Advair/medication safety

[Guest guest]

Advair, like all medications, has good and bad points. There is small

risk of problems, as someone else posted, from the salmeterol. However,

when salmeterol is taken with an inhaled steroid (like the fluticasone

in Advair) the risk appears to be very small. I would feel very safe

taking the drug after a discussion with the doctor about the

risks/benefits. But, Advair also has side effects that occur to some

patients, but many people don't experience them at all. As an example,

I was prescribed Advair, but stopped after three days because I had

tremors, a racing heart, and high blood pressure from it. My body could

not tolerate the serevent. But for my son, it has made a huge

difference in his asthma control. He seems to have no side effects and

tolerates it very well. His asthma control and ability to exercise in

particular improved a great deal after he started taking it. I see many

patients in the hospital where I work that do very well with it. If you

are considering or are worried about Advair, read the patient insert

carefully and discuss with the doctor why he/she thinks it will help.

If the doc strongly feels it might be helpful, it would be worth a try.

Many people do great with it, others not so much. Our bodies are

individual in how we react to drugs, so what works for one is not always

helpful for another.

Someone posted about Azmacort. It looked like their dose was pretty

high, but overall, inhaled steroids are much safer than taking oral

steroids like prednisone. Using a spacer and rinsing the mouth after

taking inhaled steroids usually prevents thrush in the mouth, which

seems to be the most common problem. With inhaled steroids, most of

the steroid is absorbed directly into the lungs and does not have a

systemic effect. With very high doses, more is absorbed systemically

and there is a small risk of steroid side effects. The goal of inhaled

steroids is to find the lowest dose for each patient that keeps their

asthma under control to avoid having any steriod side effects. Most

doctors will start with a higher dose with a new patient to gain control

of the asthma, and then titrate down the dose gradually. That is why

good followup care is important with asthma, so that control can be

assesed and the meds adjusted as needed. Sometimes the dose has to be

adjusted through the year to account for allergies. I have to increase

my dose during my peak allergy seasons to maintain control, but am able

to drop to a lower dose at other times of the year.

Taking Advair will often enable you to use a lower dose of steroids, as

the the serevent seems have a synergistic effect with the steroid.

Inhaled steroids are the mainstay treatment of asthma, as they reduce

the inflammation in the lungs. Don't be scared to take them. As with

all drugs, voice any concerns to the doctor so you can feel comfortable

with what you are taking. If a drug causes problems, work with the

doctor to see what other things might work better. Things like cromolyn

and singulair are not steroids and are options to try. However, most

patients with any kind of significant asthma are going to probably need

at least some inhaled steroids to maintain control.

All medicine, even OTC stuff like aspirin and tylenol have potential

side effects. The key with medications is to learn about anything you

are taking and decide if the benefit is worth the risk. Read and know

about the side effects so you can monitor yourself for problems. But

remember, most side effects occur in a just a small number of people

using a medicine. Good communication with the doctor is important.

Don't let a doctor dismiss your concerns, but don't be afraid to try

something new if there is potential benefit. The more you learn about

asthma, the better you can communicate with the doctor. They like

patients who are informed.