Advair HFA and inhalers

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 am a 47 year old female that has had asthma all of my life. I was wanting to stop taking Advair and looked up this website, boy am I glad I did. I have all of these side effects. I have been taking Advair 500/50 twice daily for 7 yrs. I have all of the side affects and more. I have experienced hair lose, depression ( I also take Wellburtin XL) since I have started the Advair, I have pain in my legs that make me feel older than I am. I have gain 40 lbs in the past 7 yrs. I now wear reading glasses because my vision is blurry. People always say my face looks rounder. I hate the drug. My doctor said the none of the side effects are caused for the Advair. As of yesterday I stopped taking the Advair. I have cut down my does slowly for the past 2 months. Can someone who has stopped the Adavir tell me what to expect now that I have stopped. Advair is a crazy drug and I refuse to keep taking it.

WOW! I guess I will consider myself one of the lucky ones after reading all of these side effects posted here. Let me first say that I have tried many inhalers -- serevent, flovent, ventolin etc etc -- and the asthma kept getting worse. Then my doctor suggested Advair. I've been taking it for several years now. I knew that all medications have side effects and I read through the list carefully. The medicine was a Godsend! It helped me so much that I would have recommended it to most anyone. Recently, however, I've started having the occasional heart palpitations and recurring sinus infections. I'm beginning to wonder if it is time to move on to another drug. I'm in my early 30s and have been trying to conceive for a few years to no avail. I recently read that Advair can cause irregular cycles and now wonder if it is playing a part in my fertility struggles. Only other symptoms I have are tooth sensitivity and occasional leg cramps -- however, these existed prior to starting Advair; they might have become more prevalent but I don't believe Advair caused them.
I'd like to hear from anyone who is currently trying Asmanex...that might be my next drug.

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

My son was prescribed Advair for his asthma a week ago. He has been having leg cramps so bad, his legs buckle on him. Dr said it's not because of Advair, but after reading this site, I'm taking him off Advair immediately.

I was a 2:42 marathoner. I used a synthetic varnish containing isocyanates, pentanedione, organic solvents, in one 7-hour session; the company-recommended respirator did not in fact prevent transmission: Severe chemically- induced asthma, plus neuropathy, plus, plus.

I've used Advair 500/50 for six years. There have been many diverse effects from the chemical exposure; I'd not questioned any being Advair side effects. But the raised blood pressure was not initial, and certainly not a priori. Diminished hearing, diminished eyesight, anxiety. Again, not to lump in, but these questions are new for me. But the point I'd like to bring before this group is this: In August I was diagnosed with ehlichiosis , and was prescribed 28 days on doxycycline. They recommend eliminating many possible antagonists to the doxycycline. My respiratory capacity had been continually diminishing. My ongoing physician said this was to be expected and recommended only the next more powerful steroid. Not a good solution. Before all this I was strong; repaired myself. In the absence of constructive answers, wondering if the Advair was weakening me, making me dependent, I quit the Advair as well on beginning the doxycycline. Today is eleven days post-doxycycline. Eight days ago there began with increasing severity, a terrible wracking deep cough producing dark yellow mucus. Painful. No fever. Grevious throat from the wracking, but I question whether this is a cold or infection. It's just in my lungs. Maybe it's as though I've thrown off an epithelial coating. These past two days the quantity of deep yellow mucus is not as ready, but the wracking and coughing is more severe. And my lung capacity, my respiratory capacity, is frighteningly diminished. Until these past two days I'd considered this an infection, especially post-doxy. But it doesn't feel like an infection. And I'm scared. Is this because I quit the Advair abruptly after long regular use? Have any of you had a similar experience. Can you discuss the effects of abruptly discontinuing Advair. Have you stayed off it. What's happened to your respiratory capacity. Have you any professional studies, trials or experience to recommend. Thanks.

I am 35 yrs. old and have been using inhaled steroids(albuterol,asmacort,vanceril, and Avair) for the past 16 years. I had noticed my eye vision deteriorating over the last 11 years. I was diagnost with and eye disease called kerataconis. i suspect a connection to my asthma medication use. I can only see effectivly with aid of special lense glasses, or hard contacts. I have since ceased use of Advair, and all inhalers , hoping to halt further progression, and the need for corneal trans plants. Too bad for me that Advair and the drug companies didnt fully do a better job warning the public 11 years ago when it could have made a difference.

