Fluticasone nasal and Increased Heart Rate: What Users Say

• Sta...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2020

Fluticasone nasal for Allergic Rhinitis "Don’t take Flonase if you have anxiety or are sensitive to steroids. I took it for a few weeks and ended up in the ER 4 times! Racing heart, terrible anxiety, nausea, vomiting, severe mood swings and agitation. None of the doctors believed me when I said it was Flonase until they discovered I had Cushing’s Syndrome!! Now I’m having to wait weeks for the steroid to get out of my system! Just awful!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2015

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "Um, never again. One squirt - 5 minutes later my vision was blurry, my heart was racing, my arms and legs felt like jello, and 30 minutes later I was having body aches all over the place like I had the flu. I will NOT be taking this medication ever again."

• Dev...
• January 10, 2021

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "I felt like I was dying. After using Flonase for a month, for the first time in my life, I was experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. Another night, I was awoken by a horrible headache and vomited. The Flonase made it so hard to breathe I could only take shallow breaths, and my heart rate was way higher than usual. The only thing I could focus on was my breath and what's wrong with me. I would have never known it was the Flonase causing this if I didn’t look up the side effects online."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 24, 2023

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "I was googling 'Can Flonase make you anxious?' and came upon this particular site. I'm very glad that I did because I seem to have a high sensitivity to any steroid, including nasal spray. My heart began racing more, especially at night. My sleep was disrupted, I was tossing and turning, waking up with a racing heart, feeling like I couldn't breathe, and I was very hot. I certainly will only use this in case of emergency. It's good to know there are others who experience the same as I did."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2022

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "I took this because I was having trouble with allergies this year. I read the instructions, and it said 1 squirt per nostril for children under 12 and 2 squirts per nostril for adults. I thought, well, if children take this, it must be fine. NOT FINE. Racing heart. I mean, you can feel it going to burst. My joints and muscles would tense up without realizing. I was driving and suddenly began thinking cars were going to hit me. I'm a delivery driver, so I went straight home and then dealt with anxiety and rapid heartbeat. I hate the way it made me feel on day 1. On day 2 now, symptoms are subsiding, but I can't believe that it is suggested kids take this stuff, it's dangerous. The best thing to do with this is throw it in the waste basket."

• Bar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2022

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "I took this because I was having trouble with allergies this year. I read the instructions, and it said 1 squirt per nostril for children under 12 and 2 squirts per nostril for adults. I thought, well, if children take this, it must be fine. NOT FINE. Racing heart. I mean, you can feel it going to burst. My joints and muscles would tense up without realizing. I was driving and suddenly began thinking cars were going to hit me. I'm a delivery driver, so I went straight home and then dealt with anxiety and rapid heartbeat. I hate the way it made me feel on day 1. On day 2 now, symptoms are subsiding, but I can't believe that it is suggested kids take this stuff, it's dangerous. The best thing to do with this is throw it in the waste basket."

• fle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 26, 2021

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "The disappointing thing is how effective Flonase is at immediately reducing my sinus inflammation/congestion. I say this because - through trial and error - I've determined that Flonase causes me too many adverse effects to continue use. Much like an episode of anxiety, it comes with a racing heart and jittery feeling. My impression is that many doctors are either unaware of how common this tends to be or presume that a certain number of patients are hypochondriacs. To be fair, health-care professionals do have to deal with their fair share of hypochondriacs. But I would still make the argument that this medication is not ideal for patients sensitive to steroids (in general). Which is a widely accepted side effect of steroid medications - you're not crazy!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 6, 2019

"This is probably the worst nasal spray I have ever used. I had blocked eustachian tubes. The side effects are horrendous. I already suffer from anxiety, but this made it a whole lot worse, especially at night. My mood changes every 2 minutes. My heart races horribly. I can’t sleep. The anxiousness is worse at night as I am trying to sleep. I get this very weird feeling in the whole of my body when I try to relax, and I get up in a panic with a racing heart. I have been off it for 2-4 days now, and I am still having the side effects of it. I started using it a few weeks ago. If anyone is thinking of using it, please read the label and the possible side effects before you use it, as I stupidly didn’t. If anyone has a sensitive body or is sensitive to meds, I would advise not using this one."

• She...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 5, 2019

For Allergic Rhinitis "Do not use this awful stuff that causes headaches, eye pain, back pain, anxiety, racing heart, nosebleeds, foggy brain, and feeling generally unwell. I've tried to stop taking these 4 times over a period of 2 years, and each time felt better, but congestion came back. So I am now using a seawater spray, all natural, and feeling so much better."

• DB8...
• April 30, 2009

Fluticasone nasal for Rhinitis "I have seasonal allergies, and Veramyst works great, with no noticeable side effects when I use it occasionally. However, a couple of times recently, I have used it for 3 consecutive days, and at that point, I began to notice side effects. I've noticed increased heart rate and slight pain in my eyes. But these do not seem to last more than a day, provided I do not use the Veramyst the following (4th) day."

