Blocked Nose Nasal sprays - Be Aware!!

[prettyrainbows]

I used Sudafed Blocked Nose spray over a year ago when I had a bad cold, but I obviously used it longer than I should have and now my nose is addicted to it 😬 and I have Rhinitis Medicamentosa (saw Dr this afternoon)
Basically I have to use it 3/4 times a day else my nasal passages are severely congested.
So, 2 points - has anyone else had this and how did you cure it (Dr said reduce down gradually- feel like a druggie 😳) I just wondered if anyone else had any other tips or had congestion issues from overuse of nasal decongestants.
And point 2 - please be vary wary if using these nose sprays as if used longer than a week your nose can be come dependant- as its cold/flu season I just wanted to warn others as I didn't even know this was a thing until now!!

I find cold remedies just prolong how long a cold lasts. I did used to take sudafed. It did ease symptoms but cold lasted about 3: weeks. Couldn't sleep at night when I had it. Realised most of them have caffeine in. But you need to sleep to get well again. Just let it run it's cause. Head over hot pan of water with towel over head and you can breathe. Your nose actually needs to run to get rid of the cold virus. Drink plenty of water to bring mucus up. Ginger tea with lemon and honey works better than any medicine. Take paracetamol if you have a temperature or aching.

I overused a nasal spray following a bad cold, I weaned myself off it, one nostril at a time. It only took about a week

I think that is a bit unfair towards @Reugny. It is printed on the bottle labels of the 2 separate brands I have used, you don't even have to go to the instruction leaflets. Don't be snide with a poster because you didn't read the bottle/instructions and made a mistake, your own mistake.

However that is beside the point at this stage and I do think you are correct and helpful to point it out again because as over the counter medication goes this one can have very uncomfortable and longer term side effects. It seems most people read the leaflets when it is a prescribed drug more than a OTC one. The weaning off of it on one nostril at a time is a good idea. Also if the nasal decongestion is down to a more chronic cause than your average head cold, a steroid drug may be a better option.

I used a Neti pot with bicarb soda (less painful than saline and alters the ph of the sinuses - my GP suggested it)

Wow I didn’t know this

This happened to me too. I just went cold turkey and it only took a few days and my nose returned to normal

Beconaise is a steroid nasal spray. (beclomethasone dipropionate, monohydrate) It can cause ulcers and bleeding in the nose requiring antibiotic cream.

Happened to me too. I did the spray one side thing for a few days and now only use when desperate.

Thanks for the explanation @HootyMcboob76 I had no idea about this.

Is prolonged use actually dangerous or does it just create a bad cycle?

I came across this thread during the night whilst trying to find my nose spray so I could breathe 🤦‍♀️ Now I’m worried I might’ve caused myself long term harm from using these things. I’ve been relying on them on and off for probably over 10 years now! I’m going to try the one nostril withdrawal method I think. Started this morning and one nostril is running. Hopefully it’ll go back to normal soon and I’ll then stop using them completely

Try the neti pot sinus cleaner - my nose used to be blocked all the time but literally this was a god send.
I've only used it a handful of times but already significantly better than before.

I have a neti pot, but I find a Nielmed bottle easier to use. They're doing the same thing, though, so whichever you find easiest.

I am a regular yoga practice, but pranayama breathing exercises have sometimes made me feel panicky - don't know why, as usually you're just covering one nostril to breathe in and out and then swapping. I've been better with it more recently though.

Wow I didn't even know other people had this problem. My husband has been addicted to sudafed nasal spray for years! He absolutely cannot function without them

I've just watched Dr's video online. He said hold your nose with your fingers and hold your breath for as long as you can whilst nodding your head backwards and forwards. Release and breathe ONLY through the nose. Repeat for 3 mins. It's completely unblocked my nose!!!

I'm going through cold Turkey too. My first day! I've just posted on this thread a few mins ago, a technique of breathing a Dr recommended and its unblocked ny nose, so try that and good luck!!

That was me about 10 years ago. Took it two to three times a day and had done so for a couple of years. My GP was horrified when I told him, said I might as well have sniffed cocaine and that it could have led to a stroke. Very scary.

The only way out was to stop completely and start to take steroid spray instead (doesn't cross into the blood so perfectly safe to take regularly). He warned me it cook take up to 6 weeks to work. The first 2-3 weeks were hell as my noise was completely blocked for all that time but it gradually got better and then I was fine with the steroids (available over the counter).

I still use the decongestant once in awhile but make sure I never do more than 3 consecutives nights. I've never had the addiction issue again thank god.

Long term use can lead to polyps and septum damage like overuse of cocaine! I've just posted an excerise a Dr recommended and it works so he can try that. It apparently takes around 3 days- 1 wk for the unblocking to occur so he could go cold Turkey and hopefully come off them.

Yeah it literally says it on the bottle.

I use sinuforce, which is peppermint and seems OK for longer term use

My GP told me to use this over decongestant sprays as I get recurrent sinus infections. He said this was safer to use.

I'd always suspected this, even before I looked into it. I always use it when I have a cold, and definitely realised it prolonged the stuffiness. However, if there are people reading this who rely on them for colds etc, don't worry too much. My advice would be just use them very sparingly. Preferably just at night, or at least not more than the recommended dose. And just for a few days. If you're still feeling stuffy after a few days, just use it in one nostril for a couple of days until the other clears itself naturally. Then stop. This has always worked for me. I've been using them for 30 years (just a couple of times a year for a few days).

Op, if you can't bear to go cold turkey completely, just go cold turkey in one nostril for a few days, then stop when the other starts to return to normal.

Prolonged use can damage the tissues inside of the nose.
What is actually more worrying is that there is lots of evidence to suggest that this drug can interfere with heart rhythm and cause irregular beats.
It should not be taken without caution if you have an existing heart problem. and long term use should definitely be avoided as it can raise blood pressure too.
I think there is a blurb about this on the side effects sheet in the box, but it's worth remembering that anything you put up your nose is absorbed by the rest of your body through the blood vessels lining your nasal passages.

Beconase is a steroid and safe to use daily. It's effect is not immediate but over time. It works very well for allergies but does need to be taken regularly rather than once nose is blocked.

What is actually more worrying is that there is lots of evidence to suggest that this drug can interfere with heart rhythm and cause irregular beats
Exactly. My GP said if I'd kept going, it could have lead to a stroke or heart attack. He was horrified when I told him I'd used it for years. I'm amazed these dangers are not made much clearer on the box and bottle.

I used more back 20 years ago or something as I ended up snoring and in a new relationship i would put some drops to help sleep better and not snore...
Then got addicted...
I remember going to a GP probably 15 years ago and saying 'it feels like i have a permanent cold' and the tosser said well maybe you do have a permanent cold and did fuck all about it...

i weaned myself when pregnant but now when i have a super bad cold I do take otrivine or sudafed again, usually just at bed time or if i have an important work meeting...

then cold turkey again for days/weeks

now worried as yesterday and the day before got a couple of random nosebleeds and the Sterimar wasn't flowing from one nostril to the other. wondering whether to try a GP again or just wait a few days and try the Sterimar again to see if it flows as now I worry if my nose is fucked... especially as there was a bloody clot coming out with the nose bleed...

also to the smug people who just say 'breathe through the mouth' you can talk and work and eat if the nose is that blocked... you have dreams about getting a tube or a straw put in your nose to keep it open, you look at medical supplies and wonder if Amazon would sell you a tube and if you could try and put it on yourself... you enjoyed doing covid tests as the stick up your nose helped clear/open it up a tiny bit...

but yeah, now i don't give a fuck if i snore and only use it if really really bunged with a cold...