Oh no! I've become dependant on OTC nose spray!
 

So yeah... about a month ago I tried some over the counter nose spray which contains the active ingrediant oxymetazoline to relieve nasal congestion. The thing is, my nose is almost always a little stuff, particularly on my right side. So I tried this stuff and it worked GREAT. I kept using it despite the package saying to only use it for 3 days :eek: . So now basically if I don't use it I get REALLY congested(rebound congestion), I can actually see the walls inside my nose plugging up the holes.

I just got some saline nose spray today to see if that did anything, but there was no effect. I will probably see a doctor next week to see if I have some problem with my nose, but does anyone else have any recommendations for things to take in the mean time?

Stop...NOW!!!!
I mean it. I was adicted to Sinex for just over a year. That was probably 20 some odd years ago. I still, to this day, have no real sense of smell. Every so often, I'll catch a faint whiff of something "familiar", but overall...nothing.
I cannot emphasize enough...get off of that shit. Cold turkey. Right now. It is bad bad shit. A severe case of nasal congestion may suck. Trust me, I know. It'll be likewet cement shoved up your nose has hardened...for about 4-5 days. But look at it this way. It's been over twenty years since I've smelled the sweet scent of the nape of a woman's neck. Don't go there.

im on a perscription nasal spray...called aquacort i think. I used to go through about a box of kleenex a week, with a snotty pile next to my bed every morning. I was sneezing in the shower, while shaving, all day. For a long time (months at a time, I figure) I dont think I breathed through my nose at all. I use a it a lot less than the directions say so a perscription that was supposed to last a month has lasted me 6, and isnt even 1/2 done.

Oh wow. Yeah... I read that it damages sinus tissue if overused... but I'll definitely stop taking it right now if the damage is so severe.

I agree with the stop now advice. Keep using that saline spray. Go to a steam room. Work out hard and try to breathe through your nose. You might even try a nettie (spelling?) pot. I use Breathright nasel strips every night to sleep otherwise I need 20 pillows and might as well try sleeping in a chair!!

Ok it's been close to 24 hours since I stopped using the nasal spray. My congestion was pretty bad last night, but now it's starting to clear up, so I guess I stopped in time before anything serious happened.

I'm gonna try some of those breath right strips tonight, but do any of the oral over the counter tablets like sudafed target just a normally conjested nose?

Yes, there are sudafed tablets that are specifically for congestion. I really don't know about them being habit forming like a nasal spray though, so that is something you might want to look into and consider.

Decongestants dry you out, so you really need to drink more water - not fluids that are diuretics like coffee, tea, sodas, etc. Plus, they bump up your heart. I can really tell a diffrence in a workout. I get up to higher heart rates (using a monitor) much easier, which concerns me from a heart-health standpoint.

I personally only take any drugs when there is no reasonable alternative because every drug has some sort of side effect. They are a last resort to me, not that I don't see them as an effective tool. Kind of like sun screen...you only use it when you need it!

pseudafedrine hydrocloride is the decongestant to look for on the labels. Regular Sudafed has that in it. I have found that that particular decongestant does dry me out too much and causes a rebound effect - much as you experienced with the nasal spray. I have gone to using Phenylprine Hydrocloride. It's easier to get since I cannot get Sudafed from the OTC grocery store anymore, I have to get it from the pharmacist. Also it does not give me the rebound effect. I have found it at the Dollar Store and in AlkaSelser Cold tablets.

The last cold I got I got out my vaporiser, used the phenylprine tablets only as needed, tylenol, and saline spray and the cold was GONE in 7 days. Glad you managed to get off the nasal spray without more trouble. The last time I used the nasal spray I ended up with a sinus infection when I went off it. That's messed up.

Howdy!

If you have problems with congestion you might want to take a look at the Neti Pot.

There is some general information available at: www.healthandyoga.com/html/neti/jalanetiinfo.html.

The basic idea with neti is to rinse out your nose with salt water by tilting your head to the side, pouring saline solution into the top nostril and letting it flow out the lower nostril.

It works wonders!

...
 

I really can't stand taking meds, so I wouldn't recommend this if it wasn't good. Advil Cold and Sinus. When I actually literally cannot breathe through my nose, this shit works. Forget the nose spray. Same thing happened to my mom. Her sense of smell sucks now.

