The present invention relates to a dispenser (10) for dispensing medications into the nostril or intravenously. The device has a number of advantageous features. First, the device includes air grooves (100) in the spray head to allow the drawing in of air into the nostril during dispensing, to assist in the intake of the dispensed medication. Second, the device contains a mechanism (200, 400-405) for varying the amount of the dose dispensed. This feature is advantageous in that it allows an accurate metered dose to be dispensed, while still allowing flexibility in the size of the dose dispensed. The device can also have indicia (701, 702, 703) for indicating when the last dose was dispensed, and can include a disinfecting feature (150) for the spray head. The device can also have a gripping feature (901) which spaces the fingers (F) from the nostril into which medication is dispensed. The device includes a pump (P) in the outer package, so that it may be used with conventional medication packaging (12). Finally, the device is adapted to be used for both nasal and intravenous dispensing, via a replaceable spray passage (201) or injection needle (202). The package is preferably clear so that the user can determine the quality of the medication being dispensed. The device is particularly useful for dispensing medications such as insulin.