Mometasone Nasal Spray

A healthcare provider may prescribe mometasone nasal spray to treat nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis. The medication is a type of steroid that works by decreasing inflammation that can be caused by allergies. Mometasone nasal spray is available in one strength and is usually taken once or twice a day. The dosage of mometasone nasal spray your healthcare provider recommends will be based on several factors, such as your age, other medical conditions you have, and other medications you are taking.

 

What Is Mometasone Nasal Spray?

Mometasone nasal spray (Nasonex®) is a prescription medication approved to treat the following conditions:
 
  • Sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, and nasal itching due to allergies (known medically as allergic rhinitis)
     
  • Nasal polyps (small, non-cancerous growths on the lining inside the nose).
     
(Click What Is Mometasone Nasal Spray Used For? for more information on what mometasone nasal spray is used for, including possible off-label uses.)
 

Who Makes Mometasone Nasal Spray?

Mometasone nasal spray is made by Schering-Plough Corporation.
 

How Does Mometasone Nasal Spray Work?

Allergies occur when the body's immune system reacts to a normally harmless substance -- one that does not bother most people. These immune system reactions are known as inflammations and involve several different types of cells and several different chemicals in the body.
 
Mometasone 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 very effective for treating conditions such as allergies. However, long-term use of steroids can cause bothersome and sometimes serious side effects, and this limits the usefulness of many steroids. Because mometasone nasal spray is a nasal spray, its effects are generally limited to the nose. This helps prevent many of the long-term side effects of steroids.
 
Many cases of nasal polyps are related to chronic inflammation caused by nasal allergies. Mometasone nasal spray works to treat nasal polyps by decreasing inflammation.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;