Advair HFA and thrush

On Advair after bout with asthma. Stayed on it for about 4 months (500 then the 250/50) I felt worse! Throat tightened, thrush (which i had in mouth, throat and esophagus and up into my sinuses)- raspy vocal cords, dry mouth and weight gain. Dr. pulled me off- i will NEVER use again!

I have been on Advair for about 5 months. It really controls my asthma symptoms well- I had wheezing with exercise and now can run without wheezing. However, I am losing my voice. I feel like I have to strain to speak and this leaves me out of breath, which is a problem since I teach 3rd grade for a living! I also have a chronically sore throat and a white coating on my tongue and throat, despite rinsing my mouth and brushing my tongue after using the Diskus. I am torn about what to do because I hate the asthma symptoms I had but I hate these side effects just as much!

I am a part-time professional singer and attorney. I developed an odd cough-variant asthma this winter at age 42 -- it had scary breath shortness and wheezing plus lots of phlegm coughed up. I had never before had the shortness/wheezing/asthma, though I have always had allergies and occasional bronchitis following a cold. The asthma/allergy specialists put me on Advair 500 twice a day with each attack, plus an oral prednisone burst/short taper, nebulized (not just rescue inhaler) albuterol (beta 2 agonist), and antibiotics (a different one each time). I also take Claritin, Rhinocort and Astelin for my allergies. I had four attacks of asthma this winter that were treated this way; after the fourth, they put me on Advair 250 maintenance for a month. With each attack, I would get hoarse, have trouble sleeping, and get odd muscle cramps I never had had. The hoarseness was worse each time, but I was able to sing through it at my regular gigs. I attributed the side effects to the prednisone. With my fifth attack, they told me to ramp up the Advair to 500 and do all else the same, but as an experiment to see how this would alter those side effects, I decided to treat it with everything but the prednisone. The hoarseness, sleep trouble, and muscle cramps were all much worse. I found this site, noted the recommendation of several other singers to try Asmanex instead of Advair, and asked the docs about it. They agreed that all these symptoms could be related to the Advair and gave me Asmanex 250 twice/day instead instead of the Advair, plus all the other meds for the attack. The symptoms went away within a week, although it took a little longer for me to get over the asthma attack this time. I am extremely grateful to this site and all the users posting comments. I can sing again, sleep again, and exist without weird muscle cramps during treatment of my asthma. Thank you very much.

I have been on advair for about 6 years. and im 18 years old. I am now just experiencing signs and symptoms of major ANXIETY!.... RESTLESSNESS, and MOOD SWINGS and im wondering what its from.. it just now started kicking in? I am a severe asthmatic and this is the best thing for me.. but now im starting to wonder???

Been on Advair only a few months. MY mouth is on fire and I awake to my tongue almost sticking to the roof of my mouth. I never really had asthma but I started with a cough after a bad case of bronchitis. I started with Albuterol and the advair next.
I'm going to try to stop this because I'm sure that this is why I feel the way I do?
Has anyone else had problems with their mouth. Doesn't look like Thrush but it sure hurts.

Its me again, the next statistic for GSK, I just also wanted to say if anyone feels like joining me on my takedown of the purple beast please feel free to contact me via e-mail. I Also, I read alot about nebulizers (sp?) and am not familar. Can anyone please explain? Can it help me not die from not taking my meds? That would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

I'm 58 with COPD and the Dr. put me on Advair for breathing. I have been having severe join pain the last two weeks and believe it may be from the rx. also, have reccurring pneumonia, thrush, and sleep disturbances. Sound familiar? let me know if you have the joint pain.

I suspect Advair is responsible for my having come down with pneumonia,stabbing chest pains( which the Dr. at the ER suggested was Pleurisy) and severe back pain in my lower back. I haven't been able to sleep in bed for at least 6 weeks and must sleep in a chair with my feet propped up on an ottoman.I have used Advair since July 2007, first 250/50 then 500/50 and now back to 250/50 in order to reduce hoarseness. The pneumonia is gone after 5 days hospitalization; the pleurisy pain has just subsided with pain killers and anti inflammatory meds . But the severe lower back pain is still there; my orthopedic Dr. has recommended physical therapy which I plan to initiate. However, stopping the use of Advair may be exactly what I need to end the back pain. I would like to mention that I did experience Thrush upon using Advair and I found that it completely went away when I started drinking pure Pomegranate juice.It doesn't taste great but it was recommended by friends during the time I had pneumonia, and lo and behold, it seems to have done away with Thrush. The Advair along with Siriva does seem to help my asma but these suspected side effects are very debilitating.

