LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Advair: Advair Diskus
built 645 days ago
Advair Diskus is an inhaled drug that is used to treat asthma and chronic bronchitis. In patients with asthma, the airways through which air moves in and out of the lungs can be narrowed by accumulation of mucus, spasm of the muscles that surround these airways, or swelling of the lining of the airways due to inflammation. Airway narrowing leads to symptoms of shortness of breath, wheezing, cough and congestion. Medications used in treating asthma include those that open airways, called bronchodilators, and those that reduce the inflammation. Advair Diskus contains a combination of salmeterol, a bronchodilator of the beta-2 agonist type, and fluticasone propionate, an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid. Beta-2 agonists are medications that attach to beta-2 receptors on the smooth muscle cells that surround the airways, causing the muscle cells to relax and opening the airways.
Source:
The normal dosage of Advair Diskus is one inhalation twice daily. Take the inhalations morning and evening, 12 hours apart. The product comes in three strengths. Your doctor will select the best strength for you based on your current therapy. If this selection fails to improve your asthma after 2 weeks, the doctor may prescribe a higher strength. Advair Diskus can be used by adolescents 12 years of age and older.
Source:
Do not use Advair Diskus more often than your doctor has prescribed. Excessive use can cause heart irregularities. Use Advair Diskus with caution if you have any kind of heart disorder or high blood pressure. Alert your doctor immediately if you develop chest pain, heart palpitations, nervousness, or tremor.
Source:
Advair currently has what is known as a "black box warning" from the FDA. This was issued in relation to the salmeterol that is in Advair Diskus. This warning was issued because a few studies showed that salmeterol had a slightly increased risk of breathing problems and death in people with asthma, especially African-Americans.
Source:
Advair Diskus, an oral inhaler containing a combination of fluticasone and salmeterol, is indicated for the twice-daily, long-term treatment of asthma in patients 12 years of age and older. Fluticasone, a steroid, and salmeterol, a long-acting beta-agonist, work to reduce swelling in the airways and relax and open air passages in the lungs. Advair controls asthma but does not cure the disorder. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Advair in 2000. The inhaler is made by GlaxoSmithKline.
Source:
Advair medication does not contribute to cure asthma completely. But it certainly is very effective in keeping asthma under control. The diskus is used to treat and prevent the symptoms of asthma. Though Advair cannot stop an asthma attack once it has started, the medicine is really helpful in treating other such similar breathing conditions as well.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Advair Diskus