Request info re: serious side effects of Advair

[GuitarMark]

I'm experiencing multiple disturbing symptoms which I suspect are related to Advair Diskus use.  For disclosure, I DID NOT follow usage instructions (due to being uninsured and broke) and stretched out use to over a month and a half, using only once a day most of the time -also partially due to the fact that it makes me puke.  I used it several months ago for the 1st time and quit after it almost ran out.  I quit using it this (2cnd) time about 6 days ago.

I've recently rapidly acquired multiple symptoms, including numbness and tingling in hands, feet, forearms and calves, and literally can't run... walking is difficult, legs are weak, so are arms, and balance is goofy.  Also anxious and short-tempered, and harder to concentrate.  I was in great shape (other than asthma); now it's hard to get up/down the stairs.

I'm basically disabled at the moment, walking with a cane after falling down twice.  Is anyone familiar with these symptoms?  Do they go away (I sure hope so), and if so, about how long.  Seems like it's been getting worse for a few days.  Any specific treatment(s) I should seek?  I saw a doc at a free clinic, but he didn't seem to know much about it, and I was so out of it I didn't ask about duration of symptoms.

I'm scared... if this doesn't clear up and/or gets worse, I might need a wheelchair.  Oh, lips also feel weird/numb, thought that one symptom seems to have slightly improved -but legs/balance seem to be weaker.  Heart/chest feels a little weird, too... kind of hollow.

Would be grateful for any advice/info/reassurance.  Thanks in advance.  PS, may have already forgot my password, hope there's an option to reset/have it sent to email if this is so.

[David Tinkelman, M.D.]

While possible that there is a cause and effect relationship between the administration of Advair and your multiple symptoms, that is quite unlikely, especially with the persistence of symptoms a week or more after discontinuation of the drug.  

Some of your symptoms are consistent with The Hyperventilation Syndrome, either with or without anxiety associated Panic Attacks but that should not be the assumption.  

The reason that should not be the assumption is because your symptoms could also be unrelated to the Advair and be a sign of some type of neurologic disease, specifically one called The Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disease that occurs with all degrees of severity but is a generally completely reversible disorder that can take weeks to months for recovery.

My point is that your symptoms could be secondary to an adverse drug effect or emotional turmoil but, at the same time, are also consistent with serious neurologic disease.  I very much sympathize with your not having health insurance but at the same time urge you to seek medical assistance, without delay and, when you do, share this message with the healthcare providers.  Also, until this problem can be resolved, it is imperative that you avoid situations where any loss of balance resulting in a fall could result in serious injury to you or your baby and, under no circumstance, should you drive an automobile.

This is an urgent matter and should be approached as such.

Good luck

[GuitarMark]

Also, when I hold my baby -who I'm now afraid to carry up/down the stairs- his warmth feels super-hot to my hands, but normal to my wife.  And water on the hands feels really weird... related to the numbness & tingling, I'm sure.  Again, this is scarey, being unable to run and hard to walk.  So again, I'd be grateful for any help, and again, thanks so much in advance for any info.