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1/ Thread:
A common complaint from patients with #hayfever is that nasal steroid sprays don'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:
A common complaint from patients with #hayfever is that nasal steroid sprays don'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't be disappointed if you don'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!
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'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.
In fact douching with saline has been shown by itself to reduce hay fever symptoms.
5/ Don'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.
nozzle just inside nose aiming towards outside wall & vice versa. So your hand is coming across your face.
7/ Don't sniff!
If you sniff you will eat your snot (which is fine by me) but also the spray. So it won't work as well. It'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!
If you sniff you will eat your snot (which is fine by me) but also the spray. So it won't work as well. It'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'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.
My mother had bad hay fever for years & I wish someone had told me this.
Hence this thread.