• Moo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2021

For Rhinitis "Horrible experience on fluticasone. It is packaged as Avamys where I live. I've decided to stop using the nasal spray only after 4 days of usage due to anxiety symptoms. I was told to take 2x sprays on each nostril, but I took 1x each to be safe. I'm glad I didn't follow the doctors' direction. Night 1 - Mild anxiety affecting the quality of my sleep. Night 2 - Worsened anxiety. Woke up in the middle of the night with a racing heartbeat. Night 3 - Same as night 2, but with a dry mouth! Night 4 - Same as night 3, but the anxiety has worsened. I must add that I also suffer from anxiety disorder, and the symptoms caused by the medication are similar to one of my worst anxiety symptoms. Please be cautious with this medication. The experiences shared here are real and seem to be very common, too common for this medication to be over-the-shelves."

• Shy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 27, 2023

"It wasn’t until I stopped using Fluticasone, then started back using it, that I was able to confirm that Fluticasone is what has caused my anxiety/panic attacks. I was prescribed Fluticasone back in January of 2023 for allergies and Eustachian Tube Dysfunction. It worked at first, but then, out of nowhere, I started having anxiety and panic attacks. I experienced shaking, hands, arms, and legs tingling, racing heartbeat, chest tightness and chest pains, difficulty breathing, etc. I’ve been using it on and off for 3 months, hoping to improve my allergies/sinus issues and ETD. About 4 weeks ago, I got a nosebleed and stopped using Fluticasone to give my nose a break. The daily anxiety and panic attacks turned into maybe 1 or 2 a week. I’ve still been stuffy, so I decided to start back on Fluticasone on Saturday. The panic attacks, anxiousness, and chest pains have returned. Absolutely no more Fluticasone for me!"

• Anonymous
• May 9, 2022

For Allergic Rhinitis "The negative comments on here blow my mind. The symptoms most commonly listed in the 1-star reviews (anxiety, increased heart rate, depression) are symptoms I've also experienced with allergy meds (Claritin, et al.), but not with fluticasone propionate. Maybe a little at the beginning? But I'm on year 2-3 of using it for spring (and occasional fall/winter) allergies, and it's been miraculous. I have little to no side effects taking it, but most importantly, I have no more allergies! Sometimes if I stay out on a heavy pollen evening, my eyes will be itchy and uncomfortable, but nothing nearly as bad as the incessant stuffy nose and resulting sinus infections and loss of taste/smell that I was having instead, my whole life. I'm not saying this medicine hasn't been terrible for those who wrote poor reviews. I believe them. But as someone who's suffered debilitating pollen allergies since childhood, I have to say fluticasone propionate changed my life."

• Unk...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "After reading the comments, I now understand why my heart was racing and I couldn't sleep. I knew the headaches were a side effect, but I legitimately ended up in the emergency room six times in three weeks. They couldn't find anything on me, and I kept telling them the meds I was taking. They told me to take the entire bottle until it was done. I stopped for a few days at first, and I began feeling a bit better. Then a doctor told me to spray it sideways in my nose. Two days later, my symptoms are back, and my heart is racing and my head is pounding to the point I went to walk and get some fresh air. This had been setting off my anxiety and panic attacks back to back, and I thought I was dying. I will not be taking fluticasone again, and the fact the doctors did not mention this to me. I lost so much sleep and couldn't eat. I lost 17 pounds and am struggling to eat again. Would not recommend."

• Flo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "After days of torture, absolutely the worst experience of my life! I’m so glad I found this thread and was able to connect the dots. I really began to look into it yesterday when I noticed my vision was blurred, like the whole day I felt awful eye pain and pressure behind my eyes. Not to mention, the insomnia has been gut-wrenching and so frustrating. I’ve been to the emergency room twice for shortness of breath. Shallow breathing?? Mainly through my nose because when I would attempt through my mouth, it was very hard to catch! The scariest feelings are when you feel like you don’t have enough oxygen. My anxiety has been through the roof, I’ve even had trouble driving because of it, and usually I’m not an anxious person at all. My heart rate at night is 115-130. It’s worse at night, to be honest. I don’t have any other words other than I can’t believe doctors are actually prescribing this stuff. I actually was prescribed this for a month, and I’m on day 7. Never again."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2020

Fluticasone nasal for Allergic Rhinitis "I used this years ago with no issues. I tried it yesterday due to stuffy nose and sneezing, and within 2 hours I had difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, my stomach swelled (if you have weight issues, all you need is 3 inches added to your waist in 2 hours)."

• Tan...
• September 9, 2022

Fluticasone nasal for Allergic Rhinitis "Cleared my sinuses right up, but gave me five other problems: headaches, joint soreness, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, blurred vision. This stuff is going right in the garbage can."