Nasal spray addiction (blocked nose).. nasal surgery?

[omega3]

Anybody familiar or knows somebody like me who is severly addicted to OTC nasal sprays.. so you can't do without them or your nose is blocked. This is called rebound nasal congestion.

My ENT doc precribed me a corticoide nasal spay (Rhinocort) but that doesn't seem to help.

So what else.. wiki mentions oral corticoides and also nasal surgery..

If you had threatment, please mention how long you were addicted, to what, and how long it took to be completely cured.

Just wondering but in case of nasal surgery, what do they do exactly?

 

[pcgeek11]

I had the same problem along with a deviated septum ( that thing that separates the nostrils).

I got off the nasal spray addiction cold turkey. It took about 6 months to get over the addiction. Then I had nasal surgery for the deviation and that took about 2 weeks to heal. They removed some bone and Cartilage with a small hammer and chisel. Not painful just a pain in the rear. The worst part of the surgery was going for a week after with my sinuses packed with cotton. It is not easy, but better after it is all said and done.

 

[Humpy]

For years I had miserable allergies and nasal polyps and just jacked up sinuses overall. At one point I ended up overusing nasal spray to the point of total blockage for days and I was prescribed prednisone. Was able to breath again within hours.

5 years ago the second try at surgery to remove polyps, clean everything up, and straighten some things out, has left me able to breathe freely, cured of allergies and with restored sense of smell and taste.

 

[omega3]

For years I had miserable allergies and nasal polyps and just jacked up sinuses overall. At one point I ended up overusing nasal spray to the point of total blockage for days and I was prescribed prednisone. Was able to breath again within hours.

5 years ago the second try at surgery to remove polyps, clean everything up, and straighten some things out, has left me able to breathe freely, cured of allergies and with restored sense of smell and taste.

Thanks for the reply. How long and how much prednisone did you have to use?

Also, which spray where you addicted to?

Since you got prednisone, didn't they first try nasal corticoides like rhinocort, flonase (fluticasone) or nasonex?

To everybody, please give as much details as possible so i have a better idea. Thanks for the help.

 

[Humpy]

Thanks for the reply. How long and how much prednisone did you have to use?

Also, which spray where you addicted to?

Since you got prednisone, didn't they first try nasal corticoides like rhinocort, flonase (fluticasone) or nasonex?

To everybody, please give as much details as possible so i have a better idea. Thanks for the help.

It wasn't long with the prednisone, I don't remember the number of pills. I think about a week or so tapering down the amount each day. I took the first dose at the pharmacy and remember starting to initially feel the stuffiness ease by the time I got home. This was 3 or 4 years ago.

It was Afrin and/or the Walmart version. I had been taking Flonase for a few years before that, it never really helped much, neither did the nasonex. Afrin actually worked so I of course overused it.

 

[Ken g6]

Rhinocort and Flonase have scents that I found irritated my nose. OTC Nasacort doesn't, so I'd suggest using that for at least a week to see how it goes.

Other things that can open up your nose:
- Pseudoephedrine - behind the pharmacy counter. :\
- Ibuprofen
- I found prescription Astelin opens up and dries my nose. YMMV.

 

[Charmonium]

Anybody familiar or knows somebody like me who is severly addicted to OTC nasal sprays.. so you can't do without them or your nose is blocked. This is called rebound nasal congestion.

My ENT doc precribed me a corticoide nasal spay (Rhinocort) but that doesn't seem to help.

So what else.. wiki mentions oral corticoides and also nasal surgery..

If you had threatment, please mention how long you were addicted, to what, and how long it took to be completely cured.

Just wondering but in case of nasal surgery, what do they do exactly?

What you really need to do is see an allergy specialist. Your sinuses are probably responding to an allergen or other irritant in your environment. Once you find out what you're allergic to, there are things like desensitizing shots that can eliminate or reduce the allergy.

The stuff in Afrin oxymetazoline, I think has a pretty short half life. So if you go a few days w/o it and breathe through your mouth, your sensitivity to the drug will probably return.

If you have a deviated septum or something like that, then maybe surgery is the answer. But if everything else looks fine, and it sounds like it is, your problem is most likely an allergy. And that can be to anything, dust, mold, pollen or a host of other normal and widespread allergens.

