Advair HFA and protonix

26/f on Advair for 1 year, 3 mos. Diagnosed with asthma when I was 17. Was overusing my Albuterol and my symptoms got worse so pulmonologist prescribed Advair 250/50. After the first week of taking 2 puffs a day, I didn't need Albuterol inhaler and was able to exercise for the first time in YEARS without needing emergency inhaler. Advair was my life saver. Also prescribed to me was Protonix- the doctor thought I had acid reflux which contributed to my asthma symptoms. I take that seasonally now, when I notice a hoarseness in speech. I do get headaches every so often, they have been occurring more frequently as with mood swings so I am researching medications. I have no idea if this is tied into my Advair use since I've been on it over a year now. I might try going off Advair to see if it is related. I've also had a weird muscle cramp in my left armpit area which I NEVER would have thought was related to Advair but several people here have reported it.

In short, the headaches, mood swings, etc. do NOT outweigh my ability to exercise and breathe normal. I will most likely try to lower my dose of Advair or ween myself off to see how I do, but if my asthma worsens, I'd rather stay on Advair

Wow! Maybe I'm not just falling apart. I was put on advair 500/50 2 months ago after a 12 day stay in the hospital for status asthmaticus. I was on the ventilator for 3 of those days then bipap. I have gained 13 lbs, and have joint pain-worse in my fingers. My fingers also feel stiff. Thrush has been a constant problem that started before I even left the hospital. I also have mouth pain even when there are signs of thrush. Now I have 2 strange looking small white bumps on the roof of my mouth on the soft palate. It seems different than thrush. I found thisweb site trying to figure out if it is a side effect. I had no idea that all of these other symptoms I have been having were from the advair. I have so much anxiety and nervousness that i shake sometimes. I am also very moody and have no sex drive. I have headaches almost every day. I do not have the leg and foot cramps, but I do have muscle tightness and pain in my back. I just cannot believe this. My pulmonoligist kinda looked at me like I was crazy when I was telling him about all of these strange symptoms that I have been having. I was beginning to think maybe I was! I stay tired all of the time and have no energy. I am also on singulair, protonix for GERD, and i take flovent and xopenix nebulizer, and allbuterol inhaler. my asthma has been pretty much under control compared to what it was, but I still cough and wheeze. I'm scared to take myself off of it. I don't want to end up back in the hospital again.

Out of desparation I went on the internet today to see if anyone else besides myself was having adverse reactions. I went to the Dr. yesterday and neither one of us could figure out why I was hoarse,throat full of phlem, felt like I had a lump in my throat and it felt tight. Kept feeling like I had to swallow. The roof of my mouth is sore and my toungue is sore. Funny taste in my mouth. Acid reflux. Prilosec no longer working. Running a fever last week of 102 degrees. Yesterday when I took my morning dose of advair it fellt like my mouth was on fire. Constant non stop post nasal drip, which made me feel like I constantly had to swallow. Felt paniky. Desided to take myself off Advair today. I'm already feeling better. My voice is coming back to normal. The thick phlem is subsiding and the swelling and tightness in my neck is almost gone. Weight gain of 20 lbs in the last year. The advair was actually triggering bronchitis and was also causing acid reflux. The medication prilosec, nexium,protonix etc. can increase your chance of getting pneumonia and upper respritory problems. I was not diagnosed with asthma, yet the Nurse Practioner was treating me with aggressive asthma medication, which over time was worse than the original symptoms. By the way Flovent and advair are the same thing so I also took myself off flovent. I went to the health food store and bought allergy 10 and echinacea. Echinacea boosts the immune system and acts like an antibiotic, but should not be taken for more than 6 to 8 weeks at a time. Allergy 10 can be take indefinately.

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!