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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Sinusitis / September 2005Flonase side effects?
OK so I went to an allergist and was diagnosed with being allergic to Cats (which was obvious) and mold. Mold is everywhere, especially the stuff they tested for which is what you would find in grass. I was prescribed Flonase and would like to know what you all think of this drug? I am also wondering how this drug works, I checked the website and it basically says nothing about it. Thanks, Steve > OK so I went to an allergist and was diagnosed with being allergic to Cats > (which was obvious) and mold. Mold is everywhere, especially the stuff they [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > I am also wondering how this drug works, I checked the website and it > basically says nothing about it. Flonase is a topical corticosteroid. It's more potent than methylprednisolone, but since it's topical the side effects are few. I used it for a long time. The package insert that comes inside the box should tell you all you need to know about it. Or else, go here: http://tinyurl.com/d8wls  SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. > Flonase is a topical corticosteroid. It's more potent than > methylprednisolone, but since it's topical the side effects are few. More potent than medrol? Perhaps you mean if both were applied the same way. I think most people who have tried both (topical steroid sprays and oral prednisone-type steroid tablets), have had much better results with the latter. Of course, the problem with the latter is--you cannot use them long-term, without serious negative consequences, while the sprays are used long-term. But the oral steroids are more effective. > OK so I went to an allergist and was diagnosed with being allergic to Cats > (which was obvious) and mold. Mold is everywhere, especially the stuff they [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Steve Steve, I used to use this before I had surgery. I never had side effects from it, though a friend of mine told me it made her nose bleed. I believe it was helpful to me. Good luck with it, Violet skoczor@sympatico.ca (Steve) >OK so I went to an allergist and was > diagnosed with being allergic to Cats (which [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > checked the website and it basically says > nothing about it. I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the last 5 or 6 years. ...No side-effects, and it works great to help keep my sinuses clear. ...However, it is quite expensive. ...Jon >I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the last 5 or 6 years. ...No >side-effects, and it works great to help keep my sinuses clear. >...However, it is quite expensive. ...Jon For those paying out of theor own pockets, there might be the option of importing from Canada. Also, it may still work at reduced dosage..... >>I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the last 5 or 6 years. ...No >>side-effects, and it works great to help keep my sinuses clear. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Also, it may still work at reduced dosage..... Has the patent on any brand of steroid spray expired yet? Vancenase was one of the first and it's been around for at least 10 years, so maybe a generic form will come along soon. SignatureSteven D. Litvintchouk Email: sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me. >>> I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the last 5 or 6 years. >>> ...No side-effects, and it works great to help keep my sinuses [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >> >> Also, it may still work at reduced dosage..... >In news:cQfUe.8133$Wd7.7602@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net, >Steven L. <sdlitvin@earthlinkNOSPAM.net> typed: > Has the patent on any brand of steroid spray expired yet? Vancenase > was one of the first and it's been around for at least 10 years, so > maybe a generic form will come along soon. Only thing, the companies will change the formula just enough to retain a patent somehow, or $$ to the FDA. Look at what happened with the *new* Mucinex... guaifenesin was $8 a hundred, and now it is .50 cents a pill and more. The FDA freeze out the generics except in foreign markets. Beconase has been around forever it seems (but no generic here), but still costs a fortune, and even in Mexico it is still is more expensive than Rhinocort. Go figure... ...Allen > Only thing, the companies will change the formula just enough to retain a > patent somehow, or $$ to the FDA. Look at what happened with the *new* > Mucinex... guaifenesin was $8 a hundred, and now it is .50 cents a pill and > more. The FDA freeze out the generics except in foreign markets.... > > ...Allen With the Mucinex being so expensive, I found that ordering them from CVS.com was much cheaper than I can get around Atlanta. I can get a quantity of 40 for close to what I pay for 20 in town. Violet Are you aware that guaifenesin is also still sold as Humibid--much cheaper than as Mucinex? Not the prescription Humibid L.A., that was supposed to come out again, but never did. (Alas--for me, with a good prescription plan, much cheaper as prescription RX.) Guaifenesin isn't under patent, only the long-acting formulation of Mucinex is. (And somehow, they were able to convince the government to disallow all other long-acting formulations. So, the Humibid-E (OTC) (they also have a DM version with cough suppressant, E is only guaifenesin), is supposed to last for 8 hours, rather than the 12 hours of Mucinex. Big deal. The tablets have 400mg of guaifenesin each, rather than the 600 mg in Mucinex. So--to get the maximum dose 2400 mg per day of guaifenesin, with Mucinex you take two tablets twice per day, with Humibid-E you take two tablets three times per day. Even considering taking six tablets per day of the Humibid, rather than 4 tablets per day of Mucinex, the Humibid comes out much cheaper. For $20 you get 100 tablets I believe, rather than the 40 tablets of Mucinex for that price. 