Generic Name: Flonase for Rhinitis (fluticasone-nasal)
Flonase for Rhinitis Reviews
"I used this Flonase for a period of 3 weeks! Worked well to relieve stuffy nose due to allergies. Then all the side effects started: anxiety, insomnia, thrush, headaches, etc. I switched back to regular allergy meds like Zyrtec. It took 2 weeks for the symptoms to subside. I wouldn’t recommend Flonase! Keep away!"
"TAKE FLONASE NASAL SPRAY AT YOUR OWN PERIL! After having used it for two days, I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night unable to breathe. For almost a minute, I was unable to get any air into my lungs. My throat/windpipe was totally constricted. It was the scariest moment of my life. Then gradually, I was able to inhale just a little bit of air. Never again will I touch this stuff."
"Works for me! I spent a full year with horrible headaches, ear pain, fullness, ringing. I told the doctor my face hurt, my head hurt, my NOSE hurt! I finally ended up with a sinus infection, antibiotics, and it all went away for a while, but when it came back, I went back to the doctor and told her my infection was back... she said no, I think you have allergies. Claritin, Flonase, give it a month and see if you feel better... and I did! I added saline nasal spray and a humidifier to keep nasal tissue moist, and I'm down to 2-3 headaches a week at high pollen season, ears mostly behave themselves. Inside my nose will get sore and dry if I forget the saline, but otherwise no side effects. Thanks Flonase!"
"It works so well that it doesn't seem real. I only use it occasionally as needed. This morning I woke up and could not breathe through my nose at all. I tried blowing my nose, but with no result (it wasn't nasal congestion, it was swollen nasal passages). I used Flonase and within an hour I could breathe normally again. I know it doesn't always work that quickly for people and I'm surprised that it did for me, but it really is an awesome product."
"Um, never again. One squirt - 5 minutes later my vision was blurry, my heart was racing, my arms and legs felt like jello, and 30 minutes later I was having body aches all over the place like I had the flu. I will NOT be taking this medication ever again."
"I felt like I was dying. After using Flonase for a month, for the first time in my life, I was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. Another night, I was awoken by a horrible headache and vomited. The Flonase made it so hard to breathe I could only take shallow breaths, and my heart rate was way higher than usual. The only thing I could focus on was my breath and what's wrong with me. I would have never known it was the Flonase causing this if I didn’t look up the side effects online."
"I was prescribed Flonase for fluid in my ears with no infection. After 2 months of being treated for an ear infection three times and still having intermittent pain in one ear, I have been diagnosed with fluid in my ears with no infection. I have been prescribed Flonase for 7 days, 2 sprays each nostril twice a day along with a steroid ear drop. After two days, I blew my nose and had a huge amount of mucus, completely clearing my sinuses. My ear pain resolved after 5 days. Side effects have been mild with a sore throat on the first day only, an itchy nose causing me to sneeze, and a slight case of heartburn and diarrhea. With glaucoma in my family, I was concerned but was told 1 week of use should have no effect. People generally only post a review after a bad experience... I'm posting my experience to ease some fears. It cleared the fluid in my ears and my pain was gone. I was worried at first, but glad I tried it."
"Well, great with the bad. Been using this medicine for two months now. This product worked great. It cleared my sinuses and got rid of the allergies, and it opened up the tubes from my eardrum to my throat where they could drain. But after two months, I started getting joint pains, shoulder pains, bad neck, and other joints. It got so bad last week I went to the doctor and had X-rays done, just some mild wear and tear about it. Then I got to looking up reviews and there it was a lot of joint pains and some mild aggression, moody. Well, that summed it up, never before had this trouble before Flonase."
"I was googling 'Can Flonase make you anxious?' and came upon this particular site. I'm very glad that I did because I seem to have a high sensitivity to any steroid including nasal spray. My heart began racing more especially at night. My sleep was disrupted, I was tossing and turning, waking up with a racing heart, feeling like I couldn't breathe and I was very hot. I certainly will only use this in case of emergency. It's good to know there are others who experience the same as I did."
"I have an anxiety disorder and take medications to manage it (Zoloft and Clonazepam). However, using Flonase Nasal Spray alongside these medications made me feel more energized, uncomfortable chest sensations, worse anxiety symptoms, and blurred vision. I used it for almost 3 months, administering 2 sprays in each nostril daily, then reducing it to 1 spray for 10 days before stopping completely. After a week, I experienced horrible anxiety and depression, which made me feel sick and anxious throughout the day. It was challenging to cope with severe anxiety for an extended period. It took me six weeks to feel normal again. If you suffer from mental problems, I strongly advise you not to take this medication. I don't understand how this medication can be sold over the counter in pharmacies."
"It works well, however causes AWFUL MENTAL SYMPTOMS. Mostly feeling off/depressed. I'm 100% it is Flonase. I stopped and they all left. I tried it again couple weeks later, BOOM, 5th day - when it starts working - depression. A side note that other similar class nasal sprays did EXACTLY the same to me. So all steroids do this to me."
"I took this once. I could not sleep all night - I went to bed at 10 and was up until 4 a.m. Every time I closed my eyes, I entered a lucid dream and started talking and woke myself up. It was so strange. The next day, I tried to nap and the same thing happened. Eventually, it went away. And I never took Flonase again."
"OMG! What a lifesaver. I have had migraines for years, and they seem to be sinus-related more often than not. I wake up in the middle of the night so stuffed up I can't breathe, and my headache begins. A Breathe Right helps a little. But I have tried just about everything: Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, Advil & Tylenol Sinus, Nasacort, Rhino (something), and many others, and nothing worked. The Advil Sinus and the old Tylenol Sinus helped a little. My ear, nose, and throat doctor put me on Singulair (pill). I bought this after seeing the commercials stating it blocks six types of allergies. Within 12 to 24 hours, I could tell it was helping, by 48 hours, it was like a miracle! The pressure in my head, stuffiness, headaches (that were sinus-related) went away."
