What are other names for this medicine?
Type of medicine: corticosteroid; bronchodilator
Generic and brand names: fluticasone propionate/salmeterol,
inhalation; Advair Diskus
What is this medicine used for?
This combination of two medicines is inhaled through the
mouth. It helps prevent or decrease wheezing and trouble
breathing from asthma or chronic lung disease.
What should my healthcare provider know before I take this
medicine?
Before taking this medicine, tell your healthcare provider if you
have ever had:
- an allergic reaction to any medicine
- any kind of infection, for example herpes or tuberculosis (TB)
- diabetes
- eye problems such as cataracts or glaucoma
- heart disease or irregular heartbeat
- high blood pressure
- liver disease
- osteoporosis
- seizures
- thyroid disorder.
Also tell your healthcare provider if you are taking a
corticosteroid such as prednisone by mouth.
Females of childbearing age: Tell your healthcare provider
if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not
known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby. Do
not breast-feed while taking this medicine without your
healthcare provider's approval.
How do I use it?
Do not use this medicine to treat an asthma attack that has
already started. This medicine is used to prevent asthma
attacks.
Use this medicine exactly as your healthcare provider
prescribes. Do not use more or less than prescribed. Use
it every day at the same times. You may feel better in a
day or two after you start using this medicine, but you will
probably need to use the medicine for 2 weeks to feel its
full benefit.
Read the information sheet that comes in the medicine
package. If you do not understand how to use the inhaler
device, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist to
explain.
Do not shake the inhaler. Do not try to use a spacer with
this medicine. To use the inhaler:
- To open the inhaler, push the thumbgrip away from you as
far as it will go. You will hear a click and feel a snap.
When open, the mouthpiece will appear.
- Slide the mouthpiece lever away from you as far as it
will go until it clicks. The inhaler is now ready to use.
If you close the inhaler or push the lever again, you will
lose medicine.
- Turn your head away from the inhaler, and breathe out to
the end of a normal breath. Do not breathe into the
inhaler.
- Hold the inhaler level and put the mouthpiece between
your lips. Close your lips around the mouthpiece.
- Breathe in through your mouth as deeply as you can. Do
not breathe through your nose.
- Hold your breath and remove the mouthpiece from your
mouth. Hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds, or as long
as is comfortable before breathing out slowly. This
gives the medicine time to settle in your airways and
lungs.
- Turn your head away from the inhaler, and breathe out
slowly. Do not breathe into the inhaler.
- To close the inhaler, place your thumb on the thumbgrip,
and slide it back toward you as far as it will go. You
will hear it click shut.
- Keep the inhaler dry. Do not wash it. You may use a
dry cloth to wipe it clean.
The inhaler has a window that shows the number of doses that
are left. Refill the prescription before the counter gets
to 0 so that you will not run out of medicine.
After each use, rinse your mouth with water and spit the
water out. This helps prevent thrush (a fungal infection
that shows up as white spots on your tongue and in your
mouth).
If you miss a dose, use it as soon as you remember unless it is
almost time for the next scheduled dose. In that case, skip the
missed dose and use the next one as directed. Do not use double
doses. If you are not sure of what to do if you miss a dose, or if
you miss more than one dose, contact your healthcare provider.
What should I watch out for?
If your healthcare provider prescribes another medicine to
be inhaled, ask how long you should wait between doses of
the different medicines.
Do not use this medicine for sudden breathing problems or
asthma attacks that have already started. Your healthcare
provider will prescribe a short-acting inhaled medicine to
use when you have an asthma attack.
If your asthma is quickly getting worse, it may be
life-threatening. Long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists may
increase the risk of asthma-related death. Talk with your
healthcare provider about this. If you have any of the
following signs of worsening asthma, call your healthcare
provider right away:
- You need to use more puffs than usual of your
short-acting inhaler or use it more often.
- You have severe breathing trouble that does not improve,
such as persistent wheezing, coughing, or shortness of
breath.
- You have a bluish color in your lips or fingernails or
are unable to speak.
