Steroid nasal sprays are prescription medications that physicians use to treat nasal allergies. The sprays include fluticosone, beclamethasone and triamcinolone. They help people with nasal allergies by decreasing the body's inflammatory response to the allergens. According to the Mayo Clinic, nasal steroid sprays are generally safe, and they are safer than many of the over-the-counter decongestant sprays. The mechanisms of action of the different steroid sprays are very similar, as are their side effects.
Bloody Nose
Steroid nasal sprays can lead to chronic nos bleeds. According to the book "Head and Neck Surgery: Otolaryngology" by Byron Bailey, all steroid sprays make the nasal mucosal lining thinner and weaker, which can lead to frequent nosebleeds even after a person stops using the medication.
Septal Perforation
The nasal septum is cartilage that is surrounded on both sides by nasal mucosal lining. That lining provides the blood supply to the cartilage, and if the blood supply becomes damaged, then the cartilage dies. Destruction of the septal cartilage causes holes in the septum called septal perforations. According to the website RxList, an online drug index, nasal steroid sprays can damage the mucosal lining of the nasal septum, sometimes to the point of creating a septal perforation.
Cushing's Disease
Cushing's disease refers to a group of symptoms that includes weight gain in various places, such as the upper back, face, neck and abdomen, which is caused by high levels of cortisol production. According to an American Journal of Medicine article titled Iatrogenic Cushing's Syndrome Due to Dexamethasone Nasal Drops, prolonged use of nasal steroid sprays can increase the cortisol production by the adrenal gland. The job of cortisol is to regulate the body's stress response, sexual function, salt and water balance, and sugar metabolism. Physicians have to prescribe tapered doses of oral steroid medications to treat the effects of nasal steroid sprays on the adrenal gland.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Can Nasal Steroid Sprays Be Used Long Term?
- RxList: Flonase
- American Journal of Medicine: Iatrogenic Cushing's Syndrome Due to Dexamethasone Nasal Drops
