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Flunisolide Nasal Solution
Flunisolide nasal solution is used for the treatment of seasonal and perennial nasal allergy symptoms, such as itching, stuffy or runny nose, and sneezing. It is approved for use in adults and children age six and older. Flunisolide nasal solution comes as a nasal spray that is generally used once daily. Potential side effects include nasal burning or stinging and aftertaste.
Flunisolide nasal solution (Nasarel™, Nasalide®) is a prescription nasal spray licensed to treat sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching due to allergies (known medically as allergic rhinitis). Flunisolide nasal solution can be used to treat allergies that occur all year long (known as perennial allergies) as well as seasonal allergies, and can be used in children as young as six years old.
(Click What Is Flunisolide Nasal Solution Used For? for more information, including possible off-label uses.)
There are two different forms of flunisolide nasal spray: Nasarel and Nasalide. Nasarel is currently made by Ivax Laboratories. While brand-name Nasalide is no longer being made, generic Nasalide is made by a few different generic manufacturers.
Allergies occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances that do not bother most people. This immune system reaction is known as inflammation and involves several different types of cells and several different chemicals in the body.
Flunisolide nasal solution is a corticosteroid, or simply "steroid" for short. Steroids can have many different effects in the body, including anti-inflammatory effects. Steroids decrease inflammation by limiting the body's ability to produce an immune system reaction. They can be effective for treating conditions such as allergies. However, long-term use can cause bothersome and sometimes serious side effects, and this limits the usefulness of many steroids. Because flunisolide nasal solution is a nasal spray, its effects are generally limited to the nose. This helps prevent many of the long-term side effects of steroids.
General considerations for when and how to use flunisolide nasal solution include the following:
- Flunisolide nasal solution comes in the form of a nasal spray. It is usually used two or three times a day.
- Blow your nose before each dose of the medication. Breathe in gently while spraying the medicine into your nose. Do not try to inhale the flunisolide nasal solution or breathe in too deeply, as the drug works when it comes into contact with the inside surfaces of the nose, not the throat or lungs.
- Avoid aiming the spray toward the wall that separates your nostrils in the middle of your nose, called the nasal septum. Spraying flunisolide nasal solution toward the nasal septum increases the risk of nosebleeds. Some people find it easiest to avoid this by holding the bottle in the opposite hand (using the right hand to spray into the left nostril, and vice versa).
- For the medication to work properly, it must be taken as prescribed. Flunisolide nasal solution will not work if you stop taking it.
The dose of flunisolide nasal solution that your healthcare provider recommends will vary, depending on a number of factors, including:
- How you respond to flunisolide nasal solution
- Your age
- Other medications you may be taking
- Other medical conditions you may have.
As is always the case, do not adjust your dose unless your healthcare provider specifically instructs you to do so.
(Click Flunisolide Nasal Solution Dosing for more information.)
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with flunisolide nasal solution. However, not everyone who takes the drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. Serious side effects are less common.
Common side effects of flunisolide nasal solution include but are not limited to:
- Aftertaste
- Nasal burning and stinging.
(Click Side Effects of Flunisolide Nasal Solution to learn more, including potentially serious side effects that you should report immediately to your healthcare provider.)
Flunisolide nasal solution is not likely to interact with other medications (see Drug Interactions With Flunisolide Nasal Solution).
You should talk with your healthcare provider prior to taking flunisolide nasal solution if you have:
- Not had chickenpox or the measles (and have not been vaccinated against them)
- Tuberculosis, herpes, or any other infections
- Recently had nasal surgery
- Sores or injury to the inside of your nose
- A nasal infection
- Any allergies, including allergies to food, dyes, or preservatives.
Also, let your healthcare provider know if you are:
- Pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant
- Breastfeeding.
Make sure to tell your healthcare provider about all medicines you are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
(Click Precautions and Warnings With Flunisolide Nasal Solution to learn more, including information on who should not take the drug.)
In most instances, an overdose of flunisolide nasal solution is unlikely to cause serious problems. Even using an entire bottle at once is not likely to cause serious overdose symptoms. However, using too much flunisolide nasal solution over a long period of time may cause problems.
(Click Nasarel Overdose for more information.)
If you forget to take your flunisolide nasal solution dose, take your missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule. Do not take a double dose.
Flunisolide nasal solution comes in two strengths:
- Flunisolide 25 mcg per spray (Nasalide) -- 200 sprays per bottle
- Flunisolide 29 mcg per spray (Nasarel) -- 200 sprays per bottle.
Nasarel and Nasalide are similar nasal sprays. They contain an almost identical amount of flunisolide (29 mcg per spray of Nasarel, compared with 25 mg per spray of Nasalide). However, the inactive ingredients are different, which appears to cause some important differences between the medications. Nasarel is more likely to cause an aftertaste, while Nasalide is more likely to cause nasal burning and stinging. They seem to be equally effective at treating nasal allergy symptoms.
Currently, generic Nasalide (but not generic flunisolide nasal solution) is available (see Generic Nasalide and Generic Nasarel for more information).
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;