I'm glad I found this site .. I too have been on Advair for many, many years due to chronic asthma. While the drug has helped me control my asthma, for the past two years every time I get a cold, I get pneumonia. I also have chronic thrush I cannot get rid of and one poster had mentioned her feet cramping and I've had some of that too. My doctor doesn't really listen to my complaints, but getting pneumonia really scares me - I have two small children to take care of. Hope all the posters are doing better now.

Scary drug. After only 11 doses i suffered hoarseness, thrush (very unpleasant) extreme pain in chest, neck and shoulders in particular. Though i was having a heart attack!! My digestion seems totally screwed up as does my sense of taste. Also, it seemed that when dosage wore off breathing was much worse than before; forcing you to take it again. Bad side effects lasted long after i stopped taking 50/250, and stilll continue. How did this make it thru FDA?

Started as a mild asthmatic. Found a spot on my loere left lobe.Was put on advair 500/50 about 1 month ago. Had a bronchoscopy done. The spot was vegetable material (aspirated). I do have a history of GERD. I developed round the clock unproductive coughing. My pulmonary specialist offered Prednisone and an antibiotic. Then for some reason, he changed his mind. I continued with round the clock Shortness of breath and severe coughing, round the clock for a full week.I decided to see my primary care doctor, who wished I had gone to the pulmonary specialist. So, he called the specialist and then put me on Methylprednisolone 4MG, 21 pack.This calmed the asthma, but not everything. I had a sore throat, sore mouth, sore inner ears. I still coughed a lot, and raised sometimes thick white sputum, and sometimes yellow-green sputum. I got pretty sick, so I went to the ER where they did a chest X-Ray, and some blood work. The ER Doc said maybe I had a hiatial hernia and things would eventually settle down. Became very short of breath and could hardly move. I got in to see the Pulmonary Doc, who said that I looked much
worse, defended doing the bronchoscopy, and never mentioned changing the Advair to something else. He noted that I also have Thrush. I borught home four more prescriptions last night (which included an antibiotic for pneumonia, a few cough suppressants and Nystatin for Thrush. I am raising pleanty of sputum. Doing a little better. I absolutely needed the bronchoscopy. But I am now having difficulty talking myself into using the Advair, with the pneumonia and the Thrush.
Most of our doctors want to help people to be well. But, our pharmeceutical companies are having their reps win and din the docotors get their products sold to patients. This needs to stop!

I was put on Advair 500/50 about 2 monhs ago. I was in the mild asthma category. I use Albuterol as a rescue inhailer, and I have used Singulair for some time. A spoot showed on my lung. I then had a brochoscopy done, which showed that I had aspirated some vegetable matter. (I also have GERD). I developed a severe cough and could hardly walk, at first unable to raise much sputum, and had pleanty of audible heezing. Finally, I got put on MethylPrednisolne 4mg tablets (6 days). That took care of the asthmatic end. However, I still coughed pleanty, and could hardly move or take care of myself. I started coughing up huge amounts of pus looking sputum and also yellow-green sputum.My throat hurt, my ears hurt, and I was exhausted. I went to the ER, where they did a Chest X-Ray and a blood test. The next day, I went to my pulmonary specialist. I have pneumonia, and thrush, still couging up pleanty of stuff. I am on Nystatin for Thrush and Augmentin for infection, some other stuff for cough. I think that most of our doctors sincerely want to help us. However, this wining and dining of our doctors from the pharmeceutical companies has to stop!!! It is causing A LOT OF PROBLEMS FOR BOTH DOCTORS AND PATIENTS. I am still on the Advair. I would like to get off it.

