Advair HFA and new doctor

I have taken 100/50 Advair off and on for several years and hadn't noticed any problems. Three weeks ago I was switched to 250/50 strength Advair following a bad cold which I believe had become bronchitis but my NEW doctor believed was an asthma attack. I don't have asthma "attacks". I just have asthma which is always under control except for when I am exposed to smoke. Even then it isn't that bad. I just use a puff or two on my inhaler and I am good to go. So, I don't think I even needed to be put on the 250/50 strength! Right away, even with careful rinsing, I started to develop a sore throat. I had a constant cough, had to constantly clear my throat to try to speak and it hurt to talk. Within two weeks, besides the throat and congestion problems, I felt miserable as if I had a severe case of influenza: major headache, sinus and teeth pain, joint pains, severe fatigue, chills, burning eyes and blurry vision. I also developed an itchy red rash on my buttock and felt as though I was beginning to get a UTI. Because I felt so lousy, I told myself I didn't have to take the Advair which I knew would just make my throat feel worse. So, I went a whole weekend without the Advair and I started to feel better. Then on Monday morning, I took the Advair (which immediately made my throat hurt) and later went to see the new doctor in the afternoon. (We didn't discuss Advair because I hadn't made the connection and, obviously, he didn't either.) The doctor said I was negative for a UTI and thought my rash was cellulitis. He prescribed an oral antibiotic. I haven't taken any Advair since Monday a.m. because I read about its side effects on the Internet on Monday evening. My throat feels better. It is so good not to be constantly coughing and clearing my throat! The rash didn't respond to the antibiotic, but it did respond to the anti-yeast infection skin cream I decided to use on it. Unfortunately, the antibiotics DID give me a vaginal yeast infection and now I am also treating that! I am wondering if there is a connection between my skin yeast infection and the 250/50 Advair or if Advair just causes thrush (a mouth yeast infection)? Also, my eyes still burn and I still get blurry vision. Could I have a yeast infection in my eyes? I'm wondering because I have read on the Internet that steroids--just like antibiotics--can cause yeast infections. If so, then maybe thrush is not the only type of yeast infection that 250/50 Advair could cause?

I was on Advair for 6 years and I had the painful cramps in my legs so bad i could hardly move and my legs and hands were always falling asleep.Although it helped with my asthma the pain was to much to handle the doctor who told me to take the advair told me i had tendinitis in my legs well as of 2005 i have stopped taking advair and as soon as i stopped i never felt the pain again and my hands and feet never feel asleep again I stopped cold turkey and I will never take it ever again. P.S my new doctor i got in 2005 told me to stop taking Advair and i didn't listen to him right away but I soon realized how bad the inhaler was.It has been 3 years now and i have never felt that pain again.

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 was on advair for almost two years, It worked wonderful for my breathing. I been battling chest pain, hip pain, skin rashes, short term memory loss/complex problem solving, severe calf pain when sleeping, and always feeling lazy. I been to three doctors about my problems and have ask if advair is causing my problems. They all said there is no way it is. I spend thousands of dollars trying to figure out what is wrong with me and the doctors and my wife think I making everything up, that it is in my head. Last month I thought I'll try to quit using advair. My chest pain has be occurring alot less, like once a week instead of 8 hours a day, my rash is gone, I still have light hip pain and haven't had any calf pain while sleeping yet. I just hope nothing is long term. My breathing is kind of bad now because I'm not taking anything but its better then ever the effects. Has anyone notice their cholesterol being higher on advair?