Advair Diskus and advair

SIX POUNDS IN FOUR DAYS!!! (AND I'm NOT PREGNANT!) I was in bed thinking to myself how could I have gained six pounds in four days???? For an average 35 years old, I'm pretty active mother of a soon-to-be-four year old son. I was diagnosed with chronic sinisitis and along came the weazing!!! My primary MD was the first one to give me the sample during about with bronchitis. You trust doctors because their the ones with the medical training right? what did he know??? But I could have easily researched this drug online. Needless to say after a very scary incident during a step class- I was completely out of breath- what an awful feeling!!! I usually would have reached for my inhaler (albuterol) but I was out of it- so I grabbed the advair. Now since I was only a once-in-awhile user, I didn't see any side affects. But after a soild month of using this drug- I did feel anxious jittery--needless to say - my husband thought I was pre-menopausal (we're trying to have baby #2) I begin to see the awful light of this drug- PLEASE DO NOT TAKE IT!!! I AM VERY FRIGHTENED OF THESE SIDE AFFECTS!!
What a relief to have this posted today!!

I have had severe asthma since I was 3 years old (25 now). I have been on about every asthma med and for the past 5 years have been on advair. For 5 years I have had chronic hives that can only be controlled by zyrtec and if I try to go off adviar it will put me in the hospital within a week. I have developed a dependency to this awful drug....and now I can't get off of it. I have experienced weight gain and have to eat a very script diet so that I don't become fat. If you have just started this drug I suggest to get off of it ASAP.

my experience with advair, is every three months I have severe lung infections, and nervousness, also i have irregular heartbeat and a leaking heart valve.

I was also on advair and I contracted alopecia universalis. I lost ALL my hair. I am sure there is a connection between these side effects and ADVAIR!! By the way. I stopped taking any steroid inhalers, and my breathing is better. What does that say?? Some of my hair has also started growing back since I stopped the steroid inhalers. Not much, but why is it growing now? This is a very devastating side effect, and I think there should be some legal action taken here. My life performing on stage has been ruined. My image shot. Now, i wasn't a "star", but still, I really can't enjoy performing anymore.

I am a 53yr old female, I started with bronchitis in Feb 2008, after two er visits, and treatment with antibiotics/ cough meds/ decongestants, etc. thought I was finally over it after 2/3 weeks, then all of a sudden I would start up with the same tight, non productive cough, twice accompanied by strep throut also, these symptoms started to return almost monthly, without warning. The last episode I had in July I was put on prevacid for acid reflux, (the first dosage of that gave me a slight improvement of symptoms of the cough, then the following week prednisone was added with almost instant improvement, Wow finally, each day better that the last, then as I started to taper off a bit of increase in congestion, nothing that a child's dose of mucinex didn't help. Then almost a month to the day after thinking that I was finally better, I started all over again, up for almost 36 hours straight from coughing, started back on steroids, antibiotics, etc. But this time is tougher, The initial steroids helped right away, but there is a lot more mucous with this episode, My Doctor set me up for a PFT (pulmonary function test) and pending results plan to followup with a Pulmonary specialist, but as I've been tapering off the prednisone again the symptoms have increased, almost back to the beginning of the episode, with more coughing than not. Nervous about the last day of my steroids, my doctor put me on the Advair Diskus, my results of my pft should be in tomorrow, I took my first dose this morning, (quite nervous about it because I have several medication allergies and reactions) Now for my dilemma, my dose went well, I almost thought I felt a little something good, I know it's supposed to take awhile to help, but I felt positive about it and looked forward to my next dose in 12hrs. A little later in the day I started feeling funny, kind of spacey, fuzzy headed. Is it possible that this feeling is from the Advair? I've read the side affects and a lot of feedback from Advair users, and nothing matches what I;m feeling. Is there anyone out there that has felt like this? Please help, I'm almost due for my next dose and don't know what to do.
PMB in CT.

What a Godsend this website is. I am a 48 year old female, and I have been taking Advair (the lowest dose) for about 2 months now, with steadily worstening side effects. Although I have to admit, my first dose of Advair was like a much need "breath of fresh air", the side effects are not worth it. In fact, I just got off the phone with my doctor, telling her I will no longer be taking the Advair. These were the side effects I have experienced: rapid heartbeat, rib pain, joint pain in my legs and fingers, loose bowels, and a noticeable change in weight / body shape. I have always been complimented on my tiny waist and flat stomach, but as of late I have noticed my waist size increasing, despite my usual exercise. In addition, the most serious and most disturbing side effects are insomnia and the onset of severe depression / anxiety / paranoia. I had issues with depression as a young woman in my 20's with anorexia, with no relapse until I began this medication. Yesterday, I had to pull over to a store parking lot to cry for no reason! If it were not for this website, I would have blamed myself for some sort of mental weakness or unhealthy thinking. Also, I have never experienced anxiety in my life, and while on this medication I have had several episodes of intense panic, where I was convinced I should immediately draft a last will and testament. My vision has been blurring in and out considerably, my voice sounds as if I have larynxitis daily, and I have also experienced profoundly increased thirst and urination. I have not had my blood pressure checked, but I feel like what must be an increase in this, as well. Lastly, the past few days I have noticed severe hair loss, which, until I read this website, I attributed to my recent dieting. (I have been desperately dieting and increasing exercise to try to regain my figure that this medication is apparently ruining. Until this time, I have weighed the same and had the same or stronger body than high school school (5'4'', 115 - 120 lbs.) God bless everyone who has contributed to this website to educate others about the horrors of this medication. My doctor wants to see me to "give me something else", but I am going look into alternative therapies (yoga, breathing exercises, teas, etc.) The comment that made the most sense on this website was the person who wrote "break up with your asthma...begin by taking a deep breath and telling yourself you no longer have asthma." Also, I have seen that God / Jesus can heal anything, so I am going to turn to Him in prayer instead of the doctors. After all, Who created our bodies to begin with? I will add you all to my prayers, and that God will help us all heal from this... both the asthma and the suffering created by Advair.

