Advair Diskus for COPD, Maintenance User Reviews

• bro...
• December 15, 2016

"The very next day after starting Advair, my life improved dramatically. I am not kidding... this stuff really works. I now do 40 minutes of yoga and a full mile of accelerated aerobic walking (20 minutes) 5 days a week. After that, I immediately grab my oximeter... it is almost always at 97 or 98. My doctor says I am in severe stage and functioning at level 1. I don't even use my nebulizer and Albuterol anymore. I am 71 years old and am being fully honest."

• Joe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 13, 2019

"Advair does work really well, but the disk spray is terrible. This medicine is very expensive, they should work on a new container. You have to clean it a lot, and when you do, the number of uses goes down to 0 when it has plenty in it. Then you have to waste medicine using it in the air to see if there is any left. This medicine is so expensive, they should look into fixing the container it comes in."

• bla...
• November 29, 2011

"I started taking Advair 50/500 about 2 years ago. I must say that I have noticed almost a complete turnaround with my breathing problems, which is wonderful. However, I am in the emergency room almost half of every month due to severe heartburn, gallbladder attacks, severe stomach, throat, and esophagus pain. It is all due to the Advair. I have been on all the breathing medicines, and Advair works the best. Just don't know if I can keep dealing with all these side effects."

• Ayo...
• February 21, 2012

"Advair helps me to breathe, bottom line. I rated it an 8 only because of the side effect of heartburn, which can be almost intolerable at times. I can find something to relieve that discomfort! I don't really have much of an appetite (see as a good thing for maintaining blood sugar levels and weight). I am using it in conjunction with another once-a-day inhaler. I feel better and clearer than I have in years!"

• she...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 19, 2020

"Advair Diskus helped my breathing by day two. I loved it at first, other than the cost. By week three, my joints started to hurt, and by the 4th week, I was having some real joint pain. After seeing the doctor and stopping the Advair Diskus, the pain stopped within a few days. This has been a problem for me with some other COPD meds, but this was by far the worst for pain for me."

• Mcs...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 29, 2015

"I have been taking Advair 250/50 for going on 3 years, and I love it! My breathing oxygen level stays in the high 90s, and I haven't made a trip to the ER for not being able to breathe after I started it. Highly recommend it, even though it is pricey."

• Coo...
• September 28, 2017

"On Medicare and hit the donut hole in August. Have to pay $185 for one month. Way too much for something that's helping me breathe. Something I have to have. When is a generic or something affordable coming out?"

• wat...
• September 14, 2010

"Used it before, but then had it changed to Symbicort. No way of telling which one is better. I seem to get a lot of head colds and sinus drainage with both. Now my MD is putting me back on Advair 250/50, but I doubt it will be effective at all. I walk 5 miles a day in an hour and 13 minutes. So if my time improves a little, then maybe it does help more than Symbicort did."

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2008

"I have been on Advair Diskus for only 2 days, and already I feel like I have much more energy, and I don't wheeze like I used to. Haven't had to have my inhaler in 2 days either. Time will tell, let's hope I have found something that works, and I can get back to a normal lifestyle."

• Lul...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 20, 2015

"I have severe COPD and have been on Advair 50/250 for 11 years. I am also diabetic due to being overweight and not being able to exercise. My FEV is 15%. Advair helps, BUT it has played havoc with my blood sugar. I lost 65 pounds since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a year ago. My blood sugar went down to normal levels since I had to quit taking the Advair (temporarily) due to the high cost. My breathing worsened, so I refilled my Advair, but my blood sugar went back up over 200. I'm in a dilemma now. The insulin is $600/month. The Advair is $200. If I don't take the Advair, I hardly need any insulin. I do take Xopenex/ipratropium via neb, but that doesn't last all day like the Advair. It's part B, so more affordable by far."

• Sou...
• December 16, 2017

"I've been on Advair Diskus 250/50 for almost one month since being out of the hospital where I coded from COPD. Needless to say, I have quit smoking after 30 years (cold turkey). I can actually breathe & no more wheezing. Only drawback is financially, it costs $530, and I now have thick mucus in the back of my throat that I remember having when I once had pneumonia. My throat stays sore, and I am so afraid of coming down with pneumonia. Because of this, I am going to try using Advair once a day instead of twice a day. I also have nasal drip all night as well."

