Clarispray vs Flonase – Which Is The Best Allergy OTC Drug?

Clarispray

It is a nasal allergy spray that contains the drug called fluticasone propionate, a medium-potency synthetic corticosteroid. It acts on multiple inflammatory substances, like – prostaglandins, histamine, tryptases, cytokines, leukotrienes, and chemokines.

This nasal spray temporarily relieves the symptoms of hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies including – a runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy nose, or sneezing.

These symptoms can be triggered by allergens, such as – mold, pollen, pet dander, or dust. Also, dairy products can considerably increase nasal congestion due to the allergic reaction and cow’s milk capacity to produce mucus.

Uses

It can help relieve allergy eye symptoms, like – itchy, watery eyes. Moreover, it is used to relieve year-round or seasonal non-allergic and allergic nasal symptoms, including – itching, stuffy or a runny nose, and sneezing.

Use 2 sprays in each nostril per day for seven days, then 1 spray in each nostril per day as required to treat signs and symptoms for maximum of 180 days, unless directed by your healthcare provider to use longer.

If the symptoms do not improve after 7 days of use or you get new symptoms, including – thick nasal discharge or severe facial pain, consult your healthcare professional since you may have something more serious than an allergy.

If the inside of your nose stings, if you start to have nosebleeds, or if your nose hurts, stop using this medicine for a few days.

Side Effects And Precautions

Side effects may include:

trouble talking or breathing;
sinus or ear pain;
unusual hoarseness;
a wound that will not heal;
very bad sore throat;
tightness in the chest;
mouth sores;
fever;
allergic reactions, with symptoms which include – swelling of the lips, mouth, face, tongue, or throat, hives, rash, itching, blistered, swollen, or peeling skin;
chills;
wheezing;
pain with passing urine.

Do not use this nasal spray if you have surgery or injury to your nose which is not completely healed, to treat asthma, or in children under 4 years of age.

Some users may experience eye problems, like – cataracts and glaucoma, therefore, it is recommended to have regular eye exams while you are using this nasal spray.

If you are using this drug in high doses and for a long time, sometimes, corticosteroids may be absorbed into the bloodstream which may lead to additional side effects.

Drug Interactions

It may interact with the following drugs:

cobicistat;
atazanavir;
delavirdine (a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor);
chloramphenicol;
fosamprenavir;
clarithromycin;
idelalisib (a drug used for the treatment of specific hematological malignancies);
conivaptan;
voriconazole;
darunavir;
nelfinavir;
indinavir;
tipranavir (a nonpeptidic protease inhibitor);
metyrapone;
ketoconazole;
saquinavir;
nefazodone;
mifepristone;
ritonavir;
ribociclib (an inhibitor of cyclin D1/CDK4 and CDK6);
posaconazole.

Alcohol

Avoid the intake of alcohol while using fluticasone propionate.

Flonase

It is an allergy relief medicine that works directly in the nose to help reduce allergic reactions that are mostly caused by histamine. It contains fluticasone propionate, a synthetic glucocorticoid.

Histamine and other substances may produce symptoms, such as – watery eyes, itching, sneezing, and runny nose. But this nasal spray blocks these substances, thus, preventing the symptoms from occurring.

It is for use in adults and children who are at least 4 years old and is available without a prescription. The active ingredient is fluticasone propionate. Inactive ingredients – dextrose, benzalkonium chloride, phenylethyl alcohol, microcrystalline cellulose, purified water, Polysorbate 80, and sodium carboxymethylcellulose.

Other brand names that contain fluticasone propionate are – Arnuity Ellipta, ArmonAir RespiClick, Flovent Diskus, Veramyst, or Xhance.

Uses

It is commonly used for the treatment of nonallergic and allergic nasal symptoms, such as – sneezing, congestion, runny nose, and itching.

The recommended dose for adults is 2 sprays in each nostril once per day or 1 spray in each nostril two times per day (for example, in the morning and evening).

The full effect of this nasal spray is only achieved 3 days after the complete treatment has been completed.

Moreover, in children with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (the walls of the throat relax during sleep and interrupt normal breathing), the daily use of this medicine for about 42 days has been shown to reduce considerably the number of sleep events related to airway obstruction.

Note – each bottle has 120 sprays, but it doesn’t have a counter on it, hence, it can be hard to know how many sprays are left.

Side Effects And Precautions

Serious side effects (very rare) may include:

eye pain, blurred vision, or seeing halos around lights;
any wound that will not heal;
flu-like symptoms;
loss of interest in sex;
nausea;
weakness;
fever;
chills;
vomiting;
sores, redness, or white patches in throat or mouth;
crusting around your nostrils;
slow growth in children;
noisy breathing;
menstrual problems;
ongoing nosebleeds.

Common side effects may include:

white patches around your nose;
sinus pain;
cough;
sneezing;
a sore throat;
back pain:
headaches.

The use of this nasal spray for a long time or in high doses may lead to – muscular pain, joint pain, depression, lassitude (a state of mental or physical weariness), as well as adrenal insufficiency (an endocrine, or hormonal, disorder in which the adrenal glands do not produce sufficient amounts of steroid hormones).