After never having asthma in my life I was put on Advair 100/50 at 34 ...
I have been on it for a little over a year but I have been reading these side effects and wanted to try and ween myself off this stuff. I cut back to 1 per day then 1 every other day and now I am down to 1 per week. Hopefully I am going to be off it soon. The side effects are real with the weight problems people are having with this stuff .... My question is does anyone else have the feeling in their throat like there is an obstruction or a lump? or like something is stuck in the back of their throat?? Does this go away ?

I rinsed my mouth and brushed my teeth after every use .... so I am not sure if this will go away with lower use or not

I can't believe that this drug is legal and that it has not been taken off the market. I have been on it for a year and couldn't understand why I was gaining weight, nothing helped to get those pounds off. I started at 160 and now at 195 and growing. Three years ago I had triple bypass, weight 150, some of the meds caused some weight gain, but nothing like this. My joints was so sore in the morning I couldn't hardly walk, I just knew I was going to be using a walker if this kept up. BTW I'm 65 female, always been active and busy, now I just do what I have to or can and that doesn't make me happy. I have recently been having crying spells and sore throat, voice lost, and enlarged tongue. The enlarged tongue caused me to do some searching on side effects.....I am so glad I found this page. I haven't taken any puffs of Advair since., that was 3 days ago. My tongue is starting to shrink, my joints aren't as sore, my crying is stopping. The weight is still with me and might never lose it, time will tell. I don't seem as hungry and eating less so maybe there is hope. This is a drug that should have Big warning all over it. Advair has taken a year of my life at this point. If there is ever a law suit I would be the 1st to sign. I didn't have that many breathing issues and really didn't understand why the Dr. put me on it.
I usually check up on drugs before I take them, this one slipped through the cracks, guess cause it wasn't a pill. At this point I just hope that others find this in time and stop using Advair before it ruins their lives.
God Bless
Barbie Kay

I was on the low dose, 100/50, for 2 years. I had blurry vision in my right eye and lethargy. Last week I woke up and could not breathe AT ALL. I was choking for about 45 seconds with no air coming in. I have read that Advair can bring on sleep apnea. After a couple of days of doing research, I stopped cold turkey. My vision cleared up in a day and my lethargy is gone. I am now using apple cider vinegar for my asthma (brought on by my 2 dogs and cat) and so far, all is well. How that stuff is legal, I don't know.

I am a 44 year old women that has been dealing with asthma almost my entire life on and off.But I started a new job(housecleaning)and I believe it started up my asthma.So after having to use my albuteral inhaler a couple times a day,I decided to see my dr.He put me on advair.The first day I started taking it I was breathing so much better.I thought this is it!I finally found the miracle pill!Well about 5 days or so into it I started getting a really bad sore throat.The kind that is deep down-maybe in your larynax or whatever.And yes-I rinsed really good after every use.Well I ended up in the e.r. at 12:00 at night.I could hardly swallow and it felt like something was stuck in my throat.They gave me an ekg and did a neck xray on me.Dr. told me it was most likely from advair and to stop using it now and he put me on prednisone for 5 days.I called my doctor that put me on it 2 days later and told him what happened.He said huh,I wonder why that happened?Anyways,now he prescribed singulair to me but after reading all the negative comments I am not sure what the hec to try?I have missed 3 days work.I will most likely change jobs.I am real weak and anxious.Probably from prednisone.Anyone have any ideas on what works best for asthma that has few side effects?HELP!

I am suddenly experiencing double vision and wonder if Advair is at fault. Would be interested to hear of such a side effect.
K

I have had EXTREME hair loss and I did not know what from. I never thought it was my advair. I checked all of my other medications and only one other one said there was a possibility of hair loss (PREVACID) so I went off of that but my hair was still falling out. I have been so desperate that I scheduled and appointment to see a dermatologist tomorrow. Today I happened to google "advair/hair loss" and I cannot believe all of the articles that came up with people expressing the correlation.
I have been so depressed from this hair loss. I had the thickest, shiniest hair and now I barely have a pony tail. I wear hats all of the time because I am embarrassed.It has been totally devastating.
What I need to know is which other asthma medication will NOT cause hair loss so I can switch? Too bad I just dropped $100 on a 3-month supply of Advair and now cannot use it.
Also, those of you who went off the Advair, how long did it take for you to experience hair growth or it not falling out?

I'm now 43, and I've had bad allergy symptoms since about age 17. Perennial symptoms and nearly daily headaches and facial pressure and bad throat drainage. Also, every time I got a cold, I'd get a cough that would not go away for months.

Finally, a few years ago, a new family doctor suggested I try Advair for that cough. Wow. Cough gone in days. Wow. That seemed invaluable to me.

But, I do notice thick mucus in my throat now, and I can't seem to clear it, at times. My voice is affected and diminished, it seems.

I'm not sure that any other side effects are occurring for me. However, after my wife saw a commercial about death risks associated with Advair(naturally the commercial was from a law firm), I decided to do some internet reading. I am curious about the possible heart effects. I had a mitro-valve prolapse in my teens, and am not sure I should be taking medications that can alter your heart rhythms.

I think I'll call my doctor and see what other options I have. I am intrigued by the idea I read below, from April of 2008, about reducing dosage to once a day, or every other day, or once a week, or down from 250 to 100, or all of the above. If it still controls my cough, that's may be all I need.

