How to Use Nasal Spray Properly for Allergy Relief
People will frequently turn to nasal sprays to manage a stuffy nose, to reduce swelling and to help clear mucus from nasal passages.1 Even though they’re commonly used products, if you’re new to using a nasal spray for allergy relief, the prospect of using one may seem daunting.
If you’d like to manage your allergies with a nasal spray, it’s important to know how to use these sprays properly and to feel comfortable using them.2 This guide from FLONASE will not only walk you through how to properly use nasal spray for allergy relief, but it will also explain how a steroid nasal spray can help to ease your symptoms so you can breathe easier.
Getting Comfortable With Nasal Sprays for Allergy Relief
Studies have indicated that patients are reluctant to use nasal sprays to manage their symptoms for a wide range of reasons.2 A spray with negative sensory attributes, like an unpleasant smell and aftertaste, or sensation of the spray dripping down the throat after use was met with some apprehension.2
Becoming comfortable with a new type of medication like a nasal spray is essential for treating your allergies regularly—and effectively.2,3 One study shows that people who use their spray regularly and correctly are better off during pollen season.4 Research also shows that when you practice consistently, in time a new behavior can become a routine part of your life.5
Nasal Spray Can Help Manage Your Allergy Symptoms
If you’re nervous to try a nasal spray for your allergies, don’t be! Think about how much better allergy season will feel when you have relief from your symptoms!
FLONASE nose sprays deliver a corticosteroid called fluticasone that’s used to relieve allergy symptoms.7 Medication is delivered directly to the site of inflammation in your nose, making it easier for you to breathe.2 While most allergy pills only block one allergic substance, FLONASE helps to block six!* Instead of constantly blowing your nose, you can enjoy 24-hour multi-symptom allergy relief^ so you can get on with your life!
How to Use FLONASE Nasal Spray
Before using a product like FLONASE Allergy Relief Nasal Spray, make sure to blow your nose first. This will clear mucus from your airways.6,7 Then, try the tips below to help make using a nasal spray more comfortable:
How you position your head is important. When your mom gave you nose drops she probably told you to lean your head backwards. Instead, when using FLONASE Allergy Relief, keep your head upright and sniff gently. Leaning back makes the medicine run down your throat—where it can’t do you as much good and may feel uncomfortable.6,7
Keep the opposite nostril closed. Gently holding down the nostril you’re not spraying can help you draw the spray into your upper nose more easily.6,7
Breathe in easily. As you spray, just inhale gently—that’s all you need to do.
Aim the nozzle away from the middle of the nose. Direct the spray away from the septum—the cartilage dividing the two sides of your nose—and toward the side of your nostril.6,7
Breathe out gently through your mouth after each spray. And make sure to spray correctly in both nostrils.7
Practice these steps and keep it up for a while, and soon you and your nose will be on the way to an easier allergy season.
* Mechanism vs most over-the-counter (OTC) allergy pills. FLONASE nasal sprays act on multiple inflammatory substances (histamine, prostaglandins, cytokine, tryptases, chemokine, and leukotrienes). The exact number and precise mechanism are unknown.
^ FLONASE relieves nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose, itchy and watery eyes.
Sources:
1. Take Care with Nasal Decongestant Sprays. University of Rochester Medical Center. Rochester EDU. Accessed 9/11/24.
2. Rabago, D, Zgierska, A. Saline nasal spray for upper respiratory conditions. American Family Physician [Serial online]. 2009;10: 1117-1119. Available at http://www.aafp.org/afp/2009/1115/p1117.html. Accessed October 16, 2018.
3. Anolik, R, Fluticasone furoate nasal spray: Profile of an enhanced-affinity corticosteroid in treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. Journal of Asthma and Allergy [Serial online]. 2010;3: 87–99. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3047912/. Accessed October 16, 2018.
4. Gani, F., Pozzi, E., Crivellaro, M. A., Senna, G., Landi, M., Lombardi, C., Canonica, G. W. and Passalacqua, G. (2001), The role of patient training in the management of seasonal rhinitis and asthma: clinical implications. Allergy [Serial online]. 2001; 56: 65–68. Available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00794.x/full. Accessed October 16, 2018.
5. Lally P, van Jaarsveld CHM, Potts HWW, Wardle J. How are habits formed: modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur J Soc Psychol. 2010;40:998-1009. doi : 10.1002/ejsp.674. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract. Accessed October 16, 2018.
6. deShazo RD., Kemp S ,. Patient information: Allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies) (Beyond the Basics). Adapted with permission from: Diseases of the Sinuses: Diagnosis and Management. Kennedy DW, Bolger WE, Zinreich SJ (Eds), BC Decker, Hamilton, Ontario 2001. Copyright Kennedy DW, Zinreich SJ. Available at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/allergic-rhinitis-beyond-the-basics. Accessed October 16, 2018.
7. Fluticasone Nasal Spray. Medline Plus. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a695002.html. Accessed 9/11/2024.
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