Azelastine is a medicine that can be prescribed to treat seasonal nasal allergies and vasomotor rhinitis. By preventing the release of histamine from mast cells, the drug can help relieve runny or stuffy nose, itching, and sneezing. Azelastine comes in the form of a nasal spray that is generally used twice a day. Potential side effects include drowsiness, headache, and nasal burning.
Azelastine hydrochloride (
Astelin®) is a prescription medication approved to treat sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching (known medically as rhinitis). It is approved to treat these symptoms when they are due to either seasonal allergens (known as seasonal allergic rhinitis) or to other irritants (known as rhinitis or vasomotor rhinitis).
Azelastine is made by MedPointe Pharmaceuticals.
How Does Azelastine Work?
Allergies occur when the body's immune system reacts to a normally harmless substance -- one that does not bother most people. This reaction is partly caused by the release of histamine from certain cells, known as mast cells. Azelastine is an antihistamine nasal spray that acts in at least two different ways. It helps prevent the release of histamine from mast cells, and if any histamine is released, azelastine prevents it from binding to histamine receptors. Since histamine is responsible for many of the symptoms of allergies, blocking it can be helpful.
It is not known exactly how or why azelastine works for vasomotor rhinitis. Traditionally, it was thought that antihistamines were generally ineffective for this condition, since vasomotor rhinitis does not involve an allergic reaction or immune system response. However, studies have shown that azelastine helps with this condition.
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