Advair

salmeterol

Advair Diskus belongs to a class of medications known as “long-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonists” or LABAs. These long-acting bronchodilator medicines help to relax the muscles around the airways in the lungs, preventing bronchospasm, or wheezing, from happening.

Advair carries a warning about a study that showed 13 deaths among people who added the drug to their usual asthma treatment. Advair and Serevent contain the same active ingredient, salmeterol, although in Advair it is combined with another medicine.

Even though LABAs decrease the frequency of asthma episodes, which are marked by sudden tightening of the muscles around the airways, they may make the episodes more severe when they do occur.

Some side effects patients may experience while using Advair are:

• hoarseness
• throat irritation
• headache
• rapid heartbeat
• nervousness
• cough
• dry mouth/throat
• upset stomach

Although rare, patients should immediately tell their doctors if any of the following serious side effects occur:

• white patches on tongue/in mouth
• increased thirst/urination
• persistent weight gain
• vision problems, like blurred vision)
• shaking
• chest pain
• fast/slow/irregular heartbeat
• seizures
• severe muscle cramping

Source: “SALMETEROL/FLUTICASONE INHALATION DISK - ORAL,” Webmd.com, May 2007.