Categories: HEALTH & WELLNESS

Advair – the Purple Disc for Asthma Sufferers

I remember the last time I had an asthma attack I went straight to the doctor to see if there’s something better than my inhaler. The doctor handed me a strange looking sample that reminded me of some communicator from a science fiction series. The object had disk-like qualities with a screen that counted numbers backwards. I’ve never seen a purple object like this and it felt odd to hold and handle. The strange object, my doctor told me, was Advair.

Advair has a contraption or lever that is pulled back to let the medication out. The doctor told me to place my mouth in the hole that becomes available when I pull back the lever. Simply suck the air from the hole as if it was a regular inhaler. The hole was small and it seemed that there’s more work with this type of inhaler. I couldn’t help thinking that I will miss the big fat mouth piece from the old inhaler; the inhalers today seem so foreign.

With old inhalers, you’d simply push the button so that the medication comes out without much work on your part. With this new device, Advair is a “breath-activated” device meaning that you need to inhale to apply the medication. It’s not difficult, but you do need to apply to get results.

What’s also unique is the number counter. The counter helps you keep track of your dosage starting with 60. Once you hit 5, the numbers will turn red to remind you to get a new one.

Effects of Advair

Advair is not intended for use when you have an asthma attack. You do need to wait for the medication to take place, unlike traditional inhalers, so you don’t see immediate results. However, what I love about the purple disk is that it helps me to breathe much better than any other inhalers. On top of that, the taste of Advair seems very natural, as opposed to the medicine-like qualities of other inhalers.

Another benefit with this inhaler is that the effects are long lasting. One inhale will last for roughly twelve hours. That’s about twice the length of conventional inhalers.

Facts about Advair

So what’s behind Advair? Advair is used to treat asthma by preventing the inflammation of the lungs. It has a steroid called fluticasone that attempts to mitigate inflammation. Also, the other important element is salmeterol. It works to improve breathing by relaxing bronchial muscles. In essence, both work to improve respiratory functions.

According to the company, the side effects are: Upper respiratory infections like bronchitis, coughing, nausea, headaches, and gastrointestinal pains. But what is even more important is that one should not use this medication during an asthma attack. In fact, there has been evidence that salmeterol caused many asthma attacked-related deaths.

After years of using Advair, I feel that the purple disc has helped tremendously to improve my life by relying less on other medications and increase my breathing. Consult your doctor before considering Advair.