My teenage daughter has recently started having CF-related symptoms of asthma. Her pfts have gone down (from close to 100% to 85%) but go back up after taking albuterol, showing that she has some airway constriction. The doctor has put her on Advair twice a day (inhaled into her lungs) because he says it's important to reduce any irritation in her lungs caused by the airway sensitivity. But my husband is really concerned about giving her ongoing steroid treatment, and wants to stop. Even though there is not supposed to be much systemic absorption, there still must be some. She is still growing, and just started her period, and we worry that there is some research that these steroids could affect both. EVERY doctor I talk to says it is perfectly safe and kids all over America and Europe use this stuff. But recent events with the recent recalls of pain medicines shows that "safe" drugs aren't always safe. " We just don't now what to do.
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Do you use Advair or other inhaled steroids?
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
2
2sickkids
Guest
I've taken advair for more then a year. I haven't noticed any problems but it helps me breath. I've been taking prednizone for at least eight years though and notice problems from that.
Purplelungs
New member
What kind of problems are you worried about? I have been on advair for over a year as well and have noticed nothing but good things...although when they increased my advair i have a bit more problem with acne but nothign to serious..it just bugs me and no one else notices. Since starting advai my health has been better since my airways are less inflamed. Now it doesnt have alot of steroids in them and nothing like what the illegal steroids are that are very bad for you. What would have more of a bad effect on like growth and things MIGHT be the oral pills steriods and if it was taken over a long period of time. I wouldnt worry about the advair...infact I would worry more if the advair helped her and then you took her off of it because you were worried about growth....as long as she is doing good and healthy why worry about being short and irregular periods....actually alot of cfers are short cus of malabsorbtion (not all but alot) and alot of females have irregular periods due to the body doesnt give you one (sometimes) if your sick cus it needs to save the energy, being sick can cause irregular periods in anyone, also stress and weight problems can cause irregular periods in any woman.... Do your research? But if the advair helps her i say keep her on it unless you notice horibly bad side affects....which i havent encountered personally but every person is different.
This is one of those hard decisions where you'll have to go with your instincts and your observations of how your daughter responds to the inhaled steroids. There is increasing evidence that they are absorbed through the lungs to a significant extent. We had our son on them for a couple of years when he was 7 or 8 and he stopped growing in height entirely. And there are concerns not only about growth, but also about the potential for long-term use to promote insulin resistance and cataracts. We eventually pulled our son off and he started to grow again. We do, however, keep him on inhaled Intal (one of the safest drugs there is), which helps to minimize inflammation from asthma if taken on a preventive basis. There are also some oral anti-inflammatory meds, called leukotriene inhibitors (Singulair, for example), that
reduce inflammation in many people with asthma without the side effects of steroids. You might ask your doctor about trying these options.
Bambi, mom of Jordan, 16 w cf
reduce inflammation in many people with asthma without the side effects of steroids. You might ask your doctor about trying these options.
Bambi, mom of Jordan, 16 w cf
Kait takes Advair 2x a day and albuterol 2x a day along with her pulmozyme every night, when we are at clinic and if her PFT's are down then she does an albuterol treatment and we wait 20 min and repeat PFT's they are higher. Kaits lung function is 100% or better at times and when she is sick they drop down into the 85% range. She has been taking advair and albuterol for a couple of years now and i notice a change in her breathing., and i am glad that her doc made the decision to put her on both meds.
Kaitsmom<img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
Kaitsmom<img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
As far as inhaled meds go, my son takes albuterol, pulmozyme, and Flovent (for asthma). I talked to our pulm recently about the Flovent because I know it's an inhaled steriod. She explained that it's a respiratory steroid only and doesn't affect growth the way some other steroids do. I would bring your concerns to your doctor. Good luck.
Carey
Carey
My ds is on advair. He's almost 7 and has been on it for a year and a half. Prior to that, he was on pulmicort in the neb for a year and a half but he does have asthma. There are significant studies that all reach the same conclusion, low doses of inhaled steroids do not cause growth stunting. Some studies show up to 1/2" slowing in the first 6 months on the steroid, but by adulthood, that difference is made up and the child reaches the same height he/she would have anyway (or they are assuming based on the studies.) Higher doses of steroids can cause adrenal suppression and possibly growth stunting in <b>some</b> children. A high dose would be advair 500 bid. There are blood tests that can be done to detect whether that is happening or not. My ds was on advair 500 for 6 months. He's back on the 250 dose BID that he originally started on. Ironically, his height was slowly falling off the growth charts at the time he started advair 250 and throughout his use of it but had a growth spurt while on the advair 500! Also, if your dd is already in puberty, the likelihood that she'd have growth suppression as a result of the advair is less than for a child like my ds who uses it throughout childhood.
All this just to say that advair is a relatively safe drug. However, like any drug, it does have the potential for side effects and those should be weighed against the benefits before starting. FOr our ds, it's been a lifesaver. HTH.
All this just to say that advair is a relatively safe drug. However, like any drug, it does have the potential for side effects and those should be weighed against the benefits before starting. FOr our ds, it's been a lifesaver. HTH.