Advair
® (
fluticasone and salmeterol) is a medication used to treat airway spasms in people who have
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (
COPD). This prescription medication is also approved to prevent airway spasms in people who have
asthma. The medication comes in two forms: the
Advair Diskus® inhaler and the Advair
® HFA inhaler. The Advair Diskus is approved for both asthma and COPD, while the Advair HFA inhaler is only approved for asthma.
Advair contains two different medications -- fluticasone and
salmeterol. Salmeterol is a type of beta-adrenergic receptor agonist, or beta agonist for short. This medication causes the muscles to relax, which opens up the airways and allows more air to get into and through the lungs.
The other component is fluticasone, an
asthma medication that is a type of inhaled corticosteroid, or steroid for short. Inhaled steroids go directly into the lungs and help to decrease the inflammation of airways that makes
asthma attacks more likely.
Advair does not work quickly, and it should not be used for treating an asthma attack. Rather, it is used twice a day to prevent them.
(Click Advair for a more in-depth look at how the Advair Diskus and Advair HFA inhalers work, and detailed information on general precautions, dosages, and potential side effects.)
