Advice on how to unblock stuffy / congested nose during pregnancy

[auntbatty]

Hi there,

I'm 15 weeks pregnant & have got a REALLY blocked nose. I've tried all the recommended remedies (see below) and nothing works apart from Sudafed's blocked nose spray which I've stopped using as it's not recommended for use in pregnancy.

Here's what I've tried so far:

-Otrivine Natural spray
-Becodefencespray
-Saline solution spray
-Vicks inhaler
-Eucalyptus oil in a room mister humidifier
-Eucalyptus oil in hot water and steam
-Airwaves chewing gum

Movement, e.g. walking, helps a bit but I can't really do this as I'm about to fall asleep which is when it gets bad.

Please help! x

I know how you feel - it's so annoying! You could try snoring strips for when you are sleeping, they helped me immensely. Nothing else worked for me.

Thank you @Glitterazzi - I'll give those a go :)

Have you tried making your own saline solution and doing a saline sniff? Feels pretty grim, but works much better than the sprays.

www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files/110811nasaldouching.pdf

I’ve found pirinase good, if you take it regularly and persevere.

Neilmed sinus rinse

Is this to do with hayfever? If so you could try eating bee pollen. It needs to be made in hives near your own home apparently, but a 1/4 teaspoon a day might relieve your symptoms if hay-fever is the issue.

I think it sounds a bit woo, but nurses use honey in wound dressings now, so I'm going to hold off mocking it until I've tried it myself.

Otrivine, the normal one, as my last resort atm. I started with saline but I'm dying thanks to my toddler abs needed more to get some sleep

"Steam inhalations and sodium chloride 0.9% nasal drops or sprays may be used to relieve a blocked nose during pregnancy. In general, a decongestant nasal spray containing oxymetazoline or xylometazoline may be used for 3 to 5 days. There is an increased risk of developing rebound congestion from prolonged use of nasal decongestants."

www.thewomens.org.au/images/uploads/fact-sheets/Medicines-in-pregnancy-171018.pdf