My husband was given a sample of this for a month-long bout of bronchitis and we are now thinking it has done permanent damage to his vocal chords. He only used it 5 times, got thrush (yeast infection) in his throat and is still hoarse after a week of being off of it. Does anyone know the history of this drug and has the word "class action lawsuit" crossed anyone's mind besides mine? I am amazed at the way pharmaceutical companies run the healthcare business in this country!

I don't want to go off on a rant here, but are people aware that a large portion of the FDA's operating budget is provided by pharmaceutical manufacturers? This isn't our first experience with this type of thing and I'm about to launch a grassroots campaign to educate the public. Maybe they'll stop believing all the marketing hype.

I'm thinking that the pharmaceutical companies ought to heed the Hippocratic oath - FIRST, DO NO HARM. Wouldn't it be a remarkably different world if they would take all the money they're spending on marketing and use it to lower the price of orphan and AIDS drugs? They keep saying that research is expensive - and advertising on every possible television show, radio and magazines is cheap? Hello? Are we going to be sheep or are we going to be citizens and hold these companies responsible for what they're doing. Thanks for letting me vent. Please contact me if you want to do something about this. And no, I'm not an attorney, but I'm a writer and I think I just found out what my first book is going to be about...

My tenyr old daughter has been on advair for about 3 yrs and now Her feet are swelling for no reason an EKG was performed and discovered she has Premature atrial contractions and left venticula hypertrophy. her hr rate is 75. she constatnaly has aches and pains; often feelig liek someone beat her up. she brusies very easy. I am trying to figure out what is going on. My daughter never has thrush because I made her brush her teeth after each treatment and rinse with listerine ( I am Nurse) For her trt. She inhaled her brochodialtor then her advair to make sure the medication was diffuse through out. If oany one else is experienceing these side effects please post.

I also am having trouble sleeping. It takes xanax or melatonin or both, to help me to unwind. Yikes.

I will be taking Advair for 4 years this March. The Dr. warned me that thrush and suppressed immune system were side effects. Are others not being told this? I rinse or brush my teeth after each dose. This is very important. I do have muscle cramping from time to time, so I eat potassium rich foods. Lately I have been having chest pain so I am concerned. Checking this out. This may be due to adding Singulair recently. Prior to Advair I could not get my asthma under control. Recently I went off of the Advair and the asthma was much worse. So..the side effects are not good but the asthma w/no Advair is bad also. Not sure what the answer is.

I have been using advair for many years when I developed a fungus or whats called adult Thrush. also have had many bouts of hoarseness. I have a neice who also suffered from the same thing.

i was on advair for about 4 months, i too experienced many of the side effects mentioned.

i had hoarsenss, thrush, sores on my gums and tongue.
my body i experienced hip pain and immobility, arthritis in pinky. i am very active in sports, i noticed muscle weakness in my abdomen, i also noticed i couldn;t get ripped like i used to while on advair, and a sagginess and roundness to my face. also experienced back pain/ache due to the advair. i noticed i tended to get injured much more quickly. i felt i constantly had to exercise to maintain my strength.

also frequent urination and slow urination, dribble etc.

then i tried serevent and flovent, almost all the same symptoms, got off of that

also had sinus problems, , when i got off advair, it's been around 4-5 months the side effects are all gone.

right now , i'm not on any meds except albuterol inhaler, it's been tough, but i am experimenting with other alternatives.

I have used advair for about 5 months and it has significantly imporved my capacity to breathe without the usual symtoms of my asthma controlling my life. On occassion I still have to use an inhaler. I brush my teeth and rinse with Listerine after each enhalation and this seems to control the thrush. I have, however experienced some soreness in the right Kidney and my urine has a strong order to it. this comes and goes.

I've been takig Advair 250x2 for about a year now and until I found this website I thought I was losing my mind. Side effects include thrush (and I rinse with half peroxide and half water, brush teeth, and then rinse with Listerine after i use the advair), leg cramps, dizziness, "lung pain", weight gain, post nasal drip, sleeplessness.....I have an apointment with my Doctor tomorrow, I think I'll suggest that he take me off advair and put me on something else!