I have Cystic Fibrosis and am age 54 in a few months. I have cataracts and detaching vitreous, opthalmic conditions which are common to people 20 years older. The opthalmologist suggested that use of steroids over the years could have caused it. My use of steroids was very limited until age 40 when I started Flovent/Serevent inhalers. I believe the Advair, which became continuous use 4 years ago caused my eyes to degrade within one year of use. Please bring back Serevent and Flovent, and please discontinue powdered inhalers. That is in conflict with reactive airway disease in my opinion!!!

I have been on Advair for a couple of years now with resulting excellent control of my asthma. I have struggled with this control since childhood using my rescue inhalers frequently. I don't need them at all anymore. However, I have severe hoarseness of the voice, now need to see a special voice doctor, and it has even affected my job. The hoarsness is so severe at times that it is complete laryngitis with no voice at all. What do you chose, control over your asthma, or being able to communicate with others using your voice? It's a tough choice.

I had to stop using the product as I got severe headaches when using the product. Physican said they might have been attributed to the propellant in advair or the administration of both asthma meds simultaneously.
Changed me to Flovent and Albuterol administered in seperate inhalers.

I was given Advair 500 to use twice a day for a month to see if it improved my lung function test. I typically do NOT follow through with my meds so I promised my allergist dr - i have been seeing for over 25 yrs - that I would use it religiously 2 tiems per day for a month. Well, beginning the first week I starting waking up with headaches and keeping them on and off all day. The second week, the headaches got worse. i was thinking maybe the humidity and storms with it being June. Third week, headaches still intensifying, but bad tatse in moth - bad breath- sore throat, ear ache, drainage, horrible loud sudden sneezing, and nausea. Fourth week, all above still but nausea is awful. I kept thinking i was pregnant. I was nauseated mornings, with frequent urination, nausea after eating, and nausea at night. I have been living with headaches, sore throat, nausea, and this horrible mouth feeling like cotton inside. Well, when it came time for my 1 month appt something came up and i had to cancel so i called to tell the nurse I stopped due to the above symptoms and during that week I had to begin using my albuterol because I was having chest tightness. I have not had a new lung function test to see if it improved, i seriously doubt it did. he know has me on Albuterol and Flovent every 4 hrs. Before this is had not used any inhalers for atleast 6 months. All this just to improve my lung function test. I ekpt thinking it was in my head, but by the 3rd week there were too many things going wrong with my body. Thank you to all of you who have given your side. It helps me to know I am not alone.

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

Like most of you who have posted here, I too saw remarkable & remarkably quick improvement in my asthma (& even some allergy) symptoms. However, I'm also discovering that it is not worth the side effects!!! I would rather have the sneezing & wheezing than what I've been dealing with the last week or so!

And just to help put it in "context": I'm 31 years old & have had asthma & allergies since the age of 4. When I was younger it was really bad, I was often in the emergcency room 2 or 3 times a week, was prone to bronchitis & sinus infections, etc. When I was a teenager, I mostly outgrew it (though I've always had a rescue inhaler & some type of allergy medication, I just didn't have the severity/intensity of symptoms/attacks I did as a kid), but in my late 20's noticed that some of the symptoms seemed to be coming back, not too seriously, just "uncomfortably". I was using the Albuterol as my rescue inhaler with the Flovent inhaler & Allegra & was having good results, with minimal to no side effects, but when Claritin went over the counter, most insurance companies stopped covering the Allegra. I went in to my doctor's office almost 2 weeks ago to see about getting my treatment options updated... what I had in mind was perhaps getting upgraded to the higher dose of the Flovent inhaler & having the doctor right a letter so the insurance company would cover my Allegra, and was put on Flonase & Advair instead. Over the years I've taken Theophylline, Albuterol, Proventil (inhalers), Flovent, occassional rounds of Prednisone, allergy shots, Allegra, nebulizer treatments.. you name it.... and I can honestly say that as awful as some of that stuff made me feel (particularly the Prednisone & Theophylline), I can't EVER remember there being a time when I'd rather have the bad asthma, than the icky side effect!! This stuff is awful!!!!! I'd stopped taking the Flonase, but then realized 2 things: 1). it's the exact same ingrediant as the Flovent, which I'd had no problems with & 2). I was still taking the Advair & feeling crappier & crappier. It's the most god-awful stuff I think I've ever taken!