I've never had bad asthma. Just bad allergies, that have led me to this.
So, I just might try a reduction plan.

My dosage has been 250/50 and I have been using the medication for about 3 years. I have experienced increased mucus, hoarseness, and thrush. I now have the thrush under control by thoroughly rinsing my mouth after using the inhaler. The hoarseness was not caused directly by the Advair, rather it was caused by frequently clearing my throat due to the mucus. My wife is a speech language pathologist and noticed my frequent throat clearing and explained that throat clearing irritates the vocal chords and causes hoarseness. By avoiding harsh throat clearing the hoarseness has gone away. I still have issues with thick mucus but it is minor nuisance compared with the improvements to my breathing.

Hello all! My 9 year old son has been taking Advair inhaler for about 1 1/2 years with 2 puffs a day. One at night and one in the morning. He is too young for him to notice any symptoms and for him to explain them to us and we didn't know about any side effects until reading this forum. He has the sniffles all the time which sound kind of stuffy too and some blotched skin on his forehead. He also might have another symptom regarding his bowels, not being able to control them is what I'm getting at and everyday has accidents. I don't know if that's because of Advair or laziness. I would make an intelligent guess and relate it to the Advair under muscle spasms? Does anyone have this symptom and are just too embarrassed to tell your doc? I am at my wits end with this "symptom". Also I heard very strong reports that cow milk is responsible for asthma. Humans were not designed to drink animal milk at all. The Molecules are way too large for us to digest. Almond milk is best and better for you. Now think about it, we are the only species that drink milk after we are nursed from out mothers. The animals do not go back to drinking after they are weened. I've also heard a study that after grown cows drink cow milk they got very sick or died. Anyone else heard that?

I am a 45 year old female, I have been on Advair for about 4 years now. I tried to go off of it once because I was having heart palpitations, I had to go back on it because of my asthma, waking up in the morning feeling like I couldn't breath just didn't work for me. I have less heart palpitations and my asthma is in much better control, however (isn't there always a "however"! I have been dieting and exercising like crazy (ok, all my life, but seriously for about 6 months now.) The scale has not moved...and I mean nothing, not a pound! I could not put my finger on it until now...it must be this drug! What else could it be? So now I have to decide if I want to be thinner or breath! Huh....some choice!

After reading this site I'm so ridiculously upset with my allergist. I was specifically told that the 100/50 dose of advair had such a small amount of steroid that it shouldn't have any adverse effects.
In the 5 months I've been taking advair I've gained 20 pounds, and I've been unable to lose even an ounce of it despite diet and exercise. After reading this page I decided to cut down to one dose a day, and magically I dropped 3 pounds. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow and just let him try to tell me that advair doesn't cause weight gain.
Oh also, I'd been feeling very down and depressed lately, and I'd even considered going to a psychologist. I just attributed my feelings to issues in my personal and work life. Well, as soon as a I cut down on the advair I went back to feeling like myself again. I hadn't even noticed how much I had changed until I suddenly felt a million times less irritable and able to smile and really laugh again.
I'm worried about just quitting the advair (I'm paranoid about side effects) but I feel so much better without it that I don't know if I can bring myself to take my next dose.
What a choice - breathe perfectly and be miserable or constantly suffer with asthma and not even be yourself.

I was diagnosed with allergy induced asthma in my freshman year of high school. I was given Advair for a couple of weeks to help deal with a major attack I experienced. After seeing an allergy-asthma specialist I was told to continue with the Advair until I could get my AIA under control. I was also placed on Singulair, Flonase, MaxAir AutoHaler (for emergencies), Acuneb (also for emergencies) and I was already on Zyrtec and an eye drop Patanol. At the time my Zyrtec and the Astelin I was on were not enough to treat both the allergies and asthma. I also began taking allergy shots. I was an athlete playing fast pitch softball, conditioning P.E. including weight lifting and running, and I was also doing aerobics in my regular P.E. class. I swam often, was an active outdoors man, rode horses, and ate a fairly healthy diet. I could not figure out why I weighed 145 lbs at 5'2. My doctor said I was healthy and that I shouldn't worry about my weight but now that I am a 19 year old 5'3 weighing 130 lbs I realize that my weight gain was not normal. Although I do not play softball right now, I practice belly dancing and yoga. I often go hiking, running and swimming and I walk about 30 minutes a day to get to and from classes at LSU. I worked hard to keep a healthy diet, and exercise often so that I would not gain the dreaded freshman 15. It took me two years to get down to 130 lbs and I never attributed my weight gain and inability to lose weight to my Advair until I was off it for almost a year and then had to start taking it again to deal with a flare up. In less than two weeks I had gained almost 10 lbs and was feeling miserable.After I got to college, I would often go for runs to help keep myself in shape. I got to the point where I had to quit running because I was always short of breath and I would have severe asthma attacks. I was on all of the above mentioned medications and often on Prednisone for sinus infections. I also experienced the dry cough and the tightness of chest. I experienced almost daily headaches -some were attributed to stress but I am not sure if the Advair caused the others. I was also very groggy, dizzy, and EXTREMELY moody. I disliked the way I was feeling while I was on Advair and took myself off it earlier than I was recommended. Since then I have been feeling a lot better and I am able to control my occasional flare ups with zyrtec and flonase and occasionally singulair if I feel my asthma acting up. I got dizzy easily for a few weeks after I took myself I was not told by my doctor that I needed to rinse my mouth out to avoid thrush, nor was I told about the possible weight gain and some of the other side effects. I am going to stop taking Advair unless I absolutely need it and I am not going to stay on it for long, especially if I start feeling like I was before.