• Str...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 1, 2021

"I've told 3 of my doctors that this medication is a waste of time for me, all it does is make me feel like I'm holding my breath with absolutely no help with my breathing. My doctor had ordered me Trelegy, but apparently Humana has a problem with a medication that actually works."

• The...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 13, 2017

"I first began using Advair after my second two-week stay in the hospital for upper respiratory infection. For much of my youth and all of my young adult life up to this point in 1997, I had constant shortness of breath and periodic times where I was unable to regulate my breathing without a bronchial inhaler 5, 6, or more times a day. The first time I used Advair, I noticed a difference, and within days, I was breathing like I was 12 years old again. I could not believe the difference. It was night and day. I know that other users may not get the same level of relief, but for me, it has been a miracle."

• Lpi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 16, 2017

"I have both asthma symptoms and COPD, so Advair was given to me for the asthma first. It really helped me breathe better, and it is a great med for long-term control. As my COPD progressed, I was unable to get a good breath to inhale from the Diskus, so my doc changed me to the HFA inhaler form. Advair is great and effective, and I sure know when I have run out how much it helps me breathe."

• Voi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 20, 2017

"By the third day, I had lost my voice, developed pneumonia, been unable to cough out production from my lungs, scarred my lungs even further. I would expect this product to be removed by the FDA soon. If the condition lasts, I'll be seeking legal counsel."

• Ven...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 17, 2021

"I started taking this medicine for a COVID cough. After one week of taking it, I started having body aches. Another week passed, and I was having chest pressure. It did help with the cough, but then I started having heartburn and was coughing more than when I had COVID. I started to develop gastrointestinal issues. After eating, I would belch, and regurgitation would happen. Heartburn and chest pain were also common. A cough would happen after eating. I went to see a pulmonologist, and she told me that I can just stop taking it and that no withdrawal symptoms would happen. That was a lie. After stopping it, cold turkey, I started feeling like absolute rubbish. I started to have diarrhea, abdominal pain, insomnia, anxiety, depression, feeling dizzy and faint-like. She never told me about adrenal insufficiency that could happen after stopping a corticosteroid. It’s been almost 3 months since I stopped the medication, and I feel like the symptoms are only getting worse."

• mia...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 27, 2021

"The worst inhaler I have ever used. It has caused side effects of a sore throat, bad cough, congestion, sleeping issues, muscle and bone pain, and doesn't work well as an inhaler. Do NOT recommend. My emergency inhaler works better and lasts longer."

• Mai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2023

"The preliminary diagnosis is COPD, pending approval from a pulmonologist. I have been taking this medication for 6 weeks. It is making me tired, lethargic, light-headed, and gaining weight. I feel good in the morning until inhaling the first dose of the day. After 6 weeks, there is no improvement. I plan to stop this medication very shortly. I need my energy back and do not want to fight weight gain."

• pat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2013

"Just started this inhaler. Dr. only put me on it for a week. Then she will change me to another type with no powder. But I love the way I can breathe now. It's amazing to me, I CAN BREATHE."

• Anonymous
• April 24, 2008

"I love Advair. It stopped my chronic wheezing and has given me back my energy."

• rob...
• February 8, 2009

"I question the amount of powder that actually makes it into the lungs, what with the mouth, tongue, and throat being wet."

• hop...
• July 24, 2010

"I take other medication, but after my doctor prescribed Advair, I do have more energy, and my breathing is a lot less effortless and, in turn, a better outlook."

• 196...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2017

"Doesn't work well for me. Still short of breath, and I haven't noticed any improvement. I've been using it for a month."

• Wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 28, 2018

"I have been on Advair Diskus for almost a month. By the third day, I noticed a difference. I feel normal! The constant mucus is gone, and I'm breathing normally."

• TJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2018

"Been on this 5 days, so far pleased with results, need to work on the price. With every boomer coming along, a large share of this growing market. Hey GSK, you want to own this market?"