I quit smoking 4 years ago, my Asthma kicks in right after quiting. I am 56 years and I have been diagnosed to have Osteoporosis. My Asthma has been worst for the last 2 years because I was depressed most of the time. I lost my job and I am still in between jobs and my house is in foreclosure. I have been taking Advair for almost 1 year now. Even then, my condition was worst. I better now and almost no trace of Asthma. I have been taking Singulair along with Advair and green tea with lemon and honey all day long. I got better now for the last 2 months going 3. I do not know what I am doing right but I kept doing what I was doing; exercise every morning, and taking green tea with honey and lemon all day. Lately, my joints on my knee, legs and arms are hurting. I think my Osteoporosis is getting worst. I am thinking of switching it to Spiriva because I know Advair is has Steriod also that is bad for my bones. What do you think? Please respond, I will really appreciate that. I am afraid to switch becasue I am now just getting better. Thank you.
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It seems as though you are a gallant asthmatic who is doing all the right things to control your asthma. Since your current routine is working so well for you I'd hate to see you changing medicines. However, the wise thing to do is communicate all your concerns with your doctor and he can tweek your medicines as appropriate to minimize side effects and continue to control your asthma.
That said, Since Advair is a corticosteroid that is inhaled directly to your lungs, it ideally should not cause the same side effects as oral corticosteroids. While the symptoms you describe are not on the list (click here) of possible Advair side effects, that does not mean your symptoms are not caused by this medicine. So keeping in touch with your physician is especially important.
Spiriva is a medicine that has been proven in some studies to improve lung function in COPD patients, but is not the same type of medicine as Advair. I think most asthma experts would agree Spiriva is not a replacement for Advair, but it can work in conjunction with Advair to help some patients.
I hope this helps. Any further questions please ask.
Hi Connie... Thanks for writing this detailed question! My first impression is, why mess with something that's not broken? Your asthma is under control, so changing your asthma treatment plan probably isn't the best idea. And switching from Advair to Spiriva might not make sense either, since Spiriva is for chronic bronchitis and emphysema (COPD), not asthma.
Also, inhaled steroids like Advair put the steroid mostly in your airways, where it's needed, rather than sending it throughout your body as taking a steroid in pill form would. So, the risk of the Advair worsening your osteoporosis is quite low.
I have a couple of thoughts for you. First off, you say you're drinking green tea all day long. While green tea does appear to have some health benefits and the lemon/honey may sooth your throat, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Tea has a lot of caffeine in it, so if your drinking it all day long means you're drinking 3 or more cups a day, that could be way too much caffeine in your system.
Second, if you're having new (or worsening) joint pain, the answer to that is not to switch medicines. It's to find what may be causing that happen. My advice is to talk with your doctor. Also, think about your exercise routine... is there anything you're doing there that could be causing joint pain? Maybe you need to try something gentler like swimming or walking?
You're doing lots of great things to get healthy. So keep on that track by dialoging with your doctor about how to help your joints, OK?
To your good health,
Kathi
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