Why is nasal spray bad for you?

[kimmikayb]

I've heard it is addicting. I use Afrin when I have a head cold. But it's easy for me to stop using it. I do remember my biology teacher used it ALL the time and said he had major nose problems.

 

[shelemm]

I regularly use OTRIVIN when I need to clear a stuffy nose. It is effective, gentle, and non-addicting. It used to be available throughout the US in a product called Natru-vent. But that is no longer manufactured. It can still be purchased as OTRIVIN online. Purchase it in the misting pump bottle rather than in a squeeze bottle.

 

["Got Disney"]

I avoid that like the pleague(sp)...got addicted to it and could not breath without. My nose started bleeding and after Dr.s checked my nose they told me that I killed the membraines in my nose.

When you start using it it helps for your stuffy nose but after your cold is gone and continue using it ...the nose spray is know causing your stuffiness not the cold.

Be affraid...be very affraid....

 

[poohandwendy]

I got addicted while pregnant. I used to 4 to 5 times a day from my 6th month on until 1 1/2 years after DD was born. Then a doctor got me off the stuff. I had a bottle next to the bed, in the car, in my shop, purse, LR. I was NEVER w/o it and if I was, I'd stop and buy a bottle! I remember being in the parking lot at the hospital and squirting my nose because I was afraid they'd take it away from me during labor!

Weird, the SAME thing happened to me. I had what my doctor called 'gestational rhinitis' or something, I guess it is fairly common. But, it stopped working for me after a while and my doctor helped me get that 'monkey off my back', it was painful because nothing else helped and I was soooooo congested all of the time. I should have been in rehab.

 

[poohandwendy]

My doc's have said only use it for 3 days max. After that you get "rebound congestion", where the spray causes the congestion.

You are creating your own misery by overusing. Your body is actually "attacking" the nasal spray.


http://health.howstuffworks.com/question546.htm

I was told the same thing.

 

[PMart]

overuse of decongestant nasal sprays can cause addiction as well as rebound congestion like everyone has said. I see this in the pharmacy where I work all of the time, and it can get really bad and cause many problems for people. If someone really needs a nasal spray I usually recommend ocean nasal spray for kids, (It is just plain saline with glycerin which is soothing) but like others have said once the congestion has cleared you have to stop using it, too much of anything is bad lol

PMart

 

[MushyMushy]

I use it once in a while, but I'm very careful with it! I've noticed the rebound effect a time or two.

I haven't used it at all since discovering the neti pot though. No rebound effect and it really works great!

 

[sydally9367]

What makes it addictive? Is it the ingredients (like makes you high lol) or do you just get addicted to a booger free nose?

I don't mean to make a joke, I really am curious as I currently have a stuffy nose and DH bought me some Afrin, now I am askeered to take it!

 

[kdibattista]

I was addicted a few years back... I would use it several times a day. Finally I had enough and stopped cold turkey. It took about a week for me to get back to normal. I now only use it at night (no more then once every 24 hours) when I absolutely need it and my congestion normally clears up after a day or two.

Did anyone see the King of Queens episode when Arthur was addicted

 

[Pixiedust34]

I have bad sinuses. My doctor told me that the only time I should use it is 30 minutes before I fly to make my flight a little easier. So when I fly is the only time I use nasal spray.

 

[MushyMushy]

What makes it addictive? Is it the ingredients (like makes you high lol) or do you just get addicted to a booger free nose?

I don't mean to make a joke, I really am curious as I currently have a stuffy nose and DH bought me some Afrin, now I am askeered to take it!

Go ahead and use it, but just make sure to follow the directions. Don't use it any more than the recommended dose, and don't use it for more than three days. I only ever use it during the absolute worst of a head congestion.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I started using prescription strength nasal spray last year and I hate it. If you do get the rebound congestation, why does the ENT/Allergist tell me to take it 2x a day. I don't take it 2x a day though maybe every other day though I have horrible nose bleeds from it.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

I started using prescription strength nasal spray last year and I hate it. If you do get the rebound congestation, why does the ENT/Allergist tell me to take it 2x a day. I don't take it 2x a day though maybe every other day though I have horrible nose bleeds from it.

There are different nasal sprays out there. Could the prescription you were given be something like nasonex or nasalcrom or nasalcort? If so, those are quite safe. The nasal spray that is dangerous has an ingrediant called oxymetazaline and is the primary ingrediant in the name brand drug called Afrin. There are a lot of nasal sprays in prescription strength that are very safe though; could it be one of the safer ones you are taking? I would be very, very afraid of a doctor that recommended Afrin long term! Eeek!

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I prob. use Afrin 5 nights a week. Sometimes I get rebound congestion, usually I don't. I always limit my use to right before bed, and more in the one side than the other.

My ENT knows exactly what I'm doing. It's either that, or have a surgery every two years.

If you get congestion only at night when you lay down, that's the blood filling up parts of your nose do gravity. If you can sleep on one of those wedge pillows that elevates your body from the waste up, it can greatly eliminate that problem without meds.

 

[C.Ann]

Interesting stuff here! I had to get some Ziacam a few weeks back when my nose was so congested, I had ringing in my ears, and was having what I believe were sinus headaches.. Couldn't figure out why the labeling emphasized only using it once every 12 hours - and for no more than 3 days in a row..

Guess I know now - LOL..

I never knew it could be "addicting" or cause rebound congestion.. Amazing the things you learn here on the DIS..

 

[Corwin12]

Well, I didn't use it last night. Instead, I turned to the other "remedy" for falling asleep ... involves a glass a splash of amber colored liquid. I have not thrown it out though ... I am not ready for that step.

 

[Dakota_Lynn]

Well, I didn't use it last night. Instead, I turned to the other "remedy" for falling asleep ... involves a glass a splash of amber colored liquid. I have not thrown it out though ... I am not ready for that step.

Hey! Good for you! Now go out and get yourself some of those breath right nasal strips. I swear by those things! They look a little funny, but if you're just using them around the house, who cares? It'll help you sleep a lot better!

 

[disneysteve]

What makes it addictive?

It isn't actually addictive. The problem is that sprays like Afrin actually make the problem worse even though they give short-term relief. They cause more irritation and congestion and you build a tolerance to the effect, so over time, you need to use it more and more often to get the desired effect.

There is actually a medical diagnosis: Rhinitis Medicamentosa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinitis_medicamentosa

Chronic use can lead to nasal polyps and even necessitate surgery.

If you feel you need Afrin, see your doctor and have him/her prescribe a prescription nasal spray instead. Those are safe and effective for long term use.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I only use it when I have a severe cold and my nose is so stuffed up that I can only breathe through my mouth. I use Vicks Sinex 12-hour and it really works great for me.

I've never gotten addicted to it, and the last two colds I had were 14 months apart.

 

[transparant]

http://www.sinusbuster.com/

I was addicted for a LONG time! My OB told me to take it during pregnancy - and I became addicted very quickly.

I ended up buying this - http://www.sinusbuster.com/, and believe it or not it worked! I hated it because it felt like it was burning my brains from the cayenne pepper - but it worked.