Blocked nose sprays

They are notorious for being addictive & cause rebound congestion which can be worse than the original problem.

There isn't an easy way, you need to just stop using them & if you use them in the future then follow the instructions strictly (never more than 3 days)

It could be a structural problem. I had a balloon sinuplasty, septoplasty and turbinate reduction 5 years ago. I’ve been able to breathe normally ever since.

I was fortunate to have private health insurance at the time, I’m not sure how straightforward these things would be on the NHS. Haven’t seen your previous posts on the thread but I’d push them for ENT referral if you haven’t already.

Pirinase.
It used to be called Flixonase and was prescription only but they decided it was safe to be on general sale, so they renamed it Pirinase and you can get it in supermarkets. It’s a mild steroid and works well. I use it only when a bit stuffy, not every day, but it doesn’t cause rebound stuffiness like Sudafed.

I’ll give that a try. I’ve been to the doctors and the pharmacist before who just fob off or pills that don’t work. Even change doctors surgery and they are like 🤷🏻‍♀️

Been left a mouth breather most of my life due to a constantly stuffy/blocked nose it’s horrible.

This was recommended to me and has been amazing. It’s a drug free spray that moisturises. A few sprays up each nostril will unblock you really quickly. I use it daily as a preventative too. Xylitol nasal spray.

You’re experiencing rebound congestion. I was addicted to these sprays for a couple of years. The only way to break the cycle is to stop.

Which spray do you recommend.

Chronic rhinitis sufferer here. Have recently seen an ENT (this is what you need to push for from your GP). Initially prescribed a month of steroids to take in a NeilMed rinse (Budensode), then moved me onto Dymista and a saline rinse twice a day once the inflammation had calmed down. As others have said, Sudafed will cause rebound congestion.

You also need to try and find out what's driving the inflammation if you can. I had pressure in my sinuses, post-nasal drip, constant sneezing and fatigue from fighting the inflammation 24/7. The treatment I am on has definitely helped, but this is a chronic condition so will need to always stay on top of it. Mine is caused by allergies to dust mites as well as tree pollen.

Sending sympathy - it's a constellation of symptoms which don't sound like much, but I've found it debilitating until finding a proper treatment plan.

Oh and I wouldn’t waste time seeing a GP for this, it’s easily managed by OTC sprays.

Wean yourself off one nostril at a time. I use a natural nasal spray followed by a steroid one at bedtime, then after a few days just the steroid spray. Same again in the other side a week or so later. I use the steroid sprays every night as I do suffer badly with sinus pain

Yep, as others have said, this is because they’re not designed for long-term use. You’re only meant to use them for a day or two while you have a cold.

You’ll need to go cold turkey.

Yep. Exactly this. Education around extended use of these sprays is sadly lacking.

I get this sometimes, usually during allergy season. What I do to wean off of it is to first go cold turkey on the less bad nostril, but still use the spray on the worse nostril so I can breathe easily. Once the first side opens back up on its own (takes 12-24 hours), I start cutting back on the worse side. I’ll do one spray instead of two, then a half spray, then a quarter spray, and then it opens back up on its own. It’s much more comfortable than going cold turkey and having to be a mouth-breather for several days. 😂

Actually just remembered it was flixanase, not pirinase!

You aren’t supposed to use them for more than a few days - max a week for some. I think you can get steroid spray to wean off - speak to your GP.

I became addicted to them too and had rebound congestion. I was using them daily for years. I only managed to wean myself off them by diluting the spray with saline gradually over time with more saline and less of the Sudafed spray. Took a few months but have been free of them for a long time now.
If I get a blocked nose now I will only ever use them at night. Never in the day so I don’t become addicted again

It's called "rebound congestion" - at least, that's what the ENT doc told me. Go see a doctor, explain the problem, and they'll probably give you a saline nasal spray to get you through it.

Have you tried just a plain saline spray? You have to use nasal sprays pretty sparingly because they stop working in a pretty short period of time. I usually only use one when my regular allergy medicine is not touching the decongestion.

You become addicted to them and it causes rhinitis.
My Mum always had a... I've forgotten the word now - I can only think lempsip! The old one, the usual one.

That's how I know. An ex was an athlete, anti drugs, rarely drank but he was sniffing sudafed constantly.

The only way is cold turkey I'm afraid.

You're either addicted to what is in Sudafed. Or, you have rhinitis caused by these things and you want to calm that. Vicious circle.

Sudafed and Otrivine spray active ingredient is xylometazoline hydrochloride, it shouldn't be used for more than a few days or 'rebound congestion' is likely.

I think you need to ride out the stuffiness and wean yourself off these sprays. They end up causing the problem rather than solving it.

I used to take them but stopped doing so, I’ve used them as a one off if I have a bad cold but no more than one squirt

This is rebound congestion - you have to just push through it. I was on it for ten years before managing to break it. I had to stop it before a septoplasty. I managed it without it being totally horrendous by doing it a nostril at a time (my surgeon said she’d never seen anyone do it before but it made sense!) I did a week cold turkey on one nostril only using pirinase and then when I could breathe clearly
again, moved onto the other one. It’s awful, addictive stuff and should be more well known. Get rid of it though - your life will be so much better without the little bottles taking up space both physically and mentally.

Your GP will be able to prescribe a spray for rhinitis / sinusitis that will help you either stop using the Sudafed or space it out more so then you can try weaning yourself off.

Sudafed nasal spray is notorious. The congestion you’re experiencing is almost certainly a result of prolonged use of the spray rather than genuine congestion in and of itself.

Sudafed causes rebound congestion if used for too long. I have been reliant on it in the past and had to wean myself off it. Now I have to make sure I don't use it for more than a few days if I have a blocked nose so it doesn't happen again