I've been on Advair for the past 6 months. First on the 250/50 now I am on the 500/50 dose. I've noticed my blood pressure has increased during this time. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm not sure if it is from the Advair or I am just developing high blood pressure.

I have been on advair 100/50 for almost a year,started with bronchitis,then short of breath,put on inhaler,then predinisone,which was a miracle pill.Then put on the advair,because the test showed I had COPD.A few months ago I started itching,back and forth to the doc.nothing helped,started getting hives,welts,tingling all over my body,all kinds of med.tried.No help,reading all the side effects from advair,I QUIT a week ago,breathing fine,itching,has slowed down and rash is clearing up.I have a doc.appointment Apr.29,2008.I will tell him what I am telling you.I am a male,72 yrs.old,in good physical shape otherwise.Anyone else having these symptoms,please come forward.

hi...........I"ve just finished reading many of the posts on this site and I can't believe how similar my experience has been to others...I went on advair 3 weeks ago for illness induced asthma along with my rescue inhaler. since then I have had horseness/loss of speech altogether,pain in my calfs and thighs, tightness (like a band) across my chest, and itch everywhere. I feel groggy when I wake in the morning and I've always been a morning person! I'm going to try to go off the Advair and just use my rescue inhaler. Thanks everyone for posting.

My father is a 72 y/old man who is being taking Advair for 2 to 3 years. Although his asthma is no longer a problem, his voice is not the same and he continuous loosing weight, so far 25 lbs. His doctor is not able to explain anything at all. Does any one have the same problem?

My 15 y.o. daughter has has first hand experience with weight gain on Advair. About 6 years ago at about 9 y.o., she gained 20 lbs in 6 months - and it started happening exactly when she started the drug. She was very active (swim team, gymnastics, etc) and did not overeat. It is very frustrating that both her pediatrician and her asthma/allergy specialist deny that her small dose of Advair is to blame.

For some reason, and I have talked to others that this has happened to, switching to Singulair did not help her with the weight problem. Seems the people who are hypersensitive to inhaled steroids are also sensitive to Singulair. Concerned about her rapid weight gain, and because she was always so thin, I took her to an endocrinologist to rule out any other problems. After a lot of bloodwork, he concluded that he could not rule out that it was a side effect of the Advair and/or Singulair, and that they may have elevated her blood sugar. I have read tons and tons of postings on the internet about children & adults rapidly gaining weight from inhaled corticosteroids (i.e. Flovent, Advair), along with the round face, bloated stomach, stretch marks, thin skin, easy bruising, etc. but nobody ever says what happens after stopping any of these drugs. Do people ever go back to normal? Do kids look like themselves again? Do any of the side effects disappear?

She is now 15 y.o. and cannot reverse her weight gain no matter what (30 lbs overweight). The last 2 years, she has only been on a small dose of Pulmicort (a different class of corticosteroid even safe to take when pregnant) since she has mild persistent asthma, and allergy shots have helped trememdously. My husband and I have been looking for 6 years now on how to avoid our daughter's weight gain with asthma drugs. If you run into any info., please let us know. Any experiences or info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm a 37 year old male and I've had asthma since I was a small child. I did the albuterol inhaler for many years but they took that off the market because of environmental reasons, so I had to switch to something. I wound up with the Advair 100/50 diskus. I noticed fairly early on that when I went to take the second prescribed puff at the end of the day, I didn't really feel I needed it. So, the combination of me being strongly skeptical of drugs and Advair being expensive led me to skip taking the second puff. The next morning, when I went to take my FIRST puff of the day, I noticed I didn't feel I needed that puff either, so I didn't take that puff. Long story short, I now take ONE puff of this Advair every 3 to 5 days. It's been working well for me for about 3 or 4 years. I also take many healthy supplements like Omega Fatty acids, multvitamins, Vitamin C, minerals, etc. So my message here is: Try taking LESS Advair... As little as possible. If your doctor figures it out, tell him/her whatever you feel like. Lie if you want. NOTHING (repeat) NOTHING is more important than your health, and unfortunately the ONLY person who REALLY cares about YOUR health is YOU. You have to protect yourself. Don't let your doctor's ego win out over your health. It is your birthright to refuse a drug, even if it does disappoint your doctor. You don't owe your doctor any anything except payment for your office visit.

I was prescribed Advair one month ago. It was great at first, but after a jog one day only two weeks ago, I noticed a dry cough. I went to the doctor and I hadn't linked the cough to the Advair yet. He kept me on the Advair since I sang its praises. I then looked up the side effects and realized my cough was due to the Advair. I've stopped using the Advair. I still have the cough, but I'm hoping it will go away. I never had the cough before, only shortness of breath. I am feeling a bit dizzy, and my throat hurts a bit.

I'm wondering if the cough and sore throat will go away. I've only been off Advair for 5 days. We'll see!!! Thanks everyone for posting. This has beena great help to me.

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 inhalor 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.

I was on Advair for 3 months. I had the following DAILY symptoms: throat constrictions/swelling, loss of voice, difficulty breathing/panic attack-ish reaction, and most recently heart palpitations followed by my heart skipping beats. I am now off of Advair for 5 days now. The first few days were rough - I got every symptom in full force. I am now taking Flovent 110 mcg. I am supposed to take it 2/day, but have started with only 1/day to see if my body will react to this lower dosage. I look forward to becoming healthy again - like I was prior to taking Advair.

Oh, and I went to 2-3 dr appts every week to try and uncover why I was having these terrible symptoms. All gave up on me. Including the asthma doctor that prescribed the medicine. Surprising that the entire GROUP of doctors did not know the side effects of Advair well enough to recognize them in me.

