What are other names for this medicine?
Type of medicine: corticosteroid; bronchodilator
Generic and brand names: fluticasone propionate/salmeterol,
inhalation; Advair Diskus; Advair HFA
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 or to milk proteins
- an infection such as herpes or tuberculosis (TB)
- a weakened immune system from diseases such as HIV/AIDS or
from cancer chemotherapy, or radiation therapy
- 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.
Check the label on the medicine for directions about your specific
dose. 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.
If you have the Diskus:
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.
If you have the Advair HFA and are not using a spacer, follow
these directions:
- Prime the inhaler before you use it the first time. To prime
the inhaler, shake it well for 5 seconds then spray into the
air. Do this 4 times. Do not spray in eyes. Each time you use
the inhaler:
- Use only the purple mouthpiece that comes with this medicine.
Remove the plastic cap from the mouthpiece. Shake the inhaler
for 5 seconds before each use.
- Hold the inhaler upright so the mouthpiece is at the bottom.
- Put the mouthpiece into your mouth. Close your lips around the
mouthpiece, keeping your tongue below it.
- Breathe out as fully as you comfortably can.
- Press the inhaler down once so it releases a spray of medicine
into your mouth while you breathe in slowly. (One spray is
called a puff.) Each time you press down, a metered
(measured) dose is delivered.
- Continue breathing in as slowly and deeply as possible.
- Hold your breath for 10 seconds or as long as is comfortable
(this gives the medicine time to reach the airways).
- Remove the inhaler from your mouth. Breathe out slowly.
- If your health care provider has prescribed more than one puff
(spray) for each dose, wait 30 seconds between puffs and then
repeat steps 1 through 9. Take the number of puffs prescribed
by your health care provider.
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).
What if I miss a dose?
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 if I overdose?
If you or anyone else has intentionally taken too much of this
medicine, call 911 or go to the emergency room right away. If you
pass out, have seizures, weakness or confusion, or have trouble
breathing, call 911. If you think that you or anyone else may have
taken too much of this medicine, call the poison control center.
Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. The
poison control center number is 800-222-1222.
Symptoms of an acute overdose may include: chest pain, fast
irregular heartbeat, seizures, tremors, weakness, headache,
nausea, vomiting.
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, cough, chest pain,
irregular heartbeat, unexplained bruising or sores, fever, joint
or muscle pain, white patches in your mouth.
Other: Headache, 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, 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 with you. List all the
prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines, supplements,
natural remedies, and vitamins that you take. 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.
© 2009 RelayHealth and/or its affiliates. All Rights Reserved.