What actually happens if you OD a bit on Sudafed nasal spray?

[dividedselfridgesxmaswindow]

I don't want to turn into a nasal spray freak - bit like a lip balm freak and not a good look - but my Sudafed spray is the only thing that allows me to drink and eat and yet still breathe.

Have upgraded to two sprays in each nostril instead of one. Will I be ok?

Please don't do it!! I was addicted for 3 years!! You should only use it for 3 days max!

You'll have to go cold turkey. Should only take 24 hours, honest.

I stopped taking it in the morning, was v bocked by lunchtime and got hardly any sleep that night (so blocked) but was great by morning.

Good luck

Christ, I live on this stuff. It is the only thing that allows me to actually feel like my nose is unblocked (chronic sinusitis in the winter, constant hay fever in the summer).

I used FAR more than 3 sprays a day. No ill effects. Am I putting my head in the sand - I really though there was nothing wrong with doing this.

It'll kill your sense of smell for the next 6 months, and maybe send you hyper.

Or at least thats what happened to me and my brother.

Oh, I have a crap sense of smell anyway, years of sinusitis and years of nasal operations put paid to that!

Makes you hyper - bloody hell what's IN that stuff? I used to be prescribed nasal sprays and they were no good at all, so delighted with sudafed and flixonase. Have always 'oversprayed' but never really worried about it

If you abuse those nasal sprays you can get rebound blockage which then makes you perpetuate the use. It sounds like that's what you have.

The only thing for it is to not use them at all. After a few days, your tubes will unblock....if not, go to the docs and get something different.

I discovered that I actually had a condition called allergic rhinitis which reponds really well to Beconase as a preventative.

I have a system for when I use it for a cold. Few days of both nostrils then down to one nostril so I can still breathe a bit while the other one recovers from rebound effect. Dunno whether its scientific but it does seem to help.
Plus do lots of steaming yourself over karvol or essential oils.

I tried to get some from Sainsbury's today, but the pharmacist told me that it's now been withdrawn due to an ingredient, twas the only thing that unblocked my nose

if you use it too much you get rebound congestion which means you use it more which means the congestion gets worse. I was addicted to it for years too but a couple of days cold turkey can get you past it. When I have a cold I (try to) limit myself to using it only at night time and then after a few nights I try to have a night without using it to stop the rebound congestion occurring.

Can i just ask ,does that apply to a prescribed dosage of Flixonase does anyone know?

I dont think flixonase has the same active ingredients or is used for the same thing - sudafed is for short term use i.e. no more than 7 days, whereas flixonase can be used longer term as it is for treating allergies rather than for the symptoms of the cold..

ah thanks.