Flunisolide

Flunisolide is a prescription medicine that is available in the form of an inhaler and a nasal spray. The inhaler is used to prevent asthma attacks. The nasal spray is approved to treat a stuffy, irritated, or runny nose caused by allergies. Using a flunisolide inhaler twice a day can decrease the inflammation of airways, and using the nasal spray two or three times a day can reduce inflammation associated with allergies and other conditions.

What Is Flunisolide?

Flunisolide is a prescription medication used to treat various conditions.

Flunisolide Products

There are two different flunisolide products:

Flunisolide inhaler (Aerobid^®, Aerobid-M^®)
Flunisolide nasal spray (Nasarel^®).

Aerobid is approved to prevent asthma attacks, while Nasarel nasal spray is approved to treat a stuffy, irritated, or runny nose due to allergies.

How Does Flunisolide Work?

Flunisolide is a medication that belongs to a group of drugs called corticosteroids, or steroids for short.

Inhaled steroids (like Aerobid) go directly into the lungs and help to decrease the inflammation of airways that makes asthma attacks more likely. Because flunisolide does not work quickly, it should not be used for treating an asthma attack. Rather, it is used twice a day in order to prevent asthma attacks.

Steroid nasal sprays (like Nasarel) are sprayed directly onto the nasal surface. They help to reduce inflammation associated with allergies and other conditions.

Because flunisolide is sprayed directly into the lungs or nose, the rest of the body is exposed to lower steroid levels, compared to steroids taken by mouth or injection. This helps reduce or eliminate many of the side effects associated with long-term steroid use.

(Click Asthma Treatment for information about other medicines used for treating asthma.)

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