1/ Thread:

A common complaint from patients with #hayfever is that nasal steroid sprays don& #39;t work. By the time I go through when & how to use them 90% of my patients do find that they work & that miserable springs or summers are a thing of the past.

A few tricks of the trade:
2/ Nasal steroid sprays take time to build up. Don& #39;t be disappointed if you don& #39;t notice a difference for a wk.

Antihistamine tablets can be taken as & when & act quickly but nasal steroids need to be used regularly.

If you use them correctly, they are incredibly effective!
3/ Start using your nasal spray before the pollen season kicks in. They take time to build up, so if you start using them a fortnight before the pollen season, rather than when your nose is stuffy and runny they will work much better.
4/ Wash your nose out with a salt water rinse before you use your spray. If your nose is snotty then the spray will dissolve in the snot and won& #39;t reach the lining of your nose where it works.

In fact douching with saline has been shown by itself to reduce hay fever symptoms.
5/ Don& #39;t close one nostril when you use your spray. It just pushes the bony septum across and that is not the part where the problem is.
6/ Using your right hand for your left nostril put the
nozzle just inside nose aiming towards outside wall & vice versa. So your hand is coming across your face.
7/ Don& #39;t sniff!

If you sniff you will eat your snot (which is fine by me) but also the spray. So it won& #39;t work as well. It& #39;s like putting a moisturiser on & then wiping it off.

Just breathe in & out gently.

Brushing your teeth straight away will reduce the urge to sniff!
8/ Absorption of nasal mometasone furoate (Nasonex), fluticasone furoate (Avamys) & fluticasone propionate (Flixonase) is negligible. So don& #39;t be put off by the word steroid.

My mother had bad hay fever for years & I wish someone had told me this.

Hence this thread.
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