Review of Flonase Nasal Spray for Allergy Sufferers

Can Flonase rescue you from the misery of allergies? Even in winter, those of us with allergies can suffer terribly. I had just healed from an awful flu that my students handed me when the New England barometer started messing with my sinuses. And then the allergies started up. You fellow sufferers know the rest - in a matter of hours, my entire left sinus was completely stuffed up. I was miserable.

I rummaged through the medicine cabinet and came across a box of Flonase my internist had given me over the summer. I don't normally like nose sprays, but I was out of allergy pills and too miserable to go to the store. My last experience with nose spray was the memory of a horribly bitter taste that dripped down my throat and seemed to linger for days. I wasn't looking forward to trying a new nasal spray, but I was desperate. So I opened the Flonase box.

The instructions directed me to clear my nasal passages and then spray twice in both nostrils. Yeah, right. Apparently the hacks who write the directions don't suffer from allergies themselves - otherwise they'd know that if I could clear my nasal passage, I wouldn't really need the spray. But I digress.

I diligently blew my nose and then braced for the spray and resulting awful taste. That's when I received my first pleasant surprise. Flonase smells like flowers. Hyacinth to be exact. And there was no bad aftertaste. Intrigued, I decided to visit the Flonase website.

My initial excitement was tempered a bit, in that the instructions on the website indicated Flonase doesn't show results for 12 hours. Some people won't see results for several days. I'm normally into instant gratification, but given that I had no other medication available, I decided to embrace patience. My next dosage wouldn't be until the next morning.

True to its word, the Flonase didn't help me the first day or even the first twelve hours. I woke up with an awful headache and though my left sinus was somewhat less congested, it was still mostly blocked. I nevertheless administered the second dose and wondered whether my dull and persistent headache was a side effect of Flonase. I checked the website again and discovered that headaches are a common side effect. Wondering how common, I searched further and found that according to Drug Library, sixteen percent of Flonase users experience headaches.

The headache lasted all day and was not responsive to painkillers. I considered abandoning the medication and heading out for something with more immediate results, but by noon I could actually breathe through my nose. The Flonase was working. I didn't love the headache, but it was bearable and I hoped it might wear off eventually.

On day three, I awoke feeling absolutely normal again. No headache, no stuffiness, just happy to be alive. I took another dose of Flonase as directed and didn't suffer any further side effects.

In all, I'd declare Flonase a good cure for my allergies. Those of you who review the Flonase side effects might wonder about the "loss of interest in sex" they warn you about. I haven't taken it long enough to know if that's an issue. As far as I'm concerned, with completely blocked nasal passages, and no sense of smell, taste, or appetite, we all experience a precipitous drop in sexual appetite. So the symptoms of allergies create that side effect all on their own. I'm not too worried about the Flonase doing so.

For detailed information, visit www.flonase.com