100 tablets taken six per day, last many more days than 40 tablets taken 4 per day. A couple days ago tried to find the Humibid-E in the drug store, and couldn;t find any, had to buy Mucinex instead. I hope that the Mucinex folks haven't managed to get Humibid-E banned as well! It certainly was available recently. Alas--I'm not really sure that guaifenesin works to thin mucus, at least for me. I've taken it on and off for years, including again now, but don't really notice that it helps to thin my extremely thick, sticky mucus at all. (It's always hard to know for sure--"I might be worse if I wasn't taking this", etc.) How many people are really sure that guaifenesin products significantly loosen your mucus? I believe the medical tests on it have actually been quite inconclusive, its efficacy hasn't really been proven. I understand that in Europe NAC is frequently used as a mucus thinner. I tried that too, the "supplement" version available here, didn't help at all either. I really wish there was a medication that really worked to loosen overly-thick mucus. (Of course irrigation works, the only thing that really does for me, to loosen up and wash out the glue. I have to use a LOT of saline though, to loosen up and wash out the gunk. Not very pleasant, and time-consuming, a few times per day.) > > Only thing, the companies will change the formula just enough to retain a > > patent somehow, or $$ to the FDA. Look at what happened with the *new* [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Violet On 9/16/05 9:58 PM, in article 1126934899.809491@news-1.nethere.net, "MS" <ms@nospam.com> wrote: > Are you aware that guaifenesin is also still sold as Humibid--much cheaper > than as Mucinex? Not the prescription Humibid L.A., that was supposed to [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] >> >> Violet Thank you for a very learned discussion. Its strange - many of the ENT doctors use guaifenesin and few of the pulmonary doctors do. The mucinex people recently sent out a flyer from some "research" organization. They listed all the good doctors that took part in a round table, suggesting that they were advocating this product, but not saying so in plain words. Then they had lovely drawings and discussions of post nasal drip. Then they gave a case history of the patient who was cured by Mucinex. But in the very small print they noted that she also used irrigation twice a day. Worse, they give legitimate references which I happen to be familiar with, that implies that these authors recommend their product. Frankly this sort of thing really angers me and I wrote to some of the participants in the round table to tell them what is happening. I often see the most nonsense product, and they list legitimate references as though the articles recommended their product. Buyer beware. Try this site they seem to have 100, 600mg for $46.90 they also have 400mg. https://prohealth.com/shop/search.cfm?searchtext=guaifenesin&source=Google_Adwor ds&kwd=humibid+e&B1=GGLGUAI >Has the patent on any brand of steroid spray expired yet? Vancenase was >one of the first and it's been around for at least 10 years, so maybe a >generic form will come along soon. According to http://www.medvantx.com/550.asp?nav=500 the patent on Flonase has expired. According to http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04p0523/04p-0523-psa0001-vol1.pdf generic versions of Flonase are pending but GSK was petitioning the FDA to ensure they were of adeqaute efficavy. The petition says >Within days or even hours of the approval of ANDAs, generic versions >of Flonase@ or Beconase A$@ can be expected to enter the market. ANDAs will [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >July 22, 2003) (describing the rapid erosion of sales that can occur when only a >single generic product enters the market). So it looks as if it is imminent if the generics can meet FDA's approval and survive legal challenge by GSK. I've wondered about this too. Some of the steroid nasal sprays have been out for decades (I recall being prescribed them in the early 90s.) Another nasal spray (non-steroid) for rhinitis, Atrovent nasal spray (generic name Ipratropium Bromide), has had a generic version out for a few years now, and I think the original Atrovent Nasal Spray came out later than most of the steroid sprays. I guess they are big money-makers for the pharmaceutical companies, and they have been fighting tooth and nail to not let their version go generic, but it's bound to happen one of these days. (Of course, they are happy to make generic versions of the other manufacturer's brands! ;-) ) > >Has the patent on any brand of steroid spray expired yet? Vancenase was > >one of the first and it's been around for at least 10 years, so maybe a [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >of Flonase@ or Beconase A$@ can be expected to enter the market. ANDAs will > >have been approved on the basis of "therapeutic equivalence" to Flonase@ or > >Beconase AQ@ and, as a result, generic substitution for GSK's products will readily > >take place. See CollaGenexPharms., Inc. v. Thompson, Civ, A. wo. 03-1405 (D.D.C. > >July 22, 2003) (describing the rapid erosion of sales that can occur when only a > >single generic product enters the market). > > So it looks as if it is imminent if the generics can meet FDA's approval and > survive legal challenge by GSK. dbrady@pobox.com (Don Brady) wrote: >>I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the >> last 5 or 6 years. ...No [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > >Also, it may still work at reduced dosage..... Hi Don... Just for general interest, I am from B.C. Canada.. I pay 42.50 Cnd. for each 50mg 120 shot dose bottle. ...This is equal to 36.13 US at the current exchange rate. Is this higher or lower, to what one would pay for the same thing in the US? ..I've also found that it works