Maybe I'm not crazy after all. I'm a 55-year-old female who has been taking Advair for close to 5 years. I have adult onset asthma and was using Albuterol to control it until my allergist placed me on Advair. It does a great job on my asthma, but at what price? During that time I've gained weight regardless of my diet and exercise regimen. I feel like I haven't slept in years and I'm convinced that it will eventually kill me because that makes everything else so much more difficult to deal with. I'm having major hair loss, hoarseness (I really miss singing), heart palpitations, extreme fluctuating blood pressure, heartburn, lethargy, blurred vision, twitching muscles. I finally decided that I had to change something and I found this website last week. I quit Advair cold-turkey. Probably not the right thing to do, but I was really on the brink. It's been nearly a week and I'm having extreme dizziness, terrible vision problems and awful headaches, but I am persevering.

I am a 51 year old female who has been taking Advair 500/50 for a number of years now. About a year ago I got a severe sinus infection and have been battling recurring bouts ever since like clockwork. I've lost my sense of smell and my voice sounds like I am sick 24/7. The ENT I went to was absolutely clueless on asthma and allergy medications and their side effects. She told me my sinus problems were caused by my allergies. They may have caused the problem but I should be healthy enough to recover in a week or two not a year or two!!! I have NEVER have a sinus infection before taking Advair. I also now have been diagnoses with Osteopenia and a recent blood test showed elevated blood sugar and cholesterol. My GP says it is a side effect of Advair. I have also recently went thru a barage of tests because of an irregular heart beat and palpitations. I am a triathlete and marathon runner, eat a healthy balanced diet and work hard at trying to keep my weight in check. There is no doubt in my mind that Advair is the cause of these health problems.
I decided to come off Adbvair cold turkey. For about a week I felt exhausted (an understatement). I did experience a few episodes of tightness in my chest but using a puff or two of albuterol was all I needed. I take peak flow readings ever morning and actually had some of my highest readings in months, after stopping. Best part of all, I am starting to get my sense of smell back and have been without symptoms of sinusitus for the first time in over a year!!! My energy is coming back. But the big test will be when I start back training at full throttle.
When I was prescribed Advair the only thing I was told was to make sure that I rinse my mouth out after taking it. No reason and no education on the short and long term effects. This forum is AWESOME!!! This is the first site that I have encountered that gave me honest hard facts and information I can work with. THANKS TO ALL who have posted!!!

OMG! This site is awesome! I honestly thought I was going crazy and something else was wrong with me! I quit smoking back in Dec 2007 and early Jan 2008 I was diagnosed with bronchitis. The bronchitis eventually got worse and at the end of Jan dr put me on steroid packs and an inhaler to assist me with the congestions. Early Feb I was diagnosed with Chronic bronchitis and was sent to a lung specialist. My lungs were only expanding 40% capacity due to the infection in my lungs so I was prescriped the inhaler, antibiotics, seven days of seroid and the Advair twice a day. I have now been using the Advair about three weeks and even though I feel a whole lot better my side effects are bad. I have a lot of congestion still, especially in the mornings, I cough almost all day long, I sleep maybe four or five hours a night (if that), my mood swings are aweful, I have a sharp pain under neath my left arm pit every once in a while, my rib cage hurts 24/7, I get headaches at least once a day, my nose is bleeding at least once a day and my hands tingle all the time. I did not realize that all these symptoms were side effects to the Advair dosage... 250/50???? OMG... I have to stop taking it. I've never had allergies or asthma up until the chronic bronchitis but if these are side-effects to the Advair I wonder if I was just not better off fighting the bronchitis through antibiotis only. I have not experianced weight gain though, and I am thankful for that as I do not need to gain any more weight. :-) Thank you all for sharing your comments as I now know that I might be just fine using allergy medicines and an inhaler from time to time instead of using Advair twice a day.

Can anyone tell me if one has suffered hair loss by taking Advair? I have been on the drug for about three years with some mild side effects but I just staring losing a great amount of hair. I had very thick long hair last year and now it does not even fit in a ponytail. Anyone have a similar story?

I really felt the need to post my story about Advair. I started having seizures 2 years ago. I have been seeing a neurologist since then. In the mean time, I have been working with a lung specialist for asthma/COPD. I was placed on Advair. Over several months I started experiencing vision changes, muscle pain, muscle cramps, headaches, weight gain, confusion, trouble speaking, constantly clearing my throat, severe pain near my left armpit, with sever muscle tightening. The muscle tightening was so severe that my arms and legs started moving and twisting by themselves. This is called agentatious movements. The neurologist has been putting me through a battery of tests because these symptoms can be from a severe neurological disease. As of now, I have been passing them with flying colors.The neurologist thinks I am faking, or these symptoms are a figment of my imagination because he cannot find a reason for them. That's when I decided to start checking the side affects of all my medications, and found this site. I have printed off all the stories that match my symptoms and will take them to the neurologist to prove I am not a nut case, and them I will see my lung specialist and take care of getting off the Advair. It does work, but there has to be something else in the medical world than can help us breathe without feeling like we are dying other wise. I want to thank everyone for putting their story out there is is a great help to know you are not alone. Good luck!

I have been taking Advair 250/50 for close to a year now and have been extremely happy with it - no side effects that I've noticed and its brought my rescue inhaler use down from often several times a day to maybe once a month. In general, I would consider that worth any side effects that could possibly be caused by the medication.

However, this past weekend I was a bit late refilling my prescription and went about 24 hours without taking it, and after about 18 hours I started getting really disoriented and dizzy, and then got hit out of nowhere with a fairly bad migraine, the first I've ever had, that lingered for a day and a half even after getting back on the Advair. I do have some family history of migraines but since I'd never had one before this, I wonder if suddenly being off the inhaler could've triggered the headache. Has anyone else ever had this experience?

