What Is Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray?
Fluticasone propionate nasal spray (
Flonase®) is a prescription medication approved to treat sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching (known medically as rhinitis). These symptoms typically are due to either
allergies (known as allergic rhinitis) or other causes (known as nonallergic rhinitis).
Who Makes This Medication?
Fluticasone propionate nasal spray is made by GlaxoSmithKline.
Allergies occur when the body's immune system reacts to a normally harmless substance -- one that does not bother most people. These reactions are known as inflammation, and they involve several different types of cells and chemicals in the body.
Fluticasone propionate nasal spray 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 fluticasone propionate is a nasal spray, its effects are generally limited to the nose, which helps prevent many of the long-term side effects.
It is not know exactly how this medicine works for nonallergic rhinitis.
