pimply rash over stomach and back
moodiness/irritability
feels like i have a ball of mucous in the back of my throat
high blood pressure (for the first time in my life)
high blood sugar (diabetes does not run in my family and i'm 5'8" and only weigh 115 lbs.)
dark circles under my eyes
SEVERE dryness on the sides of my mouth
easy bruising
increased heartburn
stomach pain
hip pain, making walking difficult at times
overall increased joint/bone pain (prior diagnosis of osteoarthritis with
recent diagnosis of fibromyalgia)
frequent sore throat
blurred vision
inability to stay focused at times
i am unsure if my advair use has caused any or all of the above symtoms but after reading the similar side effects experienced by other
advair users, i am SERIOUSLY considering stopping my advair. i will be
back in touch once i reach my final decision and let you know if any of these conditions improve

I am new to asthma drugs, diagnosed with asthma in November at 44 years old. I hope that this helps someone else. I was put on Advair a few weeks ago. Along with Zithromax antibiotic to clear up the URI. Also was given Albuterol was severe breathing problems. The Albuterol helped of course (no sleeping though) and the antiobioitc as well as Advair seemed to get the problem under control in about a week. A few days after the anitibiotic was done, symptoms returned, but not as bad. Dr. put me on prednisone (the sterioid), and Advair. That was a hard week, but as before the symptoms improved. however, a few days after the prednisone course symptoms returned. The Dr. then decided to continue with the Advair, another longer course of prednisone and added Singulair to the mix. Within 3 days of taking the Singulair with the Advair, I could not sleep, had severe heart palpitations, wheezing, and the heartburn was so bad I felt like I had a huge stone in my chest and throat and several moderate asthmas incidents where I had to use the Albuterol. I had a headache, dizziness, and could not sleep. The Singulair MADE MY BREATHING PROBLEMS WORSE. And if you read the side effects of Singulair they actually can make worse the very asthma symptoms they are supposed to improve. It was a real eye opener. READ YOUR PATIENT INSERT FROM THE PACKAGE. I felt like I was going to die and each day felt worse. I discontinued the Singular after 4 days and within 24 hours felt much better and in 48 hourss had none of these syjmptoms. My doctor was just incredulous that this MIRACLE drug THAT MOST PEOPLE NEVER, EVER HAVE problems with could bother me. Drs try but you know your body better than anyone else, dont' be shy and stand your ground, they are wrong sometimes!!So listen to your head and heart, and body and read the labels. I had to figure this out for myself. On to the next part of the story, I am on Advair now for about 8 weeks, and notice in the past week, I am light headed, dizzy sometimes, am not sleeping a sound sleep, waking every hour or so, am NERVOUS AND JUMPY, my legs and arms are so weak, I can barely walk, so so tired, I feel like I am just slipping away. It is hard to type this because my fingers are so shakey and weak. Thank goodness I found this web site. I am discontinuing the Advair, I know in my gut that after reading this and listening to that little voice in my head that I am sensitve to a lot of drugs anjd Advair is on of them. It might be 1-3% of the people tested that have these awful side effects, but it doewsn't seem such a small group if you are one of them. And if you look at the studies, they only test around 400 people!!! So my journey continues. I am not totally convinced I even have asthma..............Please email if you would like.

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.

I was prescribed advair for chrinic cough with wheezing.

noticed the following in a few days after I started the medicine.

* Not able to concentrate at work.
* lower left abdomen pain
* heartburn. A burning sensation in my stamoch 2 hours after food. Only thing that would calm it down was Yoghurt.
* restless, no proper sleep.
* feeling obese
* dizzy

Very good effect on my coughing
I stopped the medicine and a lot of theabove went away. Stomach burn is still there. Yoghurt still helps a lot.