 

[Brian Stirling]

I had a bad bout of breathing problems some time ago from using AFRIN and found the best treatment was to use a saline solution and using one of those pump things (nasal aspirator) to inject a saline solution into each nostril. Didn't take very long to clear up the problem. I'd spent several nearly sleepless nights barely able to breath and I saw near immediate relief and pretty much complete relief after a couple days.


Brian

 

[edro]

Neo-Synephrine can be addictive.
My mother has been addicted to it many times and always has trouble getting off of it.

I used it every now and then in the winter. It works really well and quickly... but I am scared to get addicted, so I only use it 1-2 nights in a row.

Sorry... no recommendations for quitting.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Once again, the best solution may well be a saline rinse/wash. There are pumps that push saline fluid through your nose to open the passages and remove irritants that are the main cause of the swelling that causes breathing problems. Honestly, it sounds like a joke, but it really works and does so pretty quickly. I mean noticeable relief pretty much immediately and pretty near total relief in a couple/few days.


Brian

 

[tjtech94]

Once again, the best solution may well be a saline rinse/wash. There are pumps that push saline fluid through your nose to open the passages and remove irritants that are the main cause of the swelling that causes breathing problems. Honestly, it sounds like a joke, but it really works and does so pretty quickly. I mean noticeable relief pretty much immediately and pretty near total relief in a couple/few days.


Brian

I think the one that is running ads on TV lately is the Navage. Seems logical the way it's described, but still must feel weird. There's also some funny vids on YouTube of ppl trying to use them incorrectly

 

[tjtech94]

I have chronic sinusitis, and one thing that seemed to help me was I started taking a supplement called Quercetin. I take the NOW Foods brand (it comes combined with bromelein, don't quote me on the spelling). Check out the reviews on Amazon, seems like it was a panacea for some ppl - it def helped me, but not sure it was the magic bullet like it was for some others.

 

[Charmonium]

Oh something I forgot to mention the last time I posted was that one of the reasons you get a rebound effect is because you're not metering the dosage. I only use a metered atomizer to spray the liquid. I think if you overdo the dosage, that's when you develop resistance.

I've been using a combination of fluticasone (Flonase) and oxymetazoline (Afrin) and that seems to work really well. I only need to use Afrin (in a metered dispenser not the original bottle) once or twice a day. Although if I use Flonase too many days in a row I start to get a sore throat and ear ache. I guess the fact that it's a steroid is the reason.

 

[NEri]

Anybody familiar or knows somebody like me who is severly addicted to OTC nasal sprays.. so you can't do without them or your nose is blocked. This is called rebound nasal congestion.

My ENT doc precribed me a corticoide nasal spay (Rhinocort) but that doesn't seem to help.

So what else.. wiki mentions oral corticoides and also nasal surgery..

If you had threatment, please mention how long you were addicted, to what, and how long it took to be completely cured.

Just wondering but in case of nasal surgery, what do they do exactly?

Hi! How's ur nose today? Been on a rebound too, hope you could help me

 

[NEri]

Can anyone help me? My turbinates swell whenever im in a cold place but it's not blocked! Im just worried whenever im in a cold place it swell but i can breath, been on a rebound 8weeks ago, been on steroid spray and pill, also anti histamine, but i discontinue after a month my only problem is my turbs swell in cold places.. does anyone experience this while on recovery?

 

[omega3]

Hi! How's ur nose today? Been on a rebound too, hope you could help me

Best is to just taper off whatever spray you're on. After couple of weeks you won't need them anymore. Also ask your ENT doctor to see if you don't have deviated septum which may also block your nose. Give this post a thumbs up so I know this helped a bit. Good luck with your recovery.

 

[omega3]

Can anyone help me? My turbinates swell whenever im in a cold place but it's not blocked! Im just worried whenever im in a cold place it swell but i can breath, been on a rebound 8weeks ago, been on steroid spray and pill, also anti histamine, but i discontinue after a month my only problem is my turbs swell in cold places.. does anyone experience this while on recovery?

My experience with steroid sprays is that they don't help and just make things worse. Best is to just taper off whatever spray you're addicted on and after couple of weeks you won't need them anymore. Make sure to also ask your ENT doctor if you don't have deviated septum as this may also block or obstruct breathing. Give this post a thumbs up if it helped a bit. Good luck with recovery.

