Decongestant for flying

[visitingapril09]

I am asking this on the Canadian board cause alot of the drug names etc are different in the US. For instance, you can't buy gravol there. I have teens getting over colds and we are flying on Tuesday. Any hints to the best decongestant for flying and ears.

 

[Gigi22]

This is old medical advice, but it works. You need to start taking medication about 24 hrs. before your flight, and make sure it lasts until your flight is over. I take Actifed, which you now have to get from behind the counter in the pharmacy, ask the pharmacist for it. You can also give yourself a shot of nasal spray before the plane takes off, and before it lands--I have never found this necessary. You may want to use just a saline nasal spray to keep nasal passages moist. If you are taking decongestants, **do not consume any alcohol.**

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Also, according to my GP, if you are flying with a cold try to avoid taking lengthy flights--he suggested that about 3-4 hrs. was as long as you should fly with a cold.

 

[Tinkershelly]

I asked advice from a ENT specialist a couple of years ago. He said to take two squirts of Otrivin nasal spray up each nostril one hour before landing. I always carry it with me when I fly and use it if I'm the least bit stuffy, but never use it at home, not sure why. He was careful to say the regular, nothing special Otrivin spray.

Something else you can't buy in the US is Robaxacet, needs a prescription. I know I tried to tell the pharmacist in Denver that he must have been mistaken. Oops So if you have back or neck pain bring Robaxacet with you.

 

[youngb]

When I flew I took at Sudafed about 45 mins before and nasal spray. Worked like a charm.

 

[C&B Young]

When I flew I took at Sudafed about 45 mins before and nasal spray. Worked like a charm.

Sudafed works wonders for me too. Without it I would get so congested upon landing that I couldn't hear!

 

[Sue M]

I'm not stuck on any particular brand, as long as it is a decongestant.
Last time I flew, I did take it before our flight, but should have taken a second dose on the way home. Guess the flight was longer, and I had horrible pain taking off on second flight segment, thought my head was exploding.
Note to self........

 

[ccudmore]

Also to remember... medicines (both prescription and non-prescription) are exempt from the "no-liquids" rule for air travel. They can be in whatever size bottle you want. Just put them in a separate bag and bring them out during screening.

 

[Tinkershelly]

Also to remember... medicines (both prescription and non-prescription) are exempt from the "no-liquids" rule for air travel. They can be in whatever size bottle you want. Just put them in a separate bag and bring them out during screening.

Hey, I didn't know that! I was putting my Otrivin in my regular liquids baggie all this time. Thanks for the tip.

 

[visitingapril09]

I asked advice from a ENT specialist a couple of years ago. He said to take two squirts of Otrivin nasal spray up each nostril one hour before landing. I always carry it with me when I fly and use it if I'm the least bit stuffy, but never use it at home, not sure why. He was careful to say the regular, nothing special Otrivin spray.

Something else you can't buy in the US is Robaxacet, needs a prescription. I know I tried to tell the pharmacist in Denver that he must have been mistaken. Oops So if you have back or neck pain bring Robaxacet with you.

This is what happened when we tried to find Gravol last trip. They looked at us like we were asking for a narcotic!

 

[rjan67]

Advil cold and sinus. Dramamine is the U.S. equivalent to Gravol.

 

[Susie63]

Entex LA. You will have to ask the pharmacist. Clears it up in a day.

 

[samepoohdifferentday]

Sudafed works wonders for me too. Without it I would get so congested upon landing that I couldn't hear!

Sudafed for me too

 

[flossin74@sympatico.]

EAR PLANES~ they carry them at shoppers drug mart. I have extreme pain that radiates into my jaw when I fly. These things are like a little miracle! My husband and kids use them now too. They are like ear plugs you put in on take off and you will have virtually no pain! I only use them for landing but it suggest to put them in before take off. They are only $8 each!

 

[LittleFlounder]

EAR PLANES~ they carry them at shoppers drug mart. I have extreme pain that radiates into my jaw when I fly. These things are like a little miracle! My husband and kids use them now too. They are like ear plugs you put in on take off and you will have virtually no pain! I only use them for landing but it suggest to put them in before take off. They are only $8 each!

I tried earplanes on a flight a couple years ago and they made my ears hurt severely! I don't mean pain inside my ears from the pressure of taking off or landing, but they physically hurt my ears! They made my ears themselves so tender and sore. I had to take them out and suffer through the plugging and pressure!

A couple weeks ago when we flew to MCO I had an ear infection and was on antibiotics. I had heard horror stories of people flying w/ ear infections and having tremendous pain when flying, so I was scared. I took a decongestant (allergy med) and I had NO problems at all!

 

[Mrs. M. Mouse]

I second the advil cold and sinus. Reactine works well also. Take gravol with you from canada or buy dramamine down there but beware it's not easy to find the child doses for dramamine in pharmacies down there! I learned that the hard way!

 

[Zife]

I'm a big fan of Advil Cold & Sinus as well.

My wife used Otrivin with the Advil C&S when she had a sinus infection (before the antibiotics had kicked in), but she didn't like it much. My biggest suggestion if you're going to do a nose spray is to get a metered dose bottle, not just a squeeze bottle.