I've only been taking it since the evening of March 31st (it's now midday on April 12th) & here is the list of side-effects I've noticed, and that seem to be getting worse instead of better:

nausea (pretty bad too, have had days where all I can eat is saltines & gingerale!)
dizziness (have actually fallen twice! This from someone who dances, rides horses, does yoga, etc!);
ringing in my ears (LOUD)
earaches & itchy ears
headaches
joint/muscle stiffness, swelling & tenderness (feels like I've got arthritis or something & my back & neck muscles just ache all the time!)
sinus pressure/tenderness & blood when I blow my nose (just short of full-on nosebleeds)
depression/lethargy/extreme fatigue (again, I'm someone who usually enjoys things like walks, puttering around the house & garden, riding horses, doing yoga, going dancing... & all I've wanted to do is either sleep or lay around... yesterday folding a load of laundry made me soooo tired I wanted to cry!)
emotional changes (irritability, weepiness, etc.)
sleep disturbances/insomnia (not getting restful sleep, feeling to wound up to sleep, nightmares like I haven't had since I was a kid, etc.)
vision changes (blurry, those weird silvery traces/flashes somebody else here mentioned)
itchy skin -- ALL OVER!!
dry skin
1st diahhrea, now constipation
frequent urination
weight gain -- which is strange considering I'm too nauseaus to eat anything most days
strange & constant taste in my mouth (very "chemically" & slightly metallic) -- nothing tastes right
heartburn/indigestion (which I've never had!!)
heart palpitations/tremors/restlessness/nervousness
inability to concentrate
memory problems/"fogginess"
scratchy/mild sore throat
tender roof of mouth (eating toast is difficult)

The list goes on & on.... and, I am really good about taking it exactly as prescribed (had even cut back & that's not helping) & being sure to rinse my mouth out with water (& gargle!) & so on.... what I find most strange is that many of the symptoms would seem as though they couldn't possibly coexist... that they would cancel each other out (e.g. having insomnia & sleep disturbances at the same time as extreme fatigue & constantly wanting to nap; intense hunger pangs & weight gain when I'm too nauseaus to even want to think about food, etc.)... but there they all are!!

What scares me is that aside from having allergies & asthma, I've always been a very active & healthy person.... and in the last week I've gone from feeling like a young healthy person with some uncomfortable asthma/allergy symptoms to feeling like a sick, decrepit, feeble & exhausted old person.... my 89 year old grandpa has fewer physical complaints & is in better shape at the moment!!!

If it wasn't for this website, who knows how long I've had let myself think it was due to something other than this god-awful medication... thanks!! I've taken my last dose of Advair!! I'm just going to have to explore some other options to treat my symptoms (I hadn't thought I was actually "bad" enough to need something like Advair in the 1st place), or get the insurance company to cover my Allegra!

I am so thrilled to have stumbled across this site. So many lightbulbs are going on. I have been gathering pieces of the Advair complications in my life just recently after taking it for years. Finally so many things are making sense. I started taking Advair 100/50 in 1996, and like most people, I had almost immediate relief of symptoms. My alupent inhalers that I used to puff on regularly started to expire before I was even 1/3 of the way through them. What a miracle!
I experienced no MAJOR side effects until my dosage was bumped up last fall to the 250.

From that point on, I have experienced:

* a chronic raw, gravelly sore throat. I saw a specialist (who knew what amount of Advair I was on and never mentioned this as a possibility) He sent me on my way with a pamphlet on heart burn. I don't have heart burn, and my friends joke that I have a permanent new, husky smoker's voice!

* severe dry skin and horrible eczema, concentrated mainly on my lower legs and ankles-- this started almost exactly one month after my dosage was increased but I didn't make the connection

* thinning hair

* cuts, sores slow to heal

* yeast infections are a frequent and nasty visitor

* swelling in my ankles

* toe and leg cramps

* slight weight gain

* irritability-- my typically sunny attitude has shifted to a lot of depression and feelings of anger off and on

Also, like so many others here, when I tried to talk to the Dr. about decreasing my level of Advair, she told me not to mess with success and wanted to hear nothing about it. When I flat out asked her what the long term consequences could be of inhaling steroids, she responded by saying "Well, you don't absorb them in your system since you are inhaling it, so there's obviously nothing to worry about! Harumph.." She acted like it was the stupidest question she had ever heard and left me feeling angry and frustrated.

I consulted with my dermatologist in regards to my eczema.. I have almost been scratching my legs until they bleed because the itching is so insufferable and nothing has been alleviating the symptoms. She confirmed that the Advair use could definitely be linked to my increasing, chronic skin problems. Another patient in their practice had developed full blown Cushing's Syndrome after years of excessive inhaled cortisone. Her skin was thin and papery and her whole system was a mess.

I have an appt with a new dr. this week to begin a regimen of weaning off this stuff. I am quite scared and only wish I would have connected the dots sooner. It was my German brother-in-law, a doctor, who raised red flags with me when I told him about my symptoms and showed him the dosage of Advair I was taking twice a day. He was quite stunned and quickly convinced me the severity of the situation.

