Can long term use of nasal spray lead to over-reliance and negative side effects?

Doctor's Answer

Photo of Dr Heap Yong Seah
Dr Heap Yong Seah

General Practitioner

Hi Amy

Allergic rhinitis is a very common condition in Singapore, and a study even suggests that up to 30% of Singaporeans has some form of allergy.

There are many different treatments for allergic rhinitis, and what your GP prescribed to you sounds like a nasal steroid spray.

Please do not be alarmed by the word steroid. Nasal steroid sprays are largely safe when administered as instructed. It is however, very slow acting, and you will only feel better after using it for a period of time, usually 2 to 4 weeks, of continuous daily use. You will not get addicted to the nasal steroids, and it is safe to administer for long term.

When you are feeling better a few weeks later, usually your doctor will start to tail down the dosage of your nasal steroids, so do go back and follow up with your GP and see what's the next plan of action. But if you stop the nasal spray completely, usually the allergic symptoms will come back.

A common side effect of the steroid spray is nose bleeding. So if you do get nose bleeding after you are started on the nasal spray, your GP may want to lower the dose , switch the brand of the spray, or even stop completely. So just go back to your doctor if you have nosebleeds.

One thing you need to be aware if is that there is another product out there in the market. This is the nasal decongestant spray, and this will have a very rapid relief. However, your body do get dependant on this spray, and after prolonged use, you will realise you need a higher and higher dosage to achieve the same effect. For this brand of nasal sprays, please stop after about 1 week of usage to prevent dependance. Nasal sprays like Afrin, Nazolin and Kotrin belongs to this class.

TL;DR, nasal steroids are usually safe to use for long term, but do go back to your GP for adjustment of dosage when your allergic rhinitis symptoms are improving.

Regards,

Dr Seah Heap Yong

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