How Steroid Nasal Sprays Work
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Nasal Steroid Sprays
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Nasal steroid sprays (corticosteroid sprays) are extremely effective for treating hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and vasomoter rhinitis (non-allergic rhinitis). Often prescribed as the first line of treatment for nasal allergy symptoms, nasal steroid sprays include medications such as fluticasone (Flonase), mometasone (Nasonex), flunisolide (Nasarel), triamcinolone (Nasacort AQ), beclomethasone (Beconase AQ), ciclesonide (Omnaris), and budesonide (Rhinocort Aqua). Nasal steroid sprays should not be confused with anabolic steroids, which athletes sometimes use to enhance performance or endurance.
How They Work
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Nasal steroid sprays work by inhibiting your immune system. Corticosteroids are released in your body by the adrenal gland to help you manage stress. When you have an allergy, your immune system produces histamine and other chemicals that cause inflammation. Steroid nasal sprays have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the tissues of your nasal passages and sinuses.
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How They Improve Symptoms
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Nasal steroid sprays prevent and relieve nasal allergy and inflammation symptoms. They're also used to treat nasal congestion, sneezing, and itchy/runny nose as well as to reduce the size of nasal polyps. By reducing inflammation and mucus production in the sinuses, they help sufferers sleep better at night and remain more alert during the day. According to a study done at the University of Chicago in Illinois, by Dr. Robert M. Naclario, and his colleagues, nasal steroid sprays work better than antihistamines--and may be more effective than allergy shots for treating nasal symptoms.
How to Apply Them
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As powerful as nasal steroid sprays are, you need to use them once or twice a day for a week or more before seeing any relief from your nasal allergy symptoms. Typically prescribed for long-term treatment, these sprays are safe for most people and can be used alone or in conjunction with antihistamines and decongestants.
Short-Term Side Effects
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Immediate side effects from nasal steroid sprays can include unpleasant smell or taste; irritation, dryness, burning, or stinging of the nasal passages; sneezing; headaches; and nosebleeds on rare occassions, which you should report immediately to your doctor. However, nasal steroids are much less likely to cause side effects than their oral corticosteroid counterparts (Prednisone).
Long-Term Side Effects
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For people on long-term oral corticosteroid therapy, using nasal steroid sprays may suppress the stress hormones causing growth problems in children. They may also cause glaucoma (elevated pressure in the eyes) in some patients. Although this condition resolves after the steroids are discontinued, patients should be monitored to ensure the glaucoma subsides. Another rare side effect occurs when nasal steroid sprays injure the nasal septum (the bone that separates the nasal passages), if the spray is directed toward the septum. They can also reduce a person's resistance to infection; therefore, anyone with an infectious disease or injury inside the nose should not use nasal steroid sprays until the problem has resolved.
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