Hi I am Paul I am a 53 year old male and have been taking Advair 250/50 for just over 4 years. I am so happy I found this site. In the past 4 years I have had increasing pain in my legs, muscles, back, hoariness in the throat, can't even talk half the time, its been impossible to loose weight half the time I feel like I am swollen up like a balloon. And also have heart palpitations and rapid pulse even when I am sitting still I have gotten to the point where I have to walk with a cane and can hardly work anymore, so I stopped taking the Advair and switched back to Albuterol inhaler hopefully I have not done any unreversable damage to myself by taking the Advair. I HAVE DEEMED IT TO BE BAD MEDICINE!

I am very happy I found this website. I used Advair since August 2007. About a month in I was a bit moody and would loose my temper, but at Thanksgiving I went to Bali for a holiday and fell into an awful depression. I had no idea what was wrong but cried and was very irritable. Also thought everyone didn't like me and they were all mad at me. Paranoia I guess. I saw my GP when I came home and she gave me Lexapro, then Wellbutrin. I couldnt sleep, eat, sobbed all the time and never wanted to leave the house. I looked up Advair and saw a lot of others who had went into a depression on it. I have been off a week and I can only say that it has gotten so much better. I came off all the meds and I am eating normally, sleeping a lot better and the sobbing has stopped. I really think that the Advair was the factor. Hope this helps anyone who feels/felt like that.

Ive only been on Advair for almost a month. I couldn't believe how quickly my asthma disappeared. I was using my inhaler daily and tried other things but nothing helped. I went to a pulmonary specialist and prescribed Advair for a month. I'm so glad i have to go back and see him this Saturday b/c I want to tell him I will no longer take this. I'm 26 years old and had developed asthma when I was 7 years old. It went away when I was 14 and just came back full force 3 years ago. I would have tried anything to be able to breathe normally again.
I've had the hoarseness in my voice and a bad cough where I'm spitting up mucus everyday since I've been on Advair. I figured if this was what I had to live with to have the chance to live a normal life asthma free that id take it, it wasn't so bad. But this past week I've had blinding headaches non-stop. Ive been nauseous, sweating, coughing, I've been sore like I just finished a long workout, chest pains, tightness in my chest and my legs have felt so weak. This morning I woke up with the worst cold too; which I know Advair weakens your immune system but this is crazy. I stopped taking Advair this morning & I'm going to tell my doctor I need to try something else.

I am 37yrs old and have been on Advair for years, I use to weigh 110pds. now I weigh around 165, I have chest pains all the time,
pains in my legs and chronic back pain, also
pain in my leg's. I have mood swings and feel sluggish all the time. I have headaches a lot as well. I am still on the Advair, never realizing that the Advair was the cause.

I have mixed feelings about Advair. Quick history-at 30 I was dx with Asthma, at 32-COPD. I went on Advair after the COPD dx. Primarily-it certainly helped my breathing-gloriously. I have since gone on and off Advair periodically. Before last year (Pneumonia)-I had not been on the Advair for more than four months. BUT the Pneumonia combined with the COPD reduced my lung capacity by 25%. I allowed my Dr. to prescribe it indefinitely. However within a year I had gained thirty pounds. I started reading more, and found out that the AMA recommends only a six month duration of Advair therapy. My asthma symptoms had worsened over the last three months of that therapy. My untrained hypothesis is that if you exceed the recommended six month treatment-you will suffer the above outlined side affects. I simply quit it. Granted, my asthma symptoms increased for about three weeks-so I kept my handy little inhaler nearby, and gave myself one month to see if the asthma symptoms would decrease. They did. The long term-I have now been off of the Advair for nine months, and I rarely use my inhaler (knock on wood). The long term benefits of the extended Advair use has been a decreased problem with SOB- yes upon exertion(that is one of the symptoms of COPD), it is still present, but I can usually ride that out with patience, and rest. In conclusion-I would not hesitate to go back on the Advair upon my next COPD exacerbation, but I will absolutely stay within the six month suggested period. And, this time I will eat a lot of lo cal foods. Smile. It is always nice when people with chronic illness can smile over their disease. This has been my experience over the last five years that I have been introduced to Advair. One more suggestion-see if you can get your doctor to try you on the 250/50 before jumping right on the 500. The 500 is noted to have the side affect of increased SOB, and Asthma attacks-more often than the 250. One more note-although your doctor might forget to mention this-Advair is a steroid- and, steroids are known to cause weight gain. What can be done to reduce this affect-I do not know-Prednisone will do it too,now a combination of the two-which I have, of course, utilized a half dozen times or so in the last five years of my dx- is almost a guaranteed weight gain. If you manage to find out how to avoid that particular side affect-please let me know, and suggesting a vigorous work out to a patient with COPD in a bit insensitive, but if you have any other plausible ideas-I am anxious to hear them.

I have always been extremely active. I surfed every day, was swimming, I worked out at the gym several times per week. I am now 34 years old. In my 20’s I used an inhaler maybe one every few months if I got really sick but never ever needed it as a crutch to live. When I was 30 after going into a doctor for bronchitis I asked for an inhaler but they prescribed Advair in addition to an inhaler. They said this would help me to heal faster and stop the symptoms. Well I started taking Advair twice as prescribed. It did relive my shortness of breath but now I felt shaky, couldn’t sleep well and 3 weeks into it I started feeling dizzy all the time. I never had a asthma attack before. If I was sick I might use an inhaler but never did I feel my life threatened until now. After feeling dizzy I stopped the Advair. Well one day later I had such a bad attack I ended up in the hospital. Advair undeniably has made my problem much much worse. I noticed ever since I started Advair if I stop taking it my breathing gets so bad I can barley walk across the room. I never ever had this problem before taking this garbage. Its now 4 years later and I still take it but it took me 4 years to wean off this crap. I only take it when I feel really bad but then discontinue as soon as I can. I should also add I take my inhaler every day now. Never used to take it at all. I feel Advair put my system over the edge where there was a small breathing challenge burst into a full fledge illness after I started on Advair. I must ad in the 4 years I have been eating about 80% raw organic foods, taking lots of vitamins and supplements. I feel this is all I can do to start to live a normal life and hopefully be off Advair all together.