To everyone who thought they were experiencing heartburn after taking Advair:

I experienced what I thought was heartburn, but as it turns out is was a really bad throat infection that spread throughout my body. I'm on Amoxycillin right now, and it seems to be doing the trick. It started as "heartburn," then a pain in my throat on the right side, and numbness, dizziness and nausea. After starting the Amoxycillin this past Friday, the pain in my throat subsided yesterday morning, and now the heartburn feeling is back, but that's subsiding as well. It's like the infection is retreating from the antibiotics and will hopefully be gone by the end of the week. After almost three months of freaking out, it looks like I've finally got a cure!

I hope this helps all who are experiencing the "heartburn" feeling. Demand antibiotics. You know your body better than anyone.

**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

******

Pain in feet and hands.
Heartburn
Fatigue

Whoa, am I glad I found this forum! I thought I was goin' nuts!

Let me preface this by saying I have never, NEVER had heartburn in my life. Until I started Advair.

I'm an asthmatic and have used Albuterol for years. It sometimes has gotten to the point where I've had to use it several times a day. That's when my doctor recommended Advair. Right off the bat, I could breathe easier (with Advair 250), and I thought I'd found my wonder drug. A couple weeks later I developed a bad case of heartburn with a sore throat. I was downing Tums like crazy. I thought it might have something to do with the Advair, so I went off it and saw my doctor. She dismissed the notion that Advair was the culprit, and told me to lay off the caffeine, tomato products, onions, etc. And to sleep in an inclined position. She also prescribed Protonix. So I went back on Advair and I was actually feeling better a couple weeks later when I had my follow-up appointment. The heartburn hadn't gone away completely, but it wasn't as bad. Well, after the follow-up, the heartburn came back with a vengeance. It got so bad that death would have been welcome. At that point I really had a strong suspicion that Advair had something to do with it. I stopped Advair a week and a half ago and went to see the doctor today. I finally convinced her that Advair could be the problem. Then she asked if I rinsed my mouth out when I used it. I admitted to her that I had not. She said that swallowing the residue instead of rinsing it could cause the heartburn. In any case, I swayed her in the right direction. I'm seeing a GI specialist next week and I'm gonna specifically tell him about Advair and the many posts on this message board. By the way, since stopping Advair a week and a half ago I still have the heartburn, but it's not as bad. It's not good, but at least I don't want to die. I wish I'd never heard about that stuff. If you've had a similar experience, let me know! =)

Oh my gosh, for a while there I thought I was the only one!

After being on Advair 250 for about a few weeks, I developed indigestion and severe heartburn. I stopped taking it and went to the doctor, who dismissed Advair as the culprit. She prescribed a better diet, lay off the spicy foods, caffeine, etc. and prescribed Protonix. I started taking Advair again, and was actually getting better by the time I had my my followup appointment a couple weeks later. Then I took a turn for the worse and was right back to square one with the heartburn. I mean, heartburn so bad that I just wanted to die. I stopped taking Advair again about a week and a half ago, and the symptoms have persisted, although they haven't been quite as bad over the last few days. I went to the doctor again today, and she's now beginning to suspect Advair. When she asked me if I rinsed my mouth after taking it, I said no. She seems to think that ingesting it instead of washing out my mouth may have caused my heartburn. Anyway, she prescribed Tagamet along with Protonix, and I have an appointment with a GI specialist next week. I just want my old life back! If you've had these symptoms, please do contact me!

hoarsness
heartburn

Bloated stomach
Severe pain in back and stomach muscles
heartburn
Weight gain

I'm 29... My doctor prescribed Advair 250/50 after I had a difficult case of bronchitis that left me short of breath for some time after. I used the Diskus properly and rinsed well after each use, but still had problems with mouth ulcers and laryngitis. I also experienced:

Tightness in my chest

Severe heartburn & acid reflux (which I've never had before)

Dry, flaky skin as well as periods of severe acne

Muscle & joint pain

Jaw pain & tooth sensitivity

Menstrual disruption (My first period on Advair was very short and light. Then it stopped altogether. I've been off Advair for over a month and am still in this menopause state.)