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.

OH BOY! I have been on Advair since it first come out! 3 0r 4 yrs?
Am I ever a mess!!! Thrush, yeast infections under my breasts, behind my ears & who knows where else! I have been using nystatins rinses, powders, etc etc & nothing! I went off my Advair for 6 months & no changes with any symptoms! So I am back on it : (, I have also had extreme muscle pain, tired all the time, running nose, depression (on anti dep meds now) A whole big change for me & I have seen 3 docs & just more nystatin scripts, well I am off to see my allergist on wed. & am praying he will see something into this!

Hi! I am so happy that I found this website. I was on Advair 500 for over a year and had almost every side effect listed here. After reading the postings, I went to the doctor and demanded that he put me on another asthma medicine. He put me on Asmanex and I've been feeling absolutely wonderful for the past 3 months. Coming off the Advair was scary for me. I had tingling lips, fingers, and skin on my back for almost a week. I also had to use my albuterol every 4 hours during the same week. But other than that my list of symptoms quickly disappeared. Since then, I've only had to use my albuterol a handful of times, mainly on a humid day or when working in my basement or brushing my dogs. I had experienced so many side effects while on Advair that I started to feel depressed. When I asked my doctor's about the side effects, they told me that they weren't from my medications. Advair had caused me to have a constant cough, numerous episodes of bronchitis, hoarseness almost one week every month, severe asthma attacks, constant thrush and other throat infections. I also had my blood pressure up 20-30 points on average, which caused me to constantly feel anxious. I was extremely moody and snapped at my kids and husband very easily. I had trouble sleeping and night sweats. Since I couldn't sleep I was constantly tired. One of the worse effects was joint pain and muscle cramps. My hands and feet would cramp up like I had severe arthritis. Sometimes I cramped so bad that couldn't hold a fork or toothbrush. My legs would cramp so badly it would make me cry. My back ached and I got severe stomach cramps. I had horrible menstrual cycles which lasted for over a week. My elbows hurt so bad that I couldn't carry a bag through the mall. I also lost all interest in sexual relations. I also had jitters. My hands would tremble even when I wasn't holding anything. I also lost my appetite. Food didn't taste or smell the same so it didn't appeal to me. I had to force myself to eat. To say the least, I felt like I was falling apart. Within a few days of going off of the Advair I felt like a new person. I was pleasant to be around and had hope for the future. I am feeling great. My husband and kids are so happy to have the real me back. I strongly encourage everyone to try Asmanex and go off Advair. It's really made a difference in my life.

I started taking advair 500/50 about 6mths ago after coming down with really bad cold which later turned into pneumonia. I was on albuterol inhaler 5-6times a day for 3 mths. The advair made a big difference. I'm now on the 250/50 which is great. But I've had increasing problems with anxiety as well as muscle spasms in my hands. My doctor immediately recommended anxiety meds instead even entertaining the idea that it might be the drugs I was on. I refused to take anxiety meds and instead on her recommendation started exercising regularly and have started seeing a phychologist. I also tried Singulair briefly but developed rash on my face and had sudden cold symptoms which went away once I stopped taking it. I'm not crazy, my side effects are real and I'm convinced that the muscle spasms are due to my medication, most likely the advair. Currently I'm on rhinocort, albuterol for emergencies, and advair 250/50. I also had allergy testing done and am very allergic to everything they test for except animal dander i.e. grass and tree pollen, ragweed, mold, both kinds of dust mites. I keep taking my meds, exercising, cleaning regularly, have encased my bedding to control dust mites. I'm also taking allergy shots every week now. The thrush can be avoided if you rinse after every dose of advair. Rinsing is very important - I've had no problems with thrush at all and am now in my 7th month of taking Advair.

