Quick study: Nasal spray beats pill for intermittent use

©Washington Post
December 18, 2001

THE QUESTION: For people who take prescription anti-allergy drugs only when symptoms of hay fever arise, is a steroid nasal spray better than an antihistamine?

PAST STUDIES have shown that steroid nasal sprays and antihistamines are both effective when taken every day for allergic rhinitis, or hay fever.

THIS STUDY assessed the value of "as-needed" use of the steroid fluticasone propionate (the Flonase brand was used) and the antihistamine loratadine (in this case, Claritin) for 88 people with hay fever.

After being divided into two groups, the participants were instructed to use either the spray steroid or the oral antihistamine if they had bothersome nasal symptoms. During the 28 days they were monitored, those in the Flonase group used the medicine on an average of 17 days; those in the Claritin group used their drug an average of 18 days. At first, the researchers found little difference in the reaction of the two groups to their drugs. After five days, however, those in the Flonase group had fewer reported symptoms and scored better on lab tests that measured allergic reactions.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED BY THESE FINDINGS? Many among the 20 percent of people in the United States who get hay fever.

CAVEATS: Glaxo Wellcome, the maker of Flonase, partly funded this study.

BOTTOM LINE: While regular use of anti-allergy drugs remains preferable to occasional use, those who use them only on an as-needed basis should consider a steroid spray rather than an oral antihistamine.

FIND THIS STUDY: Nov. 26 edition of the Archives of Internal Medicine; abstract online at www.archinternmed.com

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.