Flonase Side Effects: An Introduction
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with
Flonase® (
fluticasone propionate nasal spray). However, not everyone who takes the medication will have problems. In fact, most people tolerate it quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Flonase. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Flonase side effects with you.)
Common Side Effects of Flonase
Flonase has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials, in which the side effects of a group of people taking the drug are documented and compared to another group not taking the medicine.
As a result, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
In these studies, the most common Flonase side effects included:
- Headaches -- in up to 16.1 percent of people
- Sore throat -- up to 7.8 percent
- Nosebleeds -- up to 6.9 percent
- Nausea or vomiting -- up to 4.8 percent
- Cough -- up to 3.8 percent
- Nasal burning or irritation -- up to 3.2 percent.
Other common side effects, occurring in 1 to 3 percent of people, included:
- Blood in the nasal discharge
- Runny nose
- Abdominal pain (stomach pain)
- Diarrhea
- Flu-like symptoms (such as chills and muscle aches)
- Dizziness
- Bronchitis.
