Advair Side Effects?
I recently noticed a tendency to bruise easily. I checked for possible causes & one that came up was steroid use. Ive been using Advair, which contains corticosteroids, regularly for several months now & am wondering if anyone else has experienced similar symptoms while using the Advair diskus inhaler?
Hi. Great question. And I also take Advair, so I will take a stab at your question with my thoughts. The medicine in Advair that may possibly cause bruising is the inhaled steroid. Generally, the doses of steroids used to treat asthma are low and "less likely" to cause bruising. Although, some of us (including myself) do notice bruises that seem to linger, and we wonder if it's possible this may be due to the steroids in our system -- and of course it is a possibility. And I'm not sure the steroids actually cause the bruises, more so that they last longer. In my opinion, this is a minor side effect that I deal with, as the Advair works so great otherwise to control my asthma. What do you think? John. asthma.net community moderator
Hi John, many thanks for your response. I'm fairly certain that there's a real connection between my sudden tendency to easily bruise & my daily use of the Advair inhaler. I say this bc Ive never had this issue prior to commencing daily use of the inhaler several months ago. And I dont consider this a minor side effect as the bruises are large, long lasting, & unsightly. Interestingly, though, they are not painful, just ugly & long lasting. So Ive (temporarily) stopped using the inhaler & have restarted taking Chinese herbs, as in the past I found they seemed to help keep the airwaves open, minus the side affect of Advair. Of course, especially this being Spring time, Im now using the rescue inhaler more often, but at least no obvious side effects. An acceptable trade off, for now. The hope is regular use of the herbs (SEVEN FORESTS Pinellia 16) will negate the need for Advair use. Just started with them so time will tell. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks again for your kind response/feedback.
Hi ACTONE, and thanks for your response and further explanation. I tend to agree with what my colleague, , has said. This is primarily because the experience that John has shared with us about himself, is also my experience, I have been on Advair for a great many years and have not noticed the bruising or, in my case, whatever bruising I do incur, lasting longer. I have been fortunate in that regard.
I do appreciate you sharing your own particular situation and hope that you will continue to see an improvement (less to no bruising now that you have stopped the Advair).
We will look forward to your keeping us apprised of your progress moving forward.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Thanks much for sharing Leon. The hope is regular use of the herbs will allow the air waves to remain open, therefore obviating the need for Advair use. I will as always keep you updated. Thanks once again for all the info offered/shared by this wonderful site.
Hi again, ACTONE - it's our pleasure! As said, I am hoping this works for you moving forward. I do have a concern since you mentioned an increased use of the rescue inhaler possibly due to the spring season but also, possibly due to the cessation of the use of Advair.
As you said, time will tell. I would suggest you monitor yourself closely (but not too closely), to be keenly aware of how you're feeling.
What do you think?
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Just curious, have you had bloodwork done since you started the Advair? I wonder if there would be any changes in your blood count that could offer further clues. I did find that we have an article about this issue -- it notes that inhaled steroids can cause bruising when used in very high doses (over 1000 mcg daily). Here's the link if you want to check it out:
https://asthma.net/living/bruise-easy-your-inhaled-steroid-might-be-to-blame
Do you have education in the use of Chinese herbs? I have often been fascinated by their use (as long as it's done properly, of course). Wishing you continued progress! -Melissa, asthma.net team
For sure good advice! The cessation of Advair use + the advent of Spring has necessitated an increased use of the rescue inhaler, which Im closely monitoring. So far nothing too extreme ( no great surprise either), but definitely something to keep an eye on. The hope is, as previously mentioned, that continued use of the herbs will mitigate inhaler use. The herbs are due to b delivered today, so will immediately start taking them & we'll see if they help. Thanks always for your thoughtful feedback, & of course will keep you posted on developments.
Hi again, ACTONE, and thanks for this comment as well. Glad to hear the herbs have arrived (already!), today.
We'll look forward to hearing back from you once you have information to share.
Good luck!
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