Not sure where to begin with my side effects...
The biggest (and scariest) of them is that, since I have been on Advair, I have had more and more severe respiratory problems. Every year, since I began the "medication", I have (at least once per year) bouts of either Bronchitis or Pneumonia (sometimes even both). Advair is obviously formulated to make patients become dependent on the drug to where they can NOT stop taking it. I have even tried to wean myself off of it, but thru this process, I truly felt like I was dying. I struggled so hard to breathe. I eventually had to go to the doctor and get a dose of prednisone and begin Advair again.
Another side effect that torments my every day life is thrush. I can not seem to shake it, no matter how many times I have been treated for it. I ALWAYS rinse after using Advair, with water AND a mouthwash with ingredients that are used in treating thrush.
I have also had other side effects as well. I have a twin sister and she has experienced some of the same. One is a strange "cramping up" or "locking up" of our feet. It's very strange and has NEVER happened to either of us, before Advair. It's painful and we have no control over it. The toes separate/spread and "lock up" in cramping pain that lasts a few moments at a time.
Since being on Advair, I have also had weight-gain. The only reason I mention it is because others have posted it as a side effect. I have never blamed Advair for this, but who knows? I think it's just neglect on my part. ;)
Those are the only that immediately come to mind. If I think of any later on, I will post them. :)

I too have been on Advair for 6 months and gained about 20 lbs, despite working out at the gym and dieting. I have been on it for approximately two years and hoping to see the Dr. next week to supplement this drug and get off of it! Although it helps my breathing tremendously, I have terrible acne, weight gain, and wondering if it is making my hair somewhat thinner. I am on 100/50. One year ago I was on the 500 dose and experience chronic horseness along with thrush on tongue and throat. Does anyone know of an alternative to this drug for asthma? Thanks!

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!

severe throat infection, thrush of the mouth, sinusitis, bronchitis

I've been using Advair 250/50 for about 4 years now. I never had any trouble with it until this year. My throat is so irritated all the time. One way to avoid thrush is to rinse your mouth 2 or 3 times after using the Advair. I have always done this, but lately my throat is really irritated. Went to ENT and after scoping my throat he said everything looked fine...put me on antibiotics for a week, but did not help. I believe it's the Advair. There are some good natural remedies out there to help with throat irritation. Look in a health food or whole foods store.

I am seventy years old, and have been on advair 250/50 for about a year. I have a bad cough since starting Advair, thick phlem, thrush in my throat. insomnia, terrible bone pain in both legs, cramps in my feet at any time of the day,chest pain, and just recently a compression fracture. I am taking Fosamax to help build bone, but the insert for Advair says,"may cause bone loss" I'm fighting a losing battle. Am now on 100/50 once a day. Hope to get off of Advair soon!!

I took myself off Advair over a month ago and am still having side effects. Some of them have improved but not all.

Nauseau-much better
Dizziness-still there
Itchy ears- still there
Migraines- still there
Edema- still there
Lethargy-still there
Fatigue-still going
Vision Changes- those stopped when i went down to one dose a day
Frequent urination-oh yeah
I've also had a number of uti since going on advair with no other reason
canker sores- still going
weight gain-same
heartburn-i have acid reflux now which i didn't have b4 advair
heart palpations-a little better
tremors-those stopped when i went down to one dose a day
restlessness & nervousness- a lil better
memory problems-same
scratchy irritated throat- same
thrush- had about 4 times in the last year, currently last wk and i've been off advair for a month...
burning pain in stomach- went away when i went down to one dose a day.. my doc said i probably got an ulcer.

I'm 29 and I feel like I'm 40. I'm exhausted. If this doesn't go away I guess it might be something else but I think maybe my side effects are still lingering.
i know someone says it gets out of your system shortly but it sure doesn't feel that way for me. but then again i've been on it continuously for almost 3 years.

* Hoarseness (continuous)
* Phlegm in throat causing me to clear my throat frequently (my spouse is a speech therapist and she said frequent throat clearing will irritate the vocal chords and cause hoarseness)
* Canker sores occur more frequently and take longer to heal
* Two occasions of thrush (Oral candidiasis) over past year

I have always rinsed after using Advair. This medication has effectively controlled my asthma symptoms.

