Q. I was recently placed on Advair for COPD. Within two weeks my voice was hardly understandable. I sounded like I was croaking.
Thank you for alerting me to this side effect. I stopped taking the Advair 10 days ago after my doctor changed my medication, and my voice is gradually returning to normal.
A. The steroid fluticasone found in Advair and Flovent can cause hoarseness, throat irritation and cough. These complications appear more common than many health professionals realize (Journal of Laryngology and Otology, Oct. 2008). Other inhaled steroids include AeroBid, Asmanex, Azmacort, Pulmicort, QVAR and Symbicort.