I have been on Advair Disk Inhaler for almost 2 years and I actually LOST almost 10 lbs without trying. I suspect it is the Advair that made me lose the weight. I was looking this up to see if others have this side affect (not that I am complaining) - but I see others are GAINING weight. Guess I am pretty lucky or maybe it has nothing to do with Advair and perhaps I should be concerned about it.

I'm very glad that I found this site! I took Advair for appx. one month. I experienced the weight gain and awful sores in my mouth. I rinsed my mouth each time I used my inhaler. I stopped taking it 3 days ago. The sores are disappearing and I feel like I'm losing some of the weight that I gained.

Boy, after reading quite a few posts I wonder if my problems are linked to my advair use. I started about 2 years ago, 250/50 and have had to go to 500/50 during the spring-early fall because this is the time my allergies are the worst. I have year round allergies, highly allergic to weeds and grass pollen, also molds, cats, dust, etc. I started having problems when I was 15 with asthma, I am 30 now. I've been on multiple meds since I was about 20 for my asthma. During the winter I always have problems with chest congestion, coughing, and sinus problems. About 2 years ago these problems suddenly got a lot worse, and I could not get over sinus infections, I was referred to a specialist, they tried 3 different antibiotics, but as soon as I got off them my symptoms returned. I had a cat scan, and they found my sinus cavities were terrible, full, swollen, etc. He reffered me to another specialist, who I think is awsome. They changed my asthma meds, back to singular, q-var inhaller twice a day, and advair twice a day. My asthma is better, my sinus problems got better and I was able to have sinus surgery about 16 months ago which Greatly improved my problems. I started allergy shots about 1 year ago. Since July of this year I have been having strange problems, which I think are caused by the advair. Lots of times I shake for a few hours after taking my advair and q-var, for the last few months the shaking has gotten worse. In July I suddenly started having problems sleeping, my legs and arms move involuntarily - most of the time violently thrashing around while I am sleeping. I am always tired, and since July I now have severe tiredness in the day, especially while driving, I have to fight falling asleep! Very concerning to me since I have a 6 and 3 yr old, and the 3 yr old is always with me when I start to get to tired (exccessive daytime sleepiness). The leg and arm movements are called Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, similar to Restless Leg Syndrome, but PLMD is usually only during the night, and you don't feel like you have things crawling up your legs or the constant need to move. My symptoms have grown increasingly worse, I had all types of blood work done 2 months ago, nothing was found to be wrong. I've tried different chiropractors, stretching my back/legs before bed, less caffine, etc. But nothing has helped. I started taking Requip about 6 weeks ago, increased the dose about 2 weeks ago, but still having problems. I have had leg and feet cramps for the last month, almost daily, and have periodic leg shakiness during the day, like I have worked out really hard, but I have been sitting! I noticed that Advair lists sleep disorders as a side effect, but doesn't specify what types. I will definately be talking to my doctor about weaning off and stopping advair!
Thanks for having this site and for sharing!

I am a 56 year old woman and have used Advair over the past two years, off and on. I started consistently again 1 1/2 months ago to prepare for a trip to Chicago. It didn't seem to help and in fact my heart raced at night so bad that I had to take something to sleep while on my trip. About two weeks after returning from Chicago I felt a choking feeling and looked in the mirror to find a rather large pocket of neck swelling about four fingers big and felt like fluid filled, not air. I went to emergency and the doctors did x-rays, two scans and found nothing. The swelling decreased the next day but I was unable to take a deep breath without excruciating pain. All this time I was still on Advair and Singulair. The emergency doctor was stumped and said to quit Singulair. When the breathing pain continued and was felt in the front below my ribcage and in the back I returned to emergency and they did new tests found nothing said Singulair was probably not the problem and attributed the swelling to a cyst that burst causing the fluid build up. I then had a x-ray while swallowing a barriam (sp)? solution saw nothing. Then an MRI that showed up normal and a ENT Dr performed a scope to find nothing in my throat. To this day I still feel a choking feeling especially when I try to sleep at night. I stopped taking Advair three nights ago and hope to find some relief soon. Doctors are stumped and have said "just watch the neck and make sure you come in to emergency right away if the swelling returns to the neck and blocks breathing." I hope this elimination of Advair helps my constant feeling of strain and choking in and around my esophogus.

I was diagnosed with asthma after 34 years of a very athletic life. My dr. prescribed me predisone, proventil, singular and ADVAIR!! Although the predisone was for a 7 day period, the other three meds. I was to take indefinetly. For someone who has never been on any medication, this was a very hard adjustment!! I took all meds. for about 6 wks. but my gut feeling was just telling me to stop, so after blurriness of vision, weight gain, shakiness, loss of sleep,mood swings,loss of concentration, severe heart burn(especially at night), breast tenderness, back pain and the need to clear my throat all the time I took it upon myself to get off the drugs!! I stopped about a week ago and am feeling a slight shortness of breath but I'm going to stay on top of it and work out on building up my lungs and flushing all these medications out of my system. Sometimes doctors are to quick to diagnose a person and put them on unnecessary medications. I believe on our bodies having the capability of healing themselves with natural elements. I'm on my way to a natural product store to find a healthier way to heal my body. Thank you all for the comments!! I'm relieved to know that I made the right choice on stopping ADVAIR!!!!