Ok, so I went to the doctor today and she said I had sinusitus and prescribed me flonase to take for awhile. I can use it for a long time and there won't be such harsh side effects as the OTC nasal sprays.

So I'll see how this goes. It should take about 2-3 days before I feel the full effects. Thanks for everyone's imput.

I take a 12 Hour Sudafed (time release) everyday just to open up the sinus airway that is stuffed each morning. Only take one a day. Doesn't dry me out.

I suffered from nearly chronic sinusitis (yeah, it sucked, but I learned how to treat it). I use a combination of Flonase for regulating everyday congestion (and it's an allergy treatment too, yay) and then the Afrin for the days when I have heavy-duty congestion and the Flonase treatment isn't cutting it. I also keep my sinuses rinsed with saline solution on a regular basis, as that is a good preventive measure to keep your sinuses clear and keep sinusitis from developing when you ARE congested.

Mucinex, while expensive, is a good OTC expectorant that also seems to have decongestant effects. My boyfriend used this for his mono and had great success with it.

They tend not to be, as the decongestion of the tablets isn't as harsh as that of the sprays.

NEVER, EVER use a spray for more than 3 days, I usually tell people who come asking after it only 2 days even. You're lucky if the bad congestion only lasted a day or so, some people get it for like a week once they get off the stuff. It ain't pretty, and it's almost always worse then the congestion they started using the spray for in the first place.

Flonase is a better way for long term relief, and won't have those unpleasent rebound effects once you do stop. It's a topical corticosteroid and essentially it stops inflammation in your sinuses, which can cause congestion.

Mucinex has some of the same medication in it as Robitussion. The difference is that Mucinex is an extended release while Robitusson has to be taken again in 4 hours. The Robitusson is much cheaper up front but not in the long term. For a sort term expecterant I prefer Robitussion. Robitusson DM has a Cough suppressant AND expectorant (ie. moves the flem up and out).

As for Flonase - I take it fairly regularly because of allergies. I was told to discontinue before my last surgery as it can slow healing since it's a 'steriod' type of medication.

noseyrosey
 

I was reading comments from people who were on naisel sprays...for peop,le who lost the sense of smell did you eventually get it back?

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:08 PM ----------

did people who used nasel sprays get your sense of smell back eventually and how did you get rid of rebound congestion

Nasal corticosteroids are the only long-term solution. Local absorption is in the upper 90% range while absorption into the bloodstream is 1-3%

As peopel have said, pseudophedrine and oxymetazoline are great for occasional congestion only. Pseudophedrine not only induces rebound congestion, it causes a major spike in blood pressure after three to four days and produces diminishing returns at the same time, reverting to approximately placebo levels after roughly a week. At 10mg, Phenylephrine doesn't outperform placebo (unless you believe the GSK study that has an obvious incentive to find it effective. I think the dose you need is around 50mg, which has adverse effects if I'm remembering correctly.

I was somewhat addicted to nasal spray when I was about 12 for around a year. The problem is that my dad told me it was a prescription that I needed to take everyday. So everyday for an entire year I squirted it into my nose every morning regardless of if I was stuffy.

I use it maybe 4 times a year now...it is the only way to sleep for me when my nose is stopped up. Unfortunately it causes my gums to hurt extremely badly when I take it, but it is worth it to not be stuffed up. I think I may try that Neti Pot that howdydave recommended though.

One thing the OTC nose spray did to me this last winter was jack my blood pressure through the roof.

I'll be avoiding it from now on. Like Lasereth, I think I'll try a neti pot. I've been eyeing the selection at the local hippie food co-op.

Not really.
Every once in awhile I'll smell something, but it usually has to be pretty potent.

I have the same problem but I actually consider it an advantage. Can have some noxious fumes at work.

It really works well. I use it every few days to clear out instead of just blowing my nose in the shower and I'm amazed at how much comes out.

I use Nasonex. Works great. On the days that I'm so stuffed up I can barely stand it, I take claritin D. Benadryl at night sometimes. Also, Neti pot is awesome! My boyfriend got it for me, and I can't begin to tell you how much that's helped me too.