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1. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) may take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to exert their total therapuetic effect on a patient. That is why you need to find out the answer to number 2 down below. If you know for instance that a certain allergen that the patient is allergic to is coming on in April, the patient should start taking his meds a couple of weeks prior to that; say March 15th.
I think ICSs do a better job of taking on the underlying cause of rhinnitis which is inflammation than the other preparations out there.
2. I would send my guy with rhinnitis to an allergy clinic to find out what he is allergic to. Could immunology play a role in treatment?
3. If you have those two pieces of information, you can devise a long term treatment plan that he can understand and implement.
Patient compliance has always been an issue and your idea of attaching the medicine to a tooth brush could work. I would still keep an eye on him to make sure he's taking his meds.
Hope this helps,
Doc
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