My 8 year old son began using Advair this year after a bout of wheezing sent us to Urgent care. When he was finally officially diagnosed with Asthma this fall, our GP gave us Advair again. My son did great as far as asthma and breathing - didn't need his rescue inhaler once. Unfortunately he gained 8 pounds in 3 weeks and his face and stomach began to look extremely puffy. He also had 3 nosebleeds in quick succession, one when he slept which was a much larger nosebleed than he'd ever had before. I immediately discontinued his use of Advair when I went online and looked at the side effects. Unfortunately I had to talk to the nurses at my clinic several times to explain to them that I was CERTAIN an 8 lb weight gain was not normal and that I was no longer giving this medication to my son, no matter what our GP said. It seems that the clinical trials didn't show weight gain as a significant symptom, but later reporting by doctors has shown it. Doctors don't seem to have this information!

My husband is 46 and has been on Advair for about 3 years for COPD /asthma. I do not believe in all this medication however his doctor told him to take it so he did. We trust our doctors. He use to be an avid runner , rode horses almost nightly, good physical shape and always full of energy. I have been noticing over the last couple years he has no energy, he has chronic muscle pain ( can not even lift much anymore), hoaseness all the time, eyesight is deteriorating, weight gain ( and he has been dieting), problems sleeping at night , feels light headed , and always exhausted. Recently he has been constantly complaining, which he never does, on how much his body truly hurts all the time. So I decided to find out the side effects of all the medications his pulmonary specialist has kindly prescribed for him and guess what his problems all relate to taking Advair. So as of tonight he has stopped taking this medication because I gave him a copy of what shows on this site and how everyone else has the same side affects. I thank all of you. I did convince him a couple months ago to start going to a massage therapist weekly , He used to go monthly,to help him with his muscle pain, however the pain was so much that he has to go weekly. He just started going for acupuncture which he really seems to see a difference in his breathing. She told him the first medication she was getting him off of was Advair. How interesting.

Paula , Burlington, CT.

I am a 46 year old female and have had asthma all my life,medication,shots,inhalers.The past year it got very bad and I was going through inhalers almost weekly. My doctor put me on advair in may of this year.I was so happy it really helped my asthma,no inhalers.Then the side effects started-I felt sick like I had broncitis,sore throat ,sounding hoarse,headaches,very annoyed,anxious,moody,felt like throwing-up,not sleeping,urinary tract infection,backache,confusion,weight gain.I thought I was very ill and was almost afraid to go to the doctor,then I thought about being put on advair and when the symptoms started.I looked up side-effects and BINGO! I am going to tell my doctor to get me off this,kinda afraid I'll get really bad asthma again,but what do you do?Feel like total gargage every day?or not be able to breath?What a choice.This all took place in a matter of 5 months.Everyone is different,every body can or cannot tolerate certain drugs.People do know their own bodies and why doctors don't listen or believe them I don't know.But,I sick and tired of being sick and tired and my whole summer was wasted thanks to advair.Hope I have another option.Lisa K.

Hi all. I am a 37 year old female. I was diagnosed with severe asthma when I was 30. Nothing helped me, nothing! I was coughing blood, in and out of the hospital, had to leave my job and for two years resigned myself to knowing I was going to die sooner rather than later. It was a daily struggle just to walk through the house.

Eventually a pulmonologist started me on Advair 50/500. Almost immediately my breathing became better. I had my life back. I had the energy to start my own business and am doing things I never thought was possible.

Sure, I have experienced some of these side effects...weight gain, moodiness, leg cramps, slight swelling in my throat and a very annoying urge to constantly clear my throat. BUT...I AM ALIVE!

I have read some of these other posts. If you can get by without the Advair then maybe it is not the best choice for you. If simply drinking enough water, as one stated, made me not have to use my albuterol, I would never even consider taking it. Hopefully someday there will be something better that does not have these side effects. But...until then, if you are like me, and need it to literally survive, then these side effects are worth living to spend another day with my family.

Although, I will say that it is a shame that it has to be so expensive. Since there are people that need this medication to survive, they should come up with a better plan to lower the costs.

I had my asthma re-evaluated just recently and was put on advair...that was about 10 DAYS ago, and since I began using it I have been waking up in the middle of the night, having nightmares and disturbing dreams, mood swings and swelling in my throat. Worst of all, I have been having MORE tightness in my chest and trouble breathing! I really felt ridiculous telling my family that I thought my sleep, mood and breathing problems were related to an asthma medication, but finding this site and hearing other stories not only comforts me but convinces me to stop taking advair regardless of what my doctor says!!

MY SON WAS A VERY ENERGETIC TEN YEAR OLD UNTIL HE STARTED THE ADVAIR DISKUS NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE IS HAVING CRYING SPELLS AND IT SEEMS THAT HE IS STRUGGLING WITH WORRY. JUST TODAY HE HAD TO TALK TO THE COUNSELLOR AT SCHOOL. THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL FOR HIM. HE USUALLY HAS NO PROBLEM WITH GOING TO SCHOOL. HE IS AFRAID SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIS FATHER. ALSO, HE HAS STARTED ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER- EVEN THOUGH WE ANSWER HIM VERY CLEARLY. THUS HE STARTS TO WORRY AND BECOME UPSET. IT IS AS IF HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. COULD HE BE STARTING TO STRUGGLE WITH OCD ALSO? WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I AM STOPPING HIS ADVAIR IMMEDIATELY. THIS MEDECINE IS DRAGGING MY SON DOWN.