About Allergies: Will You Buy Nasacort AQ OTC Instead of a Prescription Nasal Steroid?

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD Nasacort AQ is finally available over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription. While at the drugstore this weekend, I noticed that Nasacort AQ was being promoted for the treatment of allergic rhinitis -- and on-sale at a reasonable price. OTC Nasacort AQ is available in both 60 spray and 120 spray bottles, both of which were under $20. Since Nasacort AQ is a nasal corticosteroid, it represents the single most effective treatment for all symptoms or allergic rhinitis, and is FDA approved for adults and children 2 years of age and older. Given that many people have higher co-pays for even generic nasal corticosteroids than what OTC Nasacort AQ, it will be very interesting to see what happens to the rest of the prescription nasal corticosteroids over the next few months -- will medical insurance companies even want to cover the costs?   OTC Nasacort AQ Nasacort AQ is the first intranasal corticosteroid nasal spray to be sold OTC without being prescribed by a healthcare professional. While most low sedating antihistamines have been available OTC for many years, including Zyrtec (cetirizine), Allegra (fexofenadine) and Claritin (loratadine), the only other medicated nasal sprays available OTC include topical nasal decongestants (such as Afrin) and NasalCrom (cromolyn). Search Related Topics:  allergic rhinitis  nasal steroid sprays  over the counter allergy treatments Is Nasacort AQ a Good Medication for Allergies? Most definitely. Nasacort AQ (triamcinolone acetonide) is very effective for the treatment of nasal allergies. It is available over the counter in brand name form, and by prescription in a generic version. Nasacort is a prescription nasal steroid spray indicated for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis and perennial allergic rhinitis in adults and children two years of age and older. The correct dosage of Nasacort is one spray in each nostril once a day for children two to 11 years of age, and two sprays per nostril once a day for adults and children 12 years and older. Search Related Topics:  nasal sprays  nasal allergies  antihistamines Nasal Corticosteroids for Allergic Rhinitis Nasal steroids are a commonly used medication to treat the symptoms of allergic rhinitis (also called hay fever). These medications work by decreasing the allergic inflammation within the nasal passages, and treat symptoms such as sneezing, itchy nose, runny nose, congestion and post-nasal drip. Since steroids generally take many hours before they begin to work, nasal steroids do not work well on an "as-needed" basis, and therefore need to be used routinely for best effect. Search Related Topics:  nasal sprays for allergies  hay fever treatment  otc nasal sprays Related Searches Treat Allergies Symptoms Allergies Sinus Allergies Nasal Congestion Allergies Children Featured Articles   More from About.com Run Your First 5K Even couch potatoes can be ready for a 5K with just a couple months of training. Read more...> Help! I'm Too Busy Time and stress management tips to help you feel as though you have more time. Read more...> This newsletter is written by: Daniel More, MD Email Me | My Blog | My Forum   Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About.com Allergies newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here. About.com respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy Contact Information: 1500 Broadway, 6th Floor New York, NY, 10036 © 2014 About.com   Must Reads What are Allergies? Symptoms of Allergies Diagnosis of Allergies Treatment of Allergies Preventing Allergies   Follow me on: Advertisement