Advair is commonly used to treat airway spasms in people with COPD, as well as to prevent them in people with asthma. By opening up the airways and allowing more air to get into and through the lungs, the medication can make it easier for people with airway spasms to breathe. Side effects can include upper respiratory tract infections, headaches, and sore throat.
What Is Advair?
Advair® (fluticasone and salmeterol) is a prescription medication used to treat airway spasms (called bronchospasms) caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to prevent these spasms from occurring in people with asthma.
The medication comes in two forms: the Advair Diskus® and the Advair® HFA inhaler. The Advair Diskus is approved for both asthma and COPD, while the Advair HFA inhaler is approved only for asthma.
How Does Advair Work?Advair contains two different medications: fluticasone and salmeterol. Salmeterol is part of a class of drugs called beta-adrenergic receptor agonists, or beta agonists for short. Beta agonists stimulate beta receptors in the body, including those on the muscles around the airways. This causes the muscles to relax, which opens up the airways and allows more air to get into and through the lungs.
The other component is fluticasone, an asthma medication that belongs to a group of drugs called inhaled corticosteroids, or steroids for short. Inhaled steroids go directly into the lungs and help to decrease the inflammation of airways that makes asthma attacks more likely.
Because Advair does not work quickly, it should not be used for treating an asthma attack. Rather, it is used twice a day in order to prevent them.