I began taking Advair 250/50 about two months ago. After one month, I developed thrush on the back roof of my mouth and back of my throat despite gargling with alcohol-based mouthwash and brushing my teeth after taking the Advair. A prescription of Nystatin to swish and spit every eight hours took care of the thrush. I still find myself clearing my throat quite a bit with a feeling of throat congestion and am sometimes hoarse. After 90 days on the 250/50, my breathing tests improved only slightly, so the doc upped me to Advair 500/50. Three days later I experienced discomfort and mild pain in my left chest while competing in a bicycle race which I do regularly. The discomfort increased with increased effort, so to play it safe I dropped out and relaxed. This feeling has continued over the last three days but appears to be lessening. I assumed I had strained an intercostal muscle in my ribs during my breathing tests at the doc's. After reading comments on this site, I'm more concerned about side-effects. I plan to discontinue use of Advair temporarilly to see if it disappears. If it does, I will restart Advair use and see what happens, then post more to this site.

For the last six months, I have been attributing my aches and pains to getting older. Boy, was I wrong! Ever since I was a small child, my asthma kept me imprisoned in oxygen tents early on in life. I continued to suffer with Asthma throughout my adult life. Now, as a 43 year old male. I decided to give Advair a try, after my doctor advised me of it's benefits. One month after taking Advair, and continuing for the next five months, I started to experience horrific cramps in my calves and toes (while laying in bed trying to sleep), constant headaches, tightness in the chest area, constant pains in my stomach on both sides, joint pains, sneezing spells, occasional runny nose, diarrhea, thrush, difficulty in speaking after 3-4 minutes, raspy voice, depression, fatigue, tired all the time, frequent urination, mood swings, pain in shoulders, back & neck, short term memory, weight gain around the stomach, tingling sensations from the top of both arms down to the fingertips, and malaise.
I just looked at the long, extensive paper insert that comes with the Advair Diskus, and NOWHERE, does it mention anything about side effects, nor did my doctor state that there were potentially, hazardous side effects. As of today, I have stopped all prescriptions cold turkey! No more Advair, Proscar, Zyrtec, or Rhinocort Aqua! I refuse to be victimized by the pharmaceutical companies any longer. I'm going back to the good old Albuterol only when needed. My brother is a Pharmacist, and said that it takes just less than a week to eliminate the mentioned drugs from your system. I have come to the conclusion that there is a special place in HELL for the people who glorify the Pharmaceutical Marketing to the public. If you have an Advair Diskus in your possession, I strongly recommend that you burn it and pray for forgiveness. While you're at it, you might want to say a silent prayer for the Pharmaceutical Companies, because they are going to need it!

I thought I was losing my mind. Now I know after reading entries on this site what the problem has been. I am a 43 year old male who has suffered with asthma since being a small child. During my early years, I was more less raised in an oxygen tent. I have been taking Advair for the last six months. After the first month, I starting getting horrific cramps in my calves and toes during the night, constant headaches, tightness in the chest, constant stomach pains on both sides, joint pains, sneezing, runny nose, diarrhea, thrush, difficulty in speaking after 2-4 minutes, depression, fatigue, tired all the time, mood swings, pain in my shoulders, neck & back, short term memory, weight gain around the stomach, and tingling sensations down the arms to the fingertips. I just looked at the long, extensive insert that comes with the Advair Diskus, and NOWHERE does it mention anything about side effects, nor did my doctor mention that there were potential side effects. As of today, I have stopped Advair cold turkey! I just spoke to my brother who is a Pharmacist, and he said it would take less than a week for this poison eliminated from my bloodstream. I plan on just going back to my old faithful albuterol. At least this way, I will regain my life back. We as a society have become victimized by the television drenched marketing scam of the drug entities. I have come to the conclusion that there will be a special place in HELL for them. So, say a prayer for them, cuz they're gonna need it!

I am a registered respiratory therapist and like to read about side effects of respiratory medications. For those of you who are suffering from these harsh side effects know that there are alternatives to steroids. Ask your doctors about mast cell stabilizers or leukotriene inhibitors...
Please remember to wash your mouths thoroughly after adminstering Advair to prevent what is called Candida (thrush) an oropharyngeal fungal infection.