You may get infections more easily when you are taking this
medicine. Stay away from people with colds, flu, or other
infections. If you are exposed to an infectious disease,
contact your healthcare provider right away. Also, do not
have any vaccines without getting your healthcare
provider's approval first.
Do not stop taking this medicine without your healthcare
provider's approval. Suddenly stopping this medicine may be
life-threatening.
This medicine may affect growth in children. Talk to your
healthcare provider about this.
What are the possible side effects?
Along with its needed effects, your medicine may cause some
unwanted side effects. Some side effects may be very
serious. Some side effects may go away as your body adjusts
to the medicine. Tell your healthcare provider if you have
any side effects that continue or get worse.
Life-threatening (Report these to your healthcare provider
right away. If you cannot reach your healthcare provider
right away, get emergency medical care or call 911 for
help): Allergic reaction (hives; itching; rash; trouble
breathing; tightness in your chest; swelling of your lips,
tongue, and throat).
Serious (report these to your healthcare provider right
away): Trouble breathing or catching your breath, chest
pain, irregular heartbeat, unexplained bruising or sores,
white patches in your mouth.
Other: Headache, joint or muscle pain, runny or stuffy nose,
nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, dizziness, hoarseness,
diarrhea, shakiness.
What products might interact with this medicine?
When you take this medicine with other medicines, it can
change the way this or any of the other medicines work.
Nonprescription medicines, vitamins, natural remedies, and
certain foods may also interact. Using these products
together might cause harmful side effects. Talk to your
healthcare provider if you are taking:
- antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), clarithromycin
(Biaxin), doxycycline (Adoxa, Doryx, Vibramycin),
erythromycin (EES, Ery-Tab, Eryc, Erythrocin), and
telithromycin (Ketek)
- antifungals such as itraconazole (Sporanox) and
ketoconazole (Nizoral)
- beta blockers such as atenolol (Tenormin), carteolol,
bisoprolol (Zebeta), pindolol, metoprolol (Lopressor,
Toprol XL), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal),
timolol, and betaxolol
(Kerlone)
- diuretics (water pills) such as bumetanide (Bumex),
ethacrynic acid (Edecrin), furosemide (Lasix), torsemide
(Demadex), chlorothiazide (Diuril), hydrochlorothiazide
(Microzide, Oretic), hydroflumethiazide
(Diucardin), and polythiazide (Renese)
- imatinib (Gleevec)
- MAO inhibitor antidepressants such as isocarboxazid
(Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), and tranylcypromine
(Parnate) (Do not take this medicine and an MAO inhibitor
within 14 days of each other.)
- medicines to treat HIV such as indinavir (Crixivan),
nelfinavir (Viracept), nevirapine (Viramune), delavirdine
(Rescriptor), ritonavir (Norvir), and saquinavir
(Fortovase, Invirase)
- other long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists to treat
breathing or lung problems such as formoterol (Foradil)
or salmeterol (Serevent)
- tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline,
nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), imipramine (Tofranil),
and doxepin (Sinequan) (Do not take this medicine and an
antidepressant within 14 days of each other).
Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription,
nonprescription, supplements, natural remedies, and
vitamins) with you. Tell all healthcare providers who
treat you about any other medicines you are taking by mouth,
inhalation, or shots.
How should I store this medicine?
Store this medicine at room temperature. Keep the container
tightly closed. Protect it from heat, high humidity, and bright
light.
Keep the device in the foil pouch until you are ready to use
the medicine. Discard the device 1 month after opening the
pouch or when the dosage counter shows 0, whichever comes
first.
This advisory includes selected information only and may not
include all side effects of this medicine or interactions
with other medicines. Ask your healthcare provider or
pharmacist for more information or if you have any
questions.
Ask your pharmacist for the best way to dispose of outdated
medicine or medicine you have not used. Do not throw
medicine in the trash.
Keep all medicines out of the reach of children.
Do not share medicines with other people.
This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information is intended to inform and educate and is not a
replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
Copyright © 2007 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.