Advair Diskus - Warnings & Precautions

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4. Do Not Use ADVAIR DISKUS to Treat Acute Symptoms:

An inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist, not ADVAIR DISKUS, should be used to relieve acute symptoms of shortness of breath. When prescribing ADVAIR DISKUS, the physician must also provide the patient with an inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist (e.g., albuterol) for treatment of shortness of breath that occurs acutely, despite regular twice-daily (morning and evening) use of ADVAIR DISKUS.

When beginning treatment with ADVAIR DISKUS, patients who have been taking oral or inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonists on a regular basis (e.g., 4 times a day) should be instructed to discontinue the regular use of these drugs. For patients on ADVAIR DISKUS, inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonists should only be used for symptomatic relief of acute symptoms of shortness of breath (see PRECAUTIONS: Information for Patients).

5. Watch for Increasing Use of Inhaled, Short-Acting Beta2-Agonists, Which Is a Marker of Deteriorating Asthma:

Asthma may deteriorate acutely over a period of hours or chronically over several days or longer. If the patient’s inhaled, short-acting beta2-agonist becomes less effective, the patient needs more inhalations than usual, or the patient develops a significant decrease in lung function, this may be a marker of destabilization of the disease. In this setting, the patient requires immediate reevaluation with reassessment of the treatment regimen, giving special consideration to the possible need for replacing the current strength of ADVAIR DISKUS with a higher strength, adding additional inhaled corticosteroid, or initiating systemic corticosteroids. Patients should not use more than 1 inhalation twice daily (morning and evening) of ADVAIR DISKUS.

6. Do Not Use an Inhaled, Long-Acting Beta2-Agonist in Conjunction With ADVAIR DISKUS:

Patients who are receiving ADVAIR DISKUS twice daily should not use additional salmeterol or other inhaled, long-acting beta2-agonists (e.g., formoterol) for prevention of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) or the maintenance treatment of asthma or the maintenance treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD. Additional benefit would not be gained from using supplemental salmeterol or formoterol for prevention of EIB since ADVAIR DISKUS already contains an inhaled, long-acting beta2-agonist.