I have had severe chronic asthma for over 20 years. Started Advair 500/50 4 years ago and my asthma is completely under control--almost never need to use my abuterol. But I have gained 50lbs, and I exercise 5x a week and eat a 1200 calorie diet, and I still gain 1-2 pounds a month. I have several cushing's like symptoms. Excessive weight gain in abdomen and breasts while my arms/legs are thin. Hair loss. Severe stretch marks on abdomen and thighs. Blurry vision, headaches, severe cramping in my calves and strange rash-like bumps on the backs of my arms. Not to mention chronic tachycardia and constant thrush in my mouth. Also my thyroid quit working a year ago and I am on synthroid now. Now it appears I may have an adrenal gland problem. I never had these problems before the Advair. When I mentioned my concerns to my pulmonologist he actually laughed at me. I wonder if Glaxo gives kickbacks to Dr.'s who prescribe their drug.

I have had asthma for over 20 years. I am now 25 and have been on Advair for over 2and 1/2 yrs. Advair definitely has helped, I can breath enough to run again, no wheezing or struggling for breath no hospital visits since I started the med....BUT I have also gained over 40 pounds (and still gaining), get chronic migraines, and have definite Cushing's like symptoms. Plus I get thrush in my mouth every couple of months. And don't forget the insomnia, jittery feelings, tremor and rapid heartbeat. All of these symptoms started since I began taking Advair and continue to worsen. And to top it off, my Pulomonlogist insists the Advair cannot be causing all of these problems. I thought I was losing my mind until I found this forum. Advair is no miracle drug and should be taken with extreme caution.

I'm 28 and just in the past 2 years I've developed some allergies, and just recently got on Advair for breathing difficulty. I had been using my Albuteral, and got irritated having to use it just about every 4 hours. So Advair worked awesome for the first week 1/2 but now it's been two weeks and I'm starting to get bad side effects. The thrush in my throat...even with washing my mouth out thoroughly. Weight gain I just noticed this week, and dizziness, cloudy thinking, headaches, and wondered why my back has been sore when I haven't even done much hard work?? Well,thankfully to this website I know I'm not crazy and ADVAIR is horrible. Tonight i'm convinced and getting off of it. I'm going to try and go a more Holistic route if possible and use my albuterol for the time being. I do wonder like some of you mentioned about kick backs. Makes me sick!!!!!!!! And it's true about the bullying, I go in next tuesday to check on my thrush.....she's not going to like what I have to say!!!!!!!!!! Wish me luck!!!

TOOTH PAIN AND HAVE HAD TO HAVE 6 ROOT CANALS IN 3 YEARS, THRUSH JOINT PAIN , WEIGHN GAIN 40LBS.

I HAVE BEEN ON AFVAIR 250/50 FOR 3 YEARS I HAVE
GAINED 50 LBS THRUSH, JOINT PAIN ICHING ALL OVER THE MAIN PROBLEM IS MY TEETH , THE ROOTS KEEP DYEING
I'VE HAD 5 ROOT CANALS AND ABOUT TO HAVE ONE MORE
THE DR. AND I ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY. COULD IT BE THE ADVAIR ? PLEASE HELP
THANKS BARBARA IN GEORGIA

I would like to Thank all of you for taking the time to inform others about your experience of side effects from advair. I have learned so much! And I'd like to thank Guest 4309 for making the connection between yeast infection and advair. After doing a google search for yeast infection, I found many reputable sites (Duke University, urology.org, etc.) that state that steroids and corticosteroids (that's what advair is) can and do cause yeast infections (Candida, thrush, skin infections, sinsus and ear infections/itching). I AM BLOWN AWAY THAT MY ALLERGIST TOLD ME FOR A YEAR THAT THE CONTAST ITCHY THROAT and EARS and LOSS of VOICE, among other problems, WERE NOT CAUSED BY ADVAIR! Like Guest 4309 I wish I had NEVER taken advair. I am off it now and I'm taking glucosamine and acidophilus and eating lots of plain yogurt. Let me tell you, I already feel better. ANd I have sent for the book "Conquering Candida" on www.half.com for $7.50. I'll let people know what happens to me. ANd, please let us all know what works for you!