better if I don't over do its use. Normally, I use only one shot in each nostril per day, but I do try to wait for the time of day when things feel the clearest up stairs... Thus it will penetrate the furthest in-- and hopefully offer the greatest benefit to my condition. ...Jon >Hi Don... Just for general interest, I am from B.C. Canada.. I pay >42.50 Cnd. for each 50mg 120 shot dose bottle. ...This is equal to 36.13 >US at the current exchange rate. Is this higher or lower, to what one >would pay for the same thing in the US? It costs 2 to 3 times that price in the U.S. So people, if you are paying out of your own pocket, you can look at the option of getting it from Canada. It is technically illegal but normally not enforced if you import under a 3 month supply for personal use. When they have guidelines like that, you know that they are turning a blind eye toward it. You have state governments encouraging such imports. e.g. http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/home.do?agency=Rx The note at http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?programid=536902438&agency=Rx gives more details on legalities and a list of recommendedCanadian sources. >..I've also found that it works better if I don't over do its use. >Normally, I use only one shot in each nostril per day, but I do try to >wait for the time of day when things feel the clearest up stairs... I agree with you that a lower dose is often better, as long as one aims carefully or times things to get it in , as you are doing. A lot of people are spraying it at a largely blocked nasal passage, so obviously they are going to need more.... >Thus >it will penetrate the furthest in-- and hopefully offer the greatest >benefit to my condition. Exactly right..... Also, it should be pointed out, that there are several brands of these steroid nasal sprays. Most doctors will say there is very little difference between them, they are all about the same. (In spite of the advertising claiming that their brand is much better than the others!) (Whatever happened to "truth in advertising" laws? I think they went out during the Reagan administration. A shame really. Lying is rampant in advertising these days!) (And, due to being advertised more than the others, Flonase is probably the most well-known of the steroid nasal sprays. That doesn't make it better though.) I don't know if the prices are also all about the same, or whether there are price differences between the different steroid nasal sprays done. It isn't an issue for me, as I have a good prescription plan. But if I had to pay myself, I certainly would investigate the prices of the different brands. > >I've used Flonase on a continual basis for the last 5 or 6 years. ...No > >side-effects, and it works great to help keep my sinuses clear. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Also, it may still work at reduced dosage..... >Also, it should be pointed out, that there are several brands of these >steroid nasal sprays. Most doctors will say there is very little difference [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >an issue for me, as I have a good prescription plan. But if I had to pay >myself, I certainly would investigate the prices of the different brands. Flonase is the cheapest though, I think. The others all cost more. The patent has expired and although they have so far stalled FDA approval of generics by asserting that the generics are not equivalent, they know that time will run out eventually, and so are starting to cut the price a little, I think. > Flonase is the cheapest though, I think. The others all cost more. > > The patent has expired and although they have so far stalled FDA approval of > generics by asserting that the generics are not equivalent, they know that time > will run out eventually, and so are starting to cut the price a little, I > think. I'd find that surprising, since they seem to have a lot of money to plow into advertising, and my guess (i haven't seen statistics on this) would be that it is probably by far the most used of those sprays, due to the advertising. As far as age, there are certainly some that came out several years earlier than Flonase, such as Beconase, Nasalide, Vancenase, etc. On 9/16/05 10:03 PM, in article 1126934900.278789@news-1.nethere.net, "MS" <ms@nospam.com> wrote: > Also, it may still work at reduced dosage. Very good point. May I add that you still need to dust proof, avoid dust and pollens, etc. to help reduce the dose you use. Another case of headers getting mixed up in newsgroup responses. I wasn't the poster who wrote about reduced dosage, by the way. > On 9/16/05 10:03 PM, in article 1126934900.278789@news-1.nethere.net, "MS" > <ms@nospam.com> wrote: > > > Also, it may still work at reduced dosage. > Very good point. May I add that you still need to dust proof, avoid dust and > pollens, etc. to help reduce the dose you use. >Another case of headers getting mixed up in newsgroup responses. I wasn't >the poster who wrote about reduced dosage, by the way. I posted that, if it matters. Odds are good that there is a margin of safety in the recommnded dose, especially if people aim carefully. I have found that half the dose works well for Nasonex for me (with less tendency to bleed). So that could be something to try for people who pay out of their own pocket to save money (at some risk, granted, of inadequate dosage). > OK so I went to an allergist and was diagnosed with being allergic to Cats > (which was obvious) and mold. Mold is everywhere, especially the stuff they [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Steve My brother-in-law claims that he can't sleep when he takes it, but he is the only person I have heard make that claim. It is known to cause nose bleeds and it doesn't work for everyone. You really have to try it for 2 weeks to know if it is going to work for you and if it will have side effects in your individual case. Joy
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