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Mometasone is a prescription medication used to treat asthma, allergies, and skin conditions. Mometasone belongs to a group of drugs called corticosteroids, more commonly known as steroids. It works by affecting the immune system to decrease inflammation of the airways, nasal passages, or if applied topically, the skin.

The medication comes in several forms, including an inhaler, a nasal spray, a cream, a lotion, and an ointment. The nasal spray and inhaler are used once or twice daily. Mometasone cream, lotion, and ointment are applied to the skin, usually once daily.

Common side effects include headaches, viral infections, sore throat, and nosebleeds.

Mometasone is a prescription medication available in several forms to be used to treat a variety of conditions including: 

• a nasal spray for nasal allergy symptoms such as runny, stuffy, itchy nose and sneezing related to allergies. It is also used to treat nasal polyps
• an inhaled form used to prevent asthma attacks
• a cream, lotion, and an ointment used to treat eczema, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and other inflammatory skin conditions

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take mometasone exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you.

Do not use mometasone if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in mometasone. 

Taking steroids may put you at a higher risk for infections. Mometasone is a nasal steroid and may suppress the immune system. Oral steroids (those taken by mouth) are more likely to cause immune suppression, but it is possible with mometasone. Before starting mometasone, let your doctor know if you have ever had tuberculosis or a herpes infection of the eye, as mometasone may allow these infections to worsen by weakening the immune system.

Mometasone, like all steroids, may slow the growth rate of children and teenagers.

Mometasone can cause glaucoma or cataracts or worsen these conditions.

Avoid exposure to measles and chicken pox. If you are exposed to measles or chicken pox while using mometasone, call your doctor right away.

The most common side effects of mometasone nasal spray include:

• Headache
• viral infection
• sore throat
• nosebleeds
• cough

Common side effects of mometasone inhalers include:

• headache
• sore throat
• stuffy or runny nose
• common cold

Common side effects of cream, lotion, or ointment forms include reactions at the site of application:

• burning
• itching
• irritation
• dryness

This is not a complete list of mometasone side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. mometasone and other medicines may affect each other and cause side effects. Mometasone may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how mometasone works.

If you are taking other corticosteroid medicines for allergy, either by mouth or injection, your doctor may advise you to stop taking them once you begin using mometasone.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Mometasone falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. It is not known whether mometasone passes into your breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.

Wash your hands after applying mometasone cream, lotion or ointment.

Mometasone inhalation is not used to treat an asthma attack (sudden episode of shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing) that has already started. Mometasone inhalation helps to prevent asthma attacks but will not stop an asthma attack that has already started.