About Allergies: Nasacort AQ Now Available OTC Without a Prescription

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Allergies Allergies Symptoms / Diagnosis Treatment Coping From Daniel More, MD Last fall, I blogged about the FDA approving Nasacort AQ being available over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription. This follows a trend over the past many years of allergy medications going over the counter -- this trend started with the antihistamines Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra. More and more allergy medications (including Zaditor eye drops), as well as non-allergy medications (such as acid reflux treatments such as Prilosec OTC, Pepcid AC and Zantac) are becoming available OTC. While this may seem like a positive trend (having more access to certain medications), it also shifts healthcare costs from insurance companies to the individual consumer. What do you think? Is having prescription medications available OTC a good thing or bad thing? Your prospective may depend on whether or not you have (good) medical insurance. Nasacort AQ Goes OTC -- A Good Idea or Not? In July 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Committee on Non-Prescription Drugsvoted to allow Nasacort AQ (triamcinolone) nasal spray to be sold over-the-counter (OTC) without a prescription. Nasacort AQ would be 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 Intranasal Corticosteroid Sprays 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 OTC Allergy Medications There are numerous over-the-counter (OTC) medications available for the treatment of allergy symptoms. Some of these, like oral decongestants such as Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) and sedating antihistamines like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), have been available for many years. Others, such as Claritin (loratadine) and Zyrtec-D (cetirizine/pseudoephedrine), have only recently become available OTC without a prescription. Related Searches Sinus Allergies Eye Allergies Food Allergies Allergies Asthma Allergies Symptoms Featured Articles Insect Allergies Anaphylaxis Allergy Shots and Drops (Immunotherapy) Alternative Therapies in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergies Glossary of Terms Information on the Most Common Allergy Medications   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