"I have been using this for 5 days now for sinusitis, which I developed after a pretty significant bout with the flu. Because of a prior condition in my sinuses in 2008 and the inability to take the necessary antibiotic to resolve the condition, my sinuses were very full after this flu. I had severe pain in and behind my nose, under and above my eyes, etc. My ears felt like they would explode too. But, after these 5 days on Flonase and an antibiotic to treat the sinusitis, I feel much better. I am, however, simultaneously taking supplements which aid in reducing inflammation and have altered my diet to dramatically reduce inflammatory-induced health problems. I believe lifestyle changes are the better long-term solution, as steroids are not healthy."
"I took this because I was having trouble with allergies this year. I read the instructions and it said 1 squirt per nostril for children under 12 and 2 squirts per nostril for adults. I thought, well if children take this, it must be fine. NOT FINE. Racing heart. I mean you can feel it going to burst. My joints and muscles would tense up without realizing. I was driving and suddenly began thinking cars were going to hit me. I'm a delivery driver, so went straight home and then dealt with anxiety, rapid heart beat. It hate the way it made on day 1. On day 2 now, symptoms are subsiding but I can't believe that it is suggested kids take this stuff, it's dangerous. The best thing to do with this is throw it in the waste basket."
"The disappointing thing is how effective Flonase is at immediately reducing my sinus inflammation / congestion. I say this because - through trial and error - I've determined that Flonase causes me too many adverse effects to continue use. Much like an episode of anxiety, it comes with racing heart and jittery feeling. My impression is that many doctors are either unaware of how common this tends to be, or presume that a certain number of patients are hypochondriacs. To be fair, health-care professionals do have to deal with their fair share of hypochondriacs. But I would still make the argument that this medication is not ideal for patients sensitive to Steroids (in general). Which is a widely accepted side-effect of Steroid medications - you're not crazy!"
"Flonase is not for treating allergies, it's for treating the inflammation in your nose caused by allergies, so I'm confused as to why people think it'll get rid of itchy, watery eyes and other symptoms. Confusing advertisement, I guess. For nasal treatment, it works just fine. As a nasal corticosteroid, it can be used to treat nasal polyps over a period of time, which often happens with chronic infections or bad allergies. For that function, it works well. I haven't had an issue with it. I'm usually able to breathe through my nose again within 15 to 20 minutes after application. Guess we'll see how it works over the long run."
"I have really bad allergies that are pretty much year-round now! I was taking Claritin D for months before I found Flonase! I took both for about 2 days and then no longer needed the Claritin! It was REALLY worth the money! Everything started clearing up within 24 hours... it's been 5 days now and all my symptoms are gone!! Don't listen to the haters! This medicine is AMAZING! I told my dad about it because he has allergies like me. He started it yesterday and I got a text from him today thanking me for telling him about it! He said he can already breathe again!"
"I got sick earlier this week with the flu, which triggered a sinus infection and bronchitis. My doctor prescribed OTC Flonase for the symptom of sinus congestion. I began taking Flonase, two squirts a day in each nostril, on Tuesday. While I was in the midst of the illness, with fever, body aches, and severe congestion and coughing, I did not think there was a problem with the fact that I could not taste or smell. It is the fifth day, however, and while my sense of taste has come back about 40%, my sense of smell has not come back at all. I became curious and looked up 'Flonase and sense of smell' on the internet. Apparently, people are reporting loss of sense of smell when using this product. I hope mine comes back."
"Flonase does nothing for my vasomotor rhinitis. After taking it for 2 weeks I felt chronic fatigue for several months. I tried it again, had the same problem. Drugs aren't always the answer, there must be a better solution... I grow tired of my ailment after 7 years of it."
"Horrible allergy symptoms - total stopped-up nose and sneezing and unable to sleep due to congestion! I'd been using decongestant nasal sprays daily through allergy season, which was becoming all year! I started using Flonase one week ago at night, and within 2 days, all symptoms are gone! I love you, Flonase. I'm telling everyone!"
"Within 2 hours of my 2nd dose of Flonase, I experienced difficulty breathing, and had crusting around the openings of my nose. I also had a feeling of extreme restlessness, much like I would imagine restless leg persons are afflicted with. The next morning I was SOB with minimal exertion, and experienced a worsening sore throat and pharyngitis, with difficulty speaking above a whisper."
"Took this for two days for dizziness. the first day it worked but the second day it didn’t do anything. My anxiety was through the roof, I had heart palpitations and my speech was off along with using my hands to talk which is not normal for me. It felt like I was on drugs which I found embarrassing."
"Have used Flonase for the last year - I used to have to take a decongestant that still left me stuffy, and Flonase alone is the best! I would be so stuffy at night, couldn't breathe through my nose, and this works! Love it."
"I was getting nasal infections every 3 months that would last for weeks without treatment. I'd go in and get antibiotics and within a week it'd clear up. Then another 3 months later I'd get another infection. UNTIL I started using this spray! As long as I continue to use it, I don't get nose infections. And, it smells like flowers, which I like. :)"
More about Flonase (fluticasone nasal)
- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Side effects
- Dosage information
- Patient tips
- During pregnancy
- Support group
- Drug class: nasal steroids
Patient resources
- Flonase drug information
Other brands
Flonase Allergy Relief, Xhance, Flonase Sensimist, Veramyst
Professional resources
- Flonase prescribing information
- Fluticasone (EENT) (AHFS Monograph)
Other brands
Xhance, Veramyst, Ticanase
Related treatment guides
- Rhinitis
