I’m jumping ship here…move over Allegra, here comes Flonase!
Don’t get me wrong, I think Allegra and its counterparts, Claritin and Zyrtec are great options to treat allergies, but the intranasal corticosteroids are the most effective monotherapy (single-drug therapy) for allergic rhinitis (aka allergy symptoms).
Intranasal means you take the medication through your nose, and corticosteroids are a class of drugs that decrease inflammation and are similar to the natural corticosteroid hormones produced by the body.
Examples are generic fluticasone (Flonase), Nasonex, Rhinocort, Nasacort, and Beconase.
These nasal sprays are more effective than antihistamines (i.e. Allegra) in relieving sneezing, itchy nose, nasal blockage, runny nose, and post nasal drip.
There appear to be no significant differences in efficacy among the various nasal sprays, but I’m strong on the fluticasone (see title!) because it is the only one that comes in generic (cheaper) and it’s the one I use to control my seasonal allegies!
The intranasal corticosteroids are especially helpful in patients with severe, persistent allergy symptoms and nasal blockage.
Just a little blurb on fluticasone and the other nasal sprays of its kind. Stay tuned for more info on these nasal sprays!
Don’t forget, we still have our free course on how to save money on prescription meds available…here it is. Tell us what you think!
A side note to this article on nose sprays. They are all nice and work great but for those of us who live in dry climates like I do here in Montana- the nose sprays can have an adverse effect. I have been having problems with the nose spray drying out my eyes- to the point of pain. Just beware that this can happen and yes my eye doctor has confirmed and trial and error has confirmed that yes it is the nose spray- I took Nasonex. I don’t take it as much anymore- only in extreme circumstances.