I know that we all post messages here but there is no way for us to talk with each other if you don't leave you email address. Please post your message with your email address in it. We all are suffer with side effect lets talk to see if we can help each with information.

I am not sure how long it takes for side effect to go away. I have been off advair since July 3 and I still have slight joint pain and pain in my hips and lower back. My joints make popping noises sometimes in my hands. I still have sinus pressure between my ears. I don't take anything right now except advil to try to remove the pressure. I am also getting over the thrush and sore throat that I did have. I was on Advair for four weeks and this happened. My doctor told me that my symptoms are not related to Advair but I know that is not true. I have been in my body longer then my doctor has been practicing and I know when my body is operating differently. My email is ******

Please tell me, Has anyone had very back constipation and then Diarrhea. I have be on Advair 250 for 4 weeks and I have had very very bad stomach cramping then diarrhea and then constipation for days. Neck pain, sinus pressure very extreme, dizziness, and now I have thrush in my mouth. My constipation or gastrointestinal problem has not left yet but the other symptoms have except the thrush. My email is ******Please tell me about constipation and Diarrhea issue.

used for 4 weeks
- thrush
- joint pain that i never knew was attributed to this until reading this board
- back spasms from playing basketball after playing for years with no problem
- weight gain ~7lbs
- muscle cramps in calves, hamstrings that were not exercise related
- jaw tightening up
- stomach aches

I have been on advair for just over 2 months, i too have had all the symptoms that all of you have experianced , and stopped taking the advair as well. My symptoms are severe muscle weakness, pneumonia, thrush, major phlem, hoarness, neck pain, mood swings, aggression, excitability, weight gain (25lbs. in 2 months), i was givin advair for COPD, and i told my dr. of my change in symptoms, and they said it could not possibally be the advair millions of people are taking it . So i took it upon myself to stop taking it its only been 2 days without it, and i have yet to start feeling better.

thrush
sore throat
respritory infection

I posted earlier but just wanted to make note of the following. Advair does make breathing easier for the COPD impaired like myself. I am using it, probably AMA, only as a maintainance drug as it definally causes thrush of the throat even if you rinse and gargle. I might also add that this medication is manufactured by the German pharmaceutical conglomerate, Glaxo/Kline/Smith. It cost me $130 per disc here in the states. About the time I found it could be pruchased for half that amount in Canada, the Germans at the bequest of American pharmaceutical interest refused shipment to those Canadian internet pharmacies who were shipping it to the states. It should also me noted that this was accomplished through the vast lobbying campaign aimed at GOP congressmen. Glaxo donates several million dollars per year to the GOP campaign fund so it is obvious why we are getting screwed on the price. I am a regesitered Republican and this is very disturbing. I also find it disturbing that every other TV commercial is hyping some new medicinal miracle and that Drs. across the U.S. must be on the take in some fashion as most ignore the multitude of side effect patients mention and prescribe Advair as the drug of choice.

Thrush, heart palpitations, my doctor sent me to a cardiologist. Had all kinds of test run to find no cause. I asked if it could be the advair and she said NO! I have been trying to lose weight and every pound that I lose is gained right back. Headaches almost everyday and I don't usually get headaches. I had an ear infection for the first time since childhood. took a month to clear up. I noticed to minor cuts take over a week to heal. Joint pain that doesn't respond to my normal care.
All this time, I thought that it was me. I am so glad I found this site. We print out and take to my doctor.

I had been on advair since it came on the market. I have suffered from increased heart rate and increased blood pressure. I complained in Nov. to doctor who proceeded to decreae the dose. I continued to have the same symptoms and in addition was having bouts of tachycardia and possibly skipped beats that were very disturbing. I again went and this time was told that by decreasing the dose that it was only the steroid and that the salmeterol was the same in all. Duh, why did he decrease the dose when it had no affect on the salmeterol. Now he decided to stop it altogether. My heart rate is back in a normal range and my blood pressure has come down to a very good reading. I do not have the the increased heart rate. However what I am experiencing is an increase in pain due to arthritis in my joints. i am wondering if this is because I have stopped the advair and the steroid that is in it. Has anyone else had that reaction after long time use of advair and then stopping it.