Procedure for Quitting Advair

Advair is a common medication prescribed to treat chronic lung ailments such as asthma and emphysema. It contains both long-acting bronchodilators and short-term steroid medication. Doctors may recommend a patient stop taking Advair cold or use a process of reducing the amount of medication until it is no longer needed.

Why Step Down Usage?

• If given a reasonable dose, patients do not need to wean themselves off Advair for any physiological reason, said Michael Welch, MD, and co-director of the Allergy and Asthma Medical Group and Research Center at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Doctors may have patients step down to less medicine if the asthma is under control and monitor if the breathing problem is controlled with less medication.

  The Federal Drug Administration recommends Advair be used when a patient has not been helped by other medications and the patients breathing should be monitored closely.

Two Ways to Reduce Medication

• Stepping down may be done by changing the patient's medicine to an inhaler that is strictly a steroid versus Advair, which is an inhaled steroid and a longer-lasting medication used to open the airways, Welch said.

  If the breathing problems are seasonal, the doctor may recommend the patient reduce the number of times a day the patient takes Advair from twice a day to once a day.

Monitor Symptoms

• After changing doses or medicines, the patient should discuss with a doctor any changes or symptoms such as wheezing or tightness when breathing.

  The doctor can then determine if the patient is doing well with less medication or needs to return to Advair.