ORALLY OR UP THE HOOTER - YOU DECIDE! (Beconase)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Beconase
Date:	20/06/03 (520 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply, Generally, no side-effects, No drowsiness

Disadvantages: You may get a side effect

One moment, everything was OK, the next my eyes were streaming. Could it be my latest read count on Dooyoo or was it something more fundamental than that? Whilst I sat, hunched over and reflected, it kinda came to me that it really couldn't just be the state that Dooyoo was in and simply had to be samfink else (fake cockney accent again...tooooooo much EastEnders). Hmmmm....my eyes were itchy, my nose was running and I kept on sneezing. Well, it just had to be my annual, seasonal curse - hayfever. Somewhat disastrously, both myself, my other half and both my kiddies all suffer from hayfever as well as varying degrees of asthma to boot (we're a sickly bunch).

For anyone that hasn't encountered hayfever, the symptoms are described above whilst affecting a massive 2 - 3 million suffering souls in Britain. Other signs of hayfever include watery/red eyes and itchy throat just to compound the mainly summer misery just in time for that annual holiday. It's an allergy triggered mainly by pollen and sometimes mild spores. Basically, hayfever is the body's over reaction to an external substance as though the intruder was a toxin. Hayfever is triggered at different times of the year for different folks as there is a whole gamut of pollens that effect different people at different times. You can even be fooled into thinking that you've got away with it one year only for the sneezing to start consigning you to a few months of pseudo cold.

The biggest culprit of this particular affliction is the release of histamines which is a chemical released by mast cells in the body. This is the cause of the symptoms referred to earlier so by employing anti-histamines to counter the effect of this chemical, the dreaded effects of hayfever can be allievated albeit not cured. Interestingly, scientists are working on a genetically modified strain of grass that will release significantly less pollen into the air this reducing the incidence of hayfever so
metime in the future. Rock on you scientist bods and get on wiv it, will ya?!

Anti-histamines come in a variety of guises from pills, tablets and capsules to sprays and are sold by a number of different manufacturers. Care is urged, though, because anti-histamines can cause side-effects in some people such as drowsiness or even heart problems in earlier incarnations of the drug. Basically, either consult your GP or read the leaflet carefully.

However, don't just give in! It makes sense to try and do something about it rather than flunking that crucial exam just because you've run out of hankies or sneezing just at the crucial point when you are about to deliver the killer line to that girl or boy you've fancied for ages. Help is at hand via a whole string of medicinal aides available over the counter at your local dispensing chemist.

My own saviour comes in the form of Beconase nasal spray. It's produced by a company called Allen & Hanburys who are based in Stockley Park, Middlesex. They also trade as Becloforte, Becodisk, Becotide, Becotide Rotacaps, Diskhaler, Piriton, Serevent, Ventide and Piriton. The ingredients (I will quote because it may be useful) include beclamethasone, dipropionate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose, dextrose, polysorbate 80, purified water, preservatives - benzalkonium chloride and phenylethylalcol.

Basically, all I do to achieve satisfaction (I knew there must be a way) is to take the bottle, shake it and spray twice a day, once up each nostril. This fires an aqueous substance that enters the blood stream. The main ingredient is beclomathasone diproprionate, which comes from a group of medicines called corticosteroids (often simply referred to as steroids). These act to reduce the inflammatory effect of swelling and irritation in the nose thus alleviating the symptoms temporarily.

Beconase comes in a white plastic bottle with a pump spray action that
's dead easy to apply. The bottle I get has 200 metered sprays that will get me through the summer season
although it makes sense to throw it way after the end of the hayfever season and resist the temptation of getting the same partially used bottle out the following year as the chemicals will have broken down over time so it would be a bit like eating an out of date tin of sardines (i.e. don't do it!). The nasal spray does have a cumulative effect so the full impact usually kicks in after 2 or 3 days.

My tip is to get it on prescription. My doctor did the business for me so I paid the £6.30 or whatever it is whilst my good lady bought a substantially smaller bottle directly over the counter for £5.25! One of the biggest advantages of using the nasal spray is that there is no after effects such as drowsiness so it is safe to drive after application. For me, that's critical as I have to drive 44 miles to work every day but I would think most folks would want to avoid those kind of side effects albeit some folks will prefer a different application to a nasal spray. I know capsules and tablets are commonplace but I've always taken mine this way and wonder whether my 7-year-old may have too soon too. He's been suffering badly and only been given a medicine to take orally which hasn't worked so it may just be a matter of time before we are inhaling simultaneously whilst watching the Simpsons at the same time.

So if you are one of the millions that suffer at this time of year, try Beconase nasal spray although please take note of the caveats in this opinion. Can I just stress that I am a banker (please don't do the blocked nose banker gag, Jimblob) and not a doctor!

Thanks for reading and do have a nice summer.

Marandina

*Points to note:
Not recommended for children under 6
Starting dose is commonly 2 sprays into each nostril twice a day
For pregnant people or those intending to be
pregnant, breast-feeders, anyone recently injected with ster
oids and anyone that has to stop taking this medicine before then it is essential to
refer to your doctor before taking this.

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