 

[NEri]

My experience with steroid sprays is that they don't help and just make things worse. Best is to just taper off whatever spray you're addicted on and after couple of weeks you won't need them anymore. Make sure to also ask your ENT doctor if you don't have deviated septum as this may also block or obstruct breathing. Give this post a thumbs up if it helped a bit. Good luck with recovery.

How's ur nose today? Does ur turbinates went back to normal? I only use the decongestant spray for 7days.

 

[omega3]

How's ur nose today? Does ur turbinates went back to normal? I only use the decongestant spray for 7days.

If you only used the spray for 7 days you should be able to withdraw from it fairly easy. Just stop taking it and rinse with a pure saline spray if necessary. After a couple of weeks things should be better. If you're unsure go see an ENT doctor to see if nothing else is blocking your nose. Give this post a thumbs up if it helped a bit.

 

[NEri]

If you only used the spray for 7 days you should be able to withdraw from it fairly easy. Just stop taking it and rinse with a pure saline spray if necessary. After a couple of weeks things should be better. Otherwise go see an ENT doctor to see if nothing else is blocking your nose. Give this post a thumbs up if it helped a bit.

Yes! I can breath now. My only problem is my turbinates looks big whenever im in a cold place. I just wanna know if you also experience that before/during the process of healing?

 

[omega3]

Yes! I can breath now. My only problem is my turbinates looks big whenever im in a cold place. I just wanna know if you also experience that before/during the process of healing?

Normally in a cold place your nose tissue should shrink so maybe best to go see an ENT doctor and explain what happens. But rebound swelling first weeks after you stop a nasal spray is normal. Give this post a thumb if it helped a bit.

 

[NEri]

I

Normally in a cold place your nose tissue should shrink so maybe best to go see an ENT doctor and explain what happens. But rebound swelling first weeks after you stop a nasal spray is normal. Give this post a thumb if it y

Normally in a cold place your nose tissue should shrink so maybe best to go see an ENT doctor and explain what happens. But rebound swelling first weeks after you stop a nasal spray is normal. Give this post a thumb if it helped a bit.

yea i think so.. but whenever im in a humid place my turbinates shrink and open halfway

 

[NEri]

Hi!

I had a bad bout of breathing problems some time ago from using AFRIN and found the best treatment was to use a saline solution and using one of those pump things (nasal aspirator) to inject a saline solution into each nostril. Didn't take very long to clear up the problem. I'd spent several nearly sleepless nights barely able to breath and I saw near immediate relief and pretty much complete relief after a couple days.


Brian

How's ur nose today after the rebound?

 

[Katerina40]

I too have been addicted to nasal spray. For me it's Afrin and i've been using it for longer than 10 years a few times a day. But i recently started to get off of it because for one im tired of being dependent on it and second it seemed my left nostril built a tolerance to the Afrin meaning even when i sprayed it didnt help much and i was getting extra mucus ( lots of nose blowing). So i've been weening off this stuff one nostril at a time and so far today i am 9 days without Afrin in my left nostril. I decided to start with the problem side first. My first 4 days were nothing but hell on earth. Severe pressure and congestion and so much mucus coming out of that side of my nose. i was constantly in the bathroom. As the next days followed ( day 5 until now) the mucus became less and less and i was having many moments of being able to breath out of that side. By day 6 or 7 i was able to breath pretty freely all day long. But at night i was still a little stuffy, not real bad. Today on day 9 i feel great and feel like tonight will be able to breath about 90% normal on that side. There was a time i felt hopeless and thought i would never recover from this because i have been on it for so long but im so happy i started this miserable process to get off this junk. I feel like when im ready ( as soon as i can breath 100% out of my left nostril ) which will be in the next few days i will stop the Afrin on the right side. I also don't think the rebound congestion and all it's other symptoms will be as bad as the left. im about 85% sure of that. Also I started using flonase on the left side for the first 5 days of weening off. It helped some but im not using the flonase as of today. I only use a saline spray in that side just to clean out my sinus from all the years of using the bad stuff. Anyways i wanted to post my story for others to give you hope because i know what a nightmare this crap is and how hopeless you can feel about getting off of it. If someone like me who has been using it for longer than 10 years and recover then anyone can.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm starting a thread today on Navage. It may be of interest.