Question about Asthma?!


Question: What is the difference between Advair and Qvar. My son takes the 40mcg Qvar inhaler to prevent his asthma. My sons grandpa aslo takes Qvar but his uncle takes Advair. What is the difference is one brand for more severe. Or someone with stronger lungs?


Answers: What is the difference between Advair and Qvar. My son takes the 40mcg Qvar inhaler to prevent his asthma. My sons grandpa aslo takes Qvar but his uncle takes Advair. What is the difference is one brand for more severe. Or someone with stronger lungs?

Miss Medic is correct. While both are good medications, they are prescribed for control of symptoms. Your son is receiving the Qvar which only contains a corticosteriod. That medication helps open the airways by reducing the swelling and making them somewhat less sensitive to the triggers that cause them to react. However, his uncle is taking the Advair diskus inhaler that while also having the steriod also contains a bronchodilator that lasts for up to 14 hours. A bronchodilator is a medication that relaxes and opens the airways of the lungs by working on the sympathetic nerve system. Also know as the fight of flight response. If a person requires a bronchodilator on a daily basis you can pretty much bet that their lung disease is fairly sensitive. My question to you is when your doctor prescribed the inhaler for your son, did he/she also give you a spacing chamber and instruct you and your son in how to use if properly? 85% more medication gets into the lungs when you use a spacing chamber than when you don't. Also, does your son rinse his mouth out with water after each and every use? If not, he is being set up to develop oral thrush which occurs because the steriod kills the normal bacteria in the mouth and yeast takes over. This is avery painful infection and difficult to get rid of. I strongly recommed tha tyou have your son brush his teeth after he uses the Qvar and rinses his mouth throughly. To use a spacer properly you assemble the inhaler to the back of the chamber and shake as you normally would. Sit or stand up tall. Gently exhale fully. Put spacer in mouth and depress canister spray medication. Inhale slowly until you can't possibly get in any more air and hold breath for a count of 10 seconds. Then exhale normally. Wait at least one full minute before repeating additional 'puffs'. If you don't have a spacer please call your sons doctor ASAP and get one. Not only will your medication dollars go further but he'll stay out of the doctor's office and the emergency room because he will be getting more medication in him and therefore it will be doing a better job. Merry Christmas and Happy New.

Advair contains a medications SIMILAR to ALBUTEROL, but long-acting as well as the steroid. (this means, it has a BRONCHODILATOR as wall as a steroid in it).

Qvar ONLY has a steroid.

Also, advair is inhaled as is---you don't have to time it with pressing the canister.....you do with the Qvar.

You CAN NOT take ADVAIR if you have certain conditions, including high-blood pressure, or some cardiac conditions. Advair can raise the blood pressure and pulse rate because of the long acting bronchodilator in it.

Hope this helps.





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