Flixonase Side Effects & More: What You Need To Know Before Using This Nasal Spray

If you are a sufferer of hay fever or any other type of allergy, then using a hay fever treatment like Flixonase nasal spray can help to quickly and efficiently ease your symptoms. But what should you expect when using this nasal spray? And are there any adverse Flixonase side effects that you need to know about?

Reading up on any new medicine — including the possible side effects you may encounter — before you start a course of treatment is always a good idea. It helps you to understand how a medicine works to treat your condition, and lets you know more about what to expect from your experience.

In this guide, we’ll be looking at the popular prescription-only hay fever treatment Flixonase nasal spray in more detail. In particular, we will cover the possible Flixonase side effects you may experience, as well as any Flixonase allergy signs, Flixonase pregnancy information and much more.

Flixonase nasal spray uses

Flixonase nasal spray is a steroid-based medicine which is used to treat the cold-like symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis — a very common condition — is the inflammation of the inside of the nose caused by an allergen. This could be pollen (hay fever), dust, mould or flakes of skin from certain animals. Allergic rhinitis can be both seasonal and year-round.

While allergic rhinitis isn’t curable, its symptoms can be effectively managed using the appropriate treatment — like Flixonase nasal spray.

Steroid nasal sprays like Flixonase prevent allergy symptoms such as itchiness, irritation, sneezing, and a blocked or runny nose from developing. Flixonase contains the active ingredient fluticasone propionate, an anti-inflammatory steroid which works by inhibiting the immune system’s inflammatory response to allergens. This action alleviates allergy symptoms.

Flixonase spray can also help to relieve eye-related allergy symptoms like itching and watery eyes. Not all nasal sprays do this.

Summary list of Flixonase side effects

Not everyone who uses this steroid nasal spray will experience side effects. Most users will get on very well with this allergy treatment, finding that it effectively treats their condition and works quickly to alleviate frustrating symptoms.

However, as with any medicine, there is always a risk that you may experience side effects. This risk is low with Flixonase, and most side effects of Flixonase nasal spray tend to be rare and mild, but it is always worth finding out more about the side effects when you start using a new medicine.

Here is a summary list of known Flixonase side effects:

Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 in 10 people):

• Nosebleeds (generally minor)

Common side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• Headache
• A dry or painful nose or throat
• Unpleasant taste
• Unpleasant smell

Very rare side effects (may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people):

• Skin reaction (which can range from red, itchy rash and blotches, to a more severe skin reaction such as dry, cracked and peeling skin)
• Problems with your eyes such as pain or blurred vision
• Damage to your nose

You can read the Patient Information Leaflet enclosed with the medicine for further information.

Keep in mind, this isn’t a complete list of possible side effects. There may be some very rare side effects that we haven’t listed here; if you are concerned that this is the case, speak to your doctor or pharmacist for advice on how to proceed.

Likewise, if you are worried about any Flixonase side effects listed, or you think that you may be experiencing any severe, persistent or painful side effects due to this medicine, stop using it and speak to your pharmacist or doctor straight away.

Flixonase allergy signs & symptoms

Although it is very rare, it is possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to fluticasone, the active ingredient in Flixonase nasal spray. This is extremely unusual and affects less than 1 in 10,000 people who use Flixonase.

If you have a Flixonase allergy, these are the symptoms and signs that indicate a serious allergic reaction:

• Wheezing
• Breathlessness
• Coughing
• Difficulty breathing
• Difficulty talking
• Tightness in the chest or throat
• Swelling (particularly of the face, mouth, lips, tongue or throat)
• Changes to the skin, such as rashes, itchy, red, swollen or peeling skin, or even blisters
• Severe dizziness
• Feeling very weak or faint
• Collapsing or loss of consciousness

You should seek medical attention immediately if you notice any of the signs and symptoms listed above after using Flixonase nasal spray, as these indicate a serious allergic reaction.

This must be treated as an emergency. You should either call 999 or go to A&E immediately.

Flixonase dosage

Each use (or ‘actuation’) of Flixonase releases 50 micrograms of fluticasone propionate (the active ingredient in the medicine).

The correct Flixonase dosage is two sprays per nostril, once daily. This is the recommended initial dose of Flixonase nasal spray.

Depending on the severity of your allergies, the Flixonase dosage you use may be increased or decreased.

However, you should not exceed two sprays of Flixonase into each nostril, twice per day. Using more than the recommended Flixonase dosage could mean that your chances of experiencing adverse effects from the medicine increase, and it won’t treat your condition any faster or more effectively. You should always use whatever the minimum dose is that will ease your allergy symptoms.

If you have missed a Flixonase dosage during your course of treatment for whatever reason, you should skip your missed dose and continue your course as normal. Never double your dose to make up for missing a treatment.

Flixonase reviews

Flixonase nasal spray is very effective at treating both seasonal and year-round allergies.

Flixonase reviews are generally very positive, with many users describing their positive experience, results and satisfaction with the treatment.

Don’t just take our word for it, either. Here at The Independent Pharmacy, we gather customer reviews for all of our available medicines and treatments using Trustpilot — including Flixonase.

You can read individual Flixonase reviews from real users by heading to the review section of our Flixonase treatment page (where you can also read more about the treatment and how it works).

Flixonase and pregnancy

If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, then you should speak to your doctor or pharmacist before buying Flixonase nasal spray to treat allergies or hay fever.

It is generally considered safe to use Flixonase during pregnancy — there is no clear evidence that using this nasal spray will affect your pregnancy negatively or harm your baby. This is because the amount of the medicine that would reach the baby in the womb would be so tiny that it wouldn’t cause any adverse effects.

However, it’s always a good idea to discuss your options with your doctor or pharmacist and to choose the lowest-risk medicine possible to treat your condition during pregnancy.

Summary

Flixonase is a popular prescription-only steroid nasal spray which is used to treat the symptoms of allergic rhinitis.

The active ingredient in Flixonase is fluticasone propionate — a strong, anti-inflammatory corticosteroid (steroid) which helps to reduce inflammation in the nose. This relieves irritation and allergy symptoms like an itchy, blocked, runny or sniffly nose.

Flixonase side effects are unusual and tend to be mild. The most common side effects of this nasal spray (affecting up to one in 10 users) are headaches, nosebleeds, irritation or dryness of the nose or throat, and an unpleasant taste and/or unpleasant smell.

If you are concerned at all about these Flixonase side effects or any others not listed in this article, speak to your doctor or pharmacist for guidance.

You can buy Flixonase nasal spray here at The Independent Pharmacy.

Flixonase is a prescription-only treatment, so you will need to complete an online consultation first. However, it is very simple — you just need to answer a few questions on our form providing some detail on your condition. Once you do, one of our team of qualified prescribers will be able to approve your treatment and get your order processed for next-day delivery.

Sources

• Flixonase Nasal Spray Patient Information Leaflet: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.845.pdf
• https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/845/smpc
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/allergies/
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/allergic-rhinitis/
• https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/fluticasone-nasal-spray-and-drops/
• https://www.healthline.com/health/fluticasone-side-effects#side-effects
• https://www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/Medicine--pregnancy/Hay-fever/