I am a 55 yr old female that has battled with asthma my whole life. In the more recent years, it seems to be more related to allergies, than the earlier years when I was more affected by temp changes and activity. I have used a form of albuterol in inhalers for years to control it. About 5 years ago my doctor put me on Serevent and Flovent. Last year he changed me to Advair saying it was the combo of the two of them. I have gained a lot of upper body weight in the last 5 years. I have never had a weight problem until now and can't seem to lose it. I have also developed high blood pressure and have to take meds for that and for "water weight", and joint pain and have to take meds for that. I stumbled onto this forum and it has been a real eye opener. I realize that some of this is due to my age and body changes but I now wonder how much has to do with the medications, particularly Advair. I wonder if I can drop the weight - and therefore lower my blood pressure and cholesterol and maybe lessen my joint pain if I stop the Advair? Has anyone experienced anything like this. My asthma was pretty controllable prior to Advair - Thanks for any info you may have.

I've been using Advair for 3 months, after a week or so major headaches and insomnia started. After one month I had constant upper respiratory problems, rhinitis, post nasal drip, then I got really sick supposedly from a common virus doctors insisted had nothing to do with Advair, I was in bed for 2 weeks, had a 104 fever for 4 days, major ear infection, muscle pains that made me feel like I was being beaten, stomach pains that come in waves and still persist on and off with no apparant cause, I am very itchy, my face is patchy and very dry, my ankles and feet often get very sore, this is all very unusual for me. Normal tasks make my feet feel like I've run a marathon. I've now stopped the Advair as of today after having gone yet again to the doctor with a sinus infection and my ear is hurting again! I'm sick of being sick! My back and breasts seem swollen and very tender. Doctors insist it can be something else but never the advair. I am going back to my turbo inhalers and herbal teas. I now have to take Mometasone furoate monohydrate (Nasonex) to help my nose and ears drain. I have been experiencing some blurred vision and almost every side effect listed on this web site. I do find "Respirease" herbal liquid formula helps but it gets a little expensive, I think its better than poisoning myself with Advair!

possibly weight gain, not sure if its related or not; however Advair is the best drug that I have ever taken for my Asthma. I have had asthma all my life and Advair works perfectly for me. No more rescue inhalers.

I have had asthma my whole life, and as a professional opera singer, getting it under control was crucial. After years of singulair, serevent, azmacort, rescue inhalers, and nebulizers......and after a massive attack that put me in the hospital....I was put on Advair. This was about 1 1/2 years ago, and I was thrilled to be able to breathe and sing long phrases and to be able to run and exercise without my rescue inhaler..but slowly side effects began to appear. At first it was weight gain, and then an incredible inability to shed any weight. Then, depression set in, the reflux, and the constant hoarseness and voice issues (not good for business!) But all my doctors were adamant that the Advair was not the cause.

Horrifyingly, I have just been diagnosed with vocal cord cysts that the ENT's believe may have been caused by the Advair and accompanying reflux, since they have ruled out every other possibilty. I have lost my first major opera job, and am unable to sing professionally.....until I can find the money to get the cysts surgically removed, and even then there is no guarantee.

This is a true nightmare! The ENT has urged me to wean off and stop taking the Advair so we can stem any further damage...... and I am so sad about losing my voice...it is who I am and how I communicate and now it is gone.

I never knew that with Advair the choice was either to breathe or sing, the goal was to do both.

If you sing....do NOT take Advair, please.

I started taking Advair about 1 1/2 years ago. Around September of last year I reported white dots on my throat to my doctor, he gave me a z-pack (over the phone). I suffered with these white dots/fungus on and off for over 6 months now and recently found out it's a yeast infection. I was prescribed a medicine you swish with. As soon as I was done with the med., I got the yeast infection back but even worse!! I have night sweats, break outs all over my body (I used to have a very clear complexion), I cough up thick chunky mucus and am tired all the time. My doctor ran a bunch of tests and found nothing else wrong and took me off Advair immediatly. Now what? I did great on Serevent and Flovent inhalers and now all they have is disks! I'm afraid to take more disks, I just want to start feeling better.

I have been on this medication for the last 2 weeks .I never had asthma . I had a case of acute bronchitis with wheezing it required 2 day hospital stay/steriods and inhalers.I am off prednisone and suppose to take this inhaler for 12 weeks.
I am experiencing :
Hoarse voice/Bloating/nerverousness/dizziness very painful neck spasms that radiate down my left arm to my hand.
My gut is to quit. I go bac to work on Monday. I am an er case manager I will be seeking out the pulmonologist to have a heart to heart!!