Nasal Congestion.. Any Solutions For Relief?

bieberhole69 · Jan 11, 2018

heman4u said:
Then I think I'm in trouble. I been using it for a week now. Coz 3 days did nothing for me. I cudnt get of it coz I hate breathing via mouth. What to do now?

Just come off of it and deal with it, unfortunately. You may try just keeping on using it in one nostril until the other one stops rebounding, then discontinuing altogether.

bananas007 · Jan 12, 2018

here are a few other tidbits..

BREATHE right strips. (get the Extra Hard kind) not the sensitive skin kind. I even used to wear them while lifting at one point. (i know it probably looked weird).

Ipratropium nasal spray. (prescribed)

Cromolyn Nasal Spray. (OTC)

Dont use afrin and other sprays like those long term. they are bad for your nasal lining. I think the exact medical term is "atrophic rhinitis" . Using it for a week is nothing however. You can stop safely. You will have some rebound congestion but use the breathe right strips mentioned above

I am the king of sinus problems. Have had so much issues. I have tried it all.

And for long term if you have a significantly deviated nasal septum and or polyps getting that corrected helps out a lot.

maldorf · Jan 12, 2018

bieberhole69 said:
Runny nose due to allergies:

-fluticasone (flonase) nasal spray = 1st line.
-then loratadine (claritin) or cetirizine (zyrtec) 2nd line--these must be taken daily to see benefit. Could also add fexofenadine (allegra) to this list. Might have to try different ones to see which one works best but they're dirt cheap

Otherwise if not from allergies...

-best decongestant = pseudoephedrine (old sudafed formulation, depending on state / pharmacy, may have to get a prescription for this if they won't sell OTC--ask the pharmacy or check state laws, small independent pharmacy may be willing to if chains are not)

-sudafed NOT behind the counter = sudafed PE = phenylephrine. Doesn't work as well as original sudafed (pseudoephedrine) and will CRANK your BP if susceptible. Personally don't recommend this one.

-best short-term use = oxymetazoline (afrin) nasal spray-- do NOT use more than 3 days in a row or you will experience rebound congestion. Dirt cheap. May raise blood pressure so monitor closely (didn't for me and many others, but it's possible).

I am just now beating an Afrin addiction I had. I was on it for probably 20 years or more. Once you get hooked on it, its hard to get off. Rebound congestion, where the effects wear off and then your nose swells up. You have to use it to make the swelling go down. Rinse and repeat. Don't use it unless you are desperate.

I'm using Flonase now with good results. I recommend trying that. If you have prostate troubles also be sure to avoid Afrin and also pseudoephedrine.

Only side I get from Flonase is some bleeding in my nose. Always had that.

Marvin Martian · Jan 12, 2018

Omegasox said:
Afrin, mucinex and Vicks at night. The trifecta works every time.

Gotta be careful with Afrin though. I was sure nuff addicted to that shit for 6-7 years! Finally had to ween off by only using on one side. Other side would be swollen shut. Last February is was in ICU for a little over a week - unrelated but they wouldn’t give me any nose spray. Was induced and on breathing tube for a couple days and I think during all of that my nose began healing. It’s been almost a year now and I haven’t used any. Took easily 6 months before my nose felt “normal”. Used to hear people talk about how addictive that stuff was and thought it was nonsense - shit is evil!!

**** didn’t see Maldorfs post until now.

Prada · Jan 12, 2018

What about flu medicine? I have a high fever and have trouble sleeping. Anything at the pharmacy for that?

KillerStack · Jan 12, 2018

I've used nasal decongestants for months straight, maybe up to a year straight. But then for whatever reason I don't need it anymore for a period, due to climate or whatever. They never stop working and never cause rebound congestion for me. For *me* the addiction is overblown. Now they are recommending switching to some type of OTC steroid spray if long term treatment is needed but they don't work for my congestion.

Worst thing is trying to sleep with a stuffed nose.

maldorf · Jan 13, 2018

KillerStack said:
I've used nasal decongestants for months straight, maybe up to a year straight. But then for whatever reason I don't need it anymore for a period, due to climate or whatever. They never stop working and never cause rebound congestion for me. For *me* the addiction is overblown. Now they are recommending switching to some type of OTC steroid spray if long term treatment is needed but they don't work for my congestion.

Worst thing is trying to sleep with a stuffed nose.

I used to think the steroid sprays like Flonase didn't work for me too, but once I weaned off the Afrin it did work. Before I got off of it, the Flonase seemed to not help at all.

The protocol I used was to use both the Afrin and Flonase for 2 weeks, use the Flonase 2 sprays each nostril once a day. The afrin you can use as you normally would.

The third week you keep using the Flonase as before. The Afrin you start out with a full bottle and use as much as you want. Each morning though you add in enough saline spray to fill it full again. Shake it up some to mix. Each day you do that till eventually all you are shooting up there is saline. I am about at that point now and my nose is open all day long. I end up spraying the saline in there about 3 or 4 times a day. For some reason that opens my nose up again. I use the Flonase one spray each nostril before bed.