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I have been on Advair for a few years, and every so many months I start to question it. I've had asthma since I was 2, and I'm 26 now.
Whenever I read reports about the deaths caused by advair, I really get scared. But then, I think it might be becasue people use advair as a rescue inhaler and it's clearly not meant for DURING an attack.
I've also known my anxiety has gone up in the last year. I've been more tired and depressed. This also helped me gain weight. But I blame to weight gain for poor eating choices and being too tired/lazy to move around.
For the last year, I have also been VERY mucus-y. I went to my doctor about 2 weeks ago for a yearly check up and I brought this up. She just says it might be post nasal drip. I don't know.. I sometimes hack up A LOT of mucus. Never any off color, which is good, but it still concerns me.
I feel that doctors are only in it for the $$$, so I'd like to have some alternatives I'd like to talk with her about.. but what can they be? Has anyone been on advair and now on something else?
...advair is also expensive. Without insurance it's like $250 (which is sickening). Luckily I am insured and only pay $30.
Well, any help with this would be appreciated. I would love to try something that's cheaper, works great, and MAY not be the cause of my anxiety/depression/mucus
No there are no alternatives to Advair except dying and not needing it anymore. Your doctor said maybe post nasal drip. So in other words he/she does not know. Welcome to this despicable excuse for health care in America.
Without going into a long winded why.......I'd like you to do something. When you go to a new doctor that actually cares about your health rather then blatantly saying "maybe it's.......", I'd like you to mention to the new doctor to explore Alpha 1 Antitrypsin. He will almost certainly not know what it is because it is not taught in western medicine. It it nicknamed the Norwegian disease because it is a common genetic disease there. However there are only 8 known cases in America, you could be one based on what you said. I know one of those cases and am very familiar with your symptoms and the long dying process before this horrible medical system figures it out. By then it's usually too late.
There is no cure but there are meds to stop the progressive aggressive aging of the lungs which is about 5 years for every year you live. The test is very simple but I guarentee you your Doctor never heard of it. It will require him researching it. Many fat head doctors will not research something a patient told them. Push it and demand it. Asthma does lead to Alpha 1 Antitrypsin even if you are not of Norwegian decent.
There are alternatives to advair. I tried it once and it made my asthma worse. QVar is a steroid inhaler. My Mom takes ProAir, which is another steriod inhaler. You could do a singulair/QVar combo and maybe that would work just as good as it did for me. I no longer need the QVar because things are well controlled on Singulair. Of course, never leave home without that rescue inhaler. At any rate, no Dr. here but have been on and off of steroid inhalers over the years.
BTW, none of this stuff is cheap. My Dr. was, however, willing to write me a script for generic singulair (they say there is no generic to it but there is and it's called Montair and I got mine from a Canadian pharmacy for cheap. Works just as well). It's still legal to do so at this point so if you can find a Dr. willing to write you a script (for just about anything), you'll get it cheaper in a Canadian pharmacy than here (this presumes no insurance coverage). DM me if you ever get to that point and I'll give you the name of this reputable and good pharmacy.
No there are no alternatives to Advair except dying and not needing it anymore. Your doctor said maybe post nasal drip. So in other words he/she does not know. Welcome to this despicable excuse for health care in America.
Without going into a long winded why.......I'd like you to do something. When you go to a new doctor that actually cares about your health rather then blatantly saying "maybe it's.......", I'd like you to mention to the new doctor to explore Alpha 1 Antitrypsin. He will almost certainly not know what it is because it is not taught in western medicine. It it nicknamed the Norwegian disease because it is a common genetic disease there. However there are only 8 known cases in America, you could be one based on what you said. I know one of those cases and am very familiar with your symptoms and the long dying process before this horrible medical system figures it out. By then it's usually too late.
There is no cure but there are meds to stop the progressive aggressive aging of the lungs which is about 5 years for every year you live. The test is very simple but I guarentee you your Doctor never heard of it. It will require him researching it. Many fat head doctors will not research something a patient told them. Push it and demand it. Asthma does lead to Alpha 1 Antitrypsin even if you are not of Norwegian decent.
Good luck to ya my friend.
1. Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency IS most certainly "taught" in Western Medicine.
2. AATD while rare effects 1 in 5,000 Americans....there are a FEW more than 8 people in the US with the condition.
3. Asthma doesn't "lead" to AATD....it is an INHERITED disorder....you can't "catch it" or "develop it" later in life unless you are BORN with the condition.
