Fluticasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Fluticasone is a corticosteroid sold in the U.S. under 13 brand and generic names, for perennial allergic rhinitis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Corticosteroid
- Treats (across its forms)
- Perennial Allergic Rhinitis
- Available as
- Spray/Inhaler, metered · Powder · Topical · Powder, metered · Spray/Inhaler
- Sold as
- 13 products — Flonase, Flonase Allergy Relief and Arnuity Ellipta, and others
- Prescription?
- Both Rx and OTC forms
- Generic available?
- Yes
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How Arnuity Ellipta is dosed
From the FDA label for Arnuity Ellipta (application NDA205625). Other fluticasone products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
For oral inhalation only. ( 2.1 ) • Maintenance treatment of asthma in adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older: The starting dosage, 1 actuation of ARNUITY ELLIPTA 100 mcg or ARNUITY ELLIPTA 200 mcg once daily, is based on prior asthma therapy and disease severity. ( 2.2 ) • Maintenance treatment of asthma in pediatric patients aged 5 to 11 years: 1 actuation of ARNUITY ELLIPTA 50 mcg once daily. ( 2.2 ) 2.1 Administration • Administer 1 actuation of ARNUITY ELLIPTA once daily by oral inhalation. • After inhalation, the patient should rinse his/her mouth with water without swallowing to help reduce the risk of oropharyngeal candidiasis. • ARNUITY ELLIPTA should be used at the same time every day. Do not use ARNUITY ELLIPTA more than 1 time every 24 hours. • The maximum benefit may not be achieved for up to 2 weeks or longer after starting treatment. Individual patients may experience a variable time to onset and degree of symptom relief. No dosage adjustment is required for geriatric patients, patients with renal impairment, or patients with mild hepatic impairment [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . 2.2 Recommended Dosage Adult and Pediatric Patients Aged 12 Years and Older The recommended starting dosage for adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older not on an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) is fluticasone furoate 100 mcg (1 actuation of ARNUITY…
Everything below is the FDA label for Arnuity Ellipta (powder). Fluticasone is also sold as spray/inhaler, metered, topical, powder, metered and spray/inhaler, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Arnuity Ellipta side effects
Systemic and local corticosteroid use may result in the following: • Oropharyngeal Candidiasis [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Immunosuppression and Risk of Infections [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Hypercorticism and Adrenal Suppression [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] • Reduction in BMD [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.9 )] • Growth Effects in Pediatrics [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.10 )] • Glaucoma and Cataracts [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.11 )] Most common adverse reactions reported in ≥5% of adult and pediatric subjects aged 12 years and older are nasopharyngitis, bronchitis, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache. ( 6.1 ) Most common adverse reactions reported in ≥3% of pediatric subjects aged 5 to 11 years are pharyngitis, bronchitis, and viral infection. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact GlaxoSmithKline at 1-888-825-5249 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared with rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adult and Pediatric Subjects Aged 12 Years and Older The safety of ARNUITY ELLIPTA was evaluated in 10 double-blind, parallel-group, controlled…
Who shouldn’t take Arnuity Ellipta
ARNUITY ELLIPTA is contraindicated in the following conditions: • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or other acute episodes of asthma where intensive measures are required [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] . • Severe hypersensitivity to milk proteins or demonstrated hypersensitivity to fluticasone furoate or any of the excipients [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 ), Description ( 11 )] . • Primary treatment of status asthmaticus or acute episodes of asthma requiring intensive measures. ( 4 ) • Severe hypersensitivity to milk proteins ( 4 ) • Demonstrated hypersensitivity to any ingredients. ( 4 )
Arnuity Ellipta drug interactions
Strong cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole): Use with caution. May cause systemic corticosteroid effects. ( 7.1 ) 7.1 Inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 3A4 Fluticasone furoate is a substrate of CYP3A4. Concomitant administration of the strong CYP3A4 inhibitor ketoconazole increases the systemic exposure to fluticasone furoate. Caution should be exercised when considering the coadministration of ARNUITY ELLIPTA with ketoconazole and other known strong CYP3A4 inhibitors [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 ), Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] .
Every fluticasone product we track (13)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | 72/100 | Over-the-counter | Spray/Inhaler | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | 70/100 | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → | |
| 4 | 70/100 | Prescription | Topical | No data | — | View → | |
| 5 | 70/100 | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | No data | — | View → | |
| 6 | 56/100 | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → | |
| 7 | 56/100 | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → | |
| 8 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → | |
| 9 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → | |
| 10 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Powder | No data | — | View → |
Combination products containing fluticasone
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
Fluticasone recalls
From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.
How long fluticasone keeps
No fluticasone label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does fluticasone expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about fluticasone
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 46,566 reports naming fluticasone, and the FDA flagged 60% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- dyspnoea4,289 reports
- asthma4,127 reports
- headache3,042 reports
- fatigue2,766 reports
- cough2,737 reports
- nausea2,452 reports
- pneumonia2,152 reports
- diarrhoea2,039 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean fluticasone caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What is Arnuity Ellipta?
ARNUITY ELLIPTA is an inhalation powder drug product for delivery of fluticasone furoate (an ICS) to patients by oral inhalation.
What kind of drug is fluticasone?
The FDA classifies fluticasone as a corticosteroid. Corticosteroids mimic the body's natural stress hormone cortisol: they enter cells and bind a glucocorticoid receptor that switches off genes for inflammatory chemicals, calming swelling, redness, and an overactive immune response. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take fluticasone with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run fluticasone against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is fluticasone sold under?
We track 13 fluticasone-containing products in the U.S.: Flonase, Flonase Allergy Relief, Arnuity Ellipta, Cutivate, Flovent, Armonair Digihaler, Armonair Respiclick and Flovent Diskus 100, and 5 more. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does fluticasone come in?
Across the brands we track, fluticasone is currently marketed as spray/inhaler, metered, powder, topical, powder, metered and spray/inhaler, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic fluticasone?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic fluticasone product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Has fluticasone been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement database lists 2 recall records whose product description mentions fluticasone. The most recent: Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray USP (Feb 14, 2024). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Fluticasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/fluticasone
- MLA
- “Fluticasone: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/fluticasone.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for fluticasone on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.