There are several alternatives to Advair!
Spiriva (?) is one..
I used a Pulmicort and Foradil combination (when I would get a cold I could take an extra hit of Pulmicort - per my Dr to help)
There were some others very similar - but they are not the "all in ones"..
If your Dr is just "eh"... then you really need to find another Dr.. A specialist preferably who knows the medicines and side affects.
There are several alternatives to Advair!
Spiriva (?) is one..
I used a Pulmicort and Foradil combination (when I would get a cold I could take an extra hit of Pulmicort - per my Dr to help)
There were some others very similar - but they are not the "all in ones"..
If your Dr is just "eh"... then you really need to find another Dr.. A specialist preferably who knows the medicines and side affects.
I agree with this. I got the flu 25 years ago and had bronchitis for six months. I was really worried. This was back in the days when a person could smoke in the office, and I was surrounded by smokers. I had to ask for special accommodations. There are many meds out there and I just shared what I know of. I went to see a specialist and, if the OP does not get help from her PCP, time to go see a specialist. Oh, and one more point, I have not missed a flu shot since that time. In fact, I somewhat sequestered myself during the H1N1 period. After I could finally get the vaccination, I was good to go.
I know the point of these forums is to get input from others, but for a specific question like this, you really should try to ask either a new doctor (that you trust) or a pharmacist. Some of the suggestions you are getting above are not quite accurate. For example, proair is not a steroid--it's basically albuterol (not an alternative to advair). Foradil also carries a similar warning as advair because foradil is a long acting beta agonist (and advair contains a steroid with a long acting beta agonist). If you are concerned about the warnings, you might ask your doctor if being on a steroid without the long acting beta agonist (like some of the suggestions made earlier--like pulmicort, etc) would be sufficient to control YOUR asthma.
I know the point of these forums is to get input from others, but for a specific question like this, you really should try to ask either a new doctor (that you trust) or a pharmacist. Some of the suggestions you are getting above are not quite accurate. For example, proair is not a steroid--it's basically albuterol (not an alternative to advair). Foradil also carries a similar warning as advair because foradil is a long acting beta agonist (and advair contains a steroid with a long acting beta agonist). If you are concerned about the warnings, you might ask your doctor if being on a steroid without the long acting beta agonist (like some of the suggestions made earlier--like pulmicort, etc) would be sufficient to control YOUR asthma.
This. ^....There is a lot of misinformation going on in this thread, but if you must listen to anyone, listen to this poster above. He/she knows what they're talking about.
1. Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency IS most certainly "taught" in Western Medicine.
2. AATD while rare effects 1 in 5,000 Americans....there are a FEW more than 8 people in the US with the condition.
3. Asthma doesn't "lead" to AATD....it is an INHERITED disorder....you can't "catch it" or "develop it" later in life unless you are BORN with the condition.
4. Any MD in the US has heard of this condition.
5. Carry on with your rant....
Don't bother. If you don't know then don't just guess. Alpha 1 is not taught in the USA because there are only 8 known cases of it ever. When my ex was hospitalized for 3 months she went through dozens of doctors that could not figure out what was wrong. Finally a doctor from Sweden figured it out because this disease is common there. This doctor was well aware of it.
In more recent times as she was hospitalized, she was like a clown in a freak show as doctors of all kinds came into visit her at no charge just to talk and ask questions about this disease that they never heard of. Though she was insured, American insurance companies would not cover the drugs because to them there was no such thing as Alpha 1. It took a miracle from a foreign drug company to offer her free meds to be their test dummy. So that keeps her alive....for now.
Don't mess with things you don't know about. Just don't. I probably know more about this disease then the doctors here because I lived through it while they never were taught it in medical school.
I know the point of these forums is to get input from others, but for a specific question like this, you really should try to ask either a new doctor (that you trust) or a pharmacist. Some of the suggestions you are getting above are not quite accurate. For example, proair is not a steroid--it's basically albuterol (not an alternative to advair). Foradil also carries a similar warning as advair because foradil is a long acting beta agonist (and advair contains a steroid with a long acting beta agonist). If you are concerned about the warnings, you might ask your doctor if being on a steroid without the long acting beta agonist (like some of the suggestions made earlier--like pulmicort, etc) would be sufficient to control YOUR asthma.
You're right. I got my mother's inhalers mixed up. She takes FloVent (and ProAir), which is a steroid inhaler (FloVent). The point is the OP would need an Rx to get any of these inhalers anyway. And there are alternatives to advair.
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