Many of you may think this is just a joke or something silly and not for you to worry.
Well, I just want to begin by saying it is no joke. There are some OTC (Over The Counter) nasal sprays sold that clear up nasal congestion and they are extremely terrible products because they are extremely addictive. They have labels with very tiny print that warn people. They say that you must not use them for more than 3 days because if you do, they are addictive. But the print is so tiny. I never read it until it was too late.
Anyway, here is my story and I hope some of you might take it seriously because I am dead serious about this. It is no joke.
About two years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night and I was having problems breathing through my nose. It was all stuffed up and my mouth was dry from breathing through my mouth. I started to get these feelings of extreme panic because I couldn’t breathe and nothing I did seemed to help.
The following day, I went to a drug store and bought a few different brands of nasal decongestant and discovered one that worked like magic. It was a miracle! The congestion dissappeared within a few minutes and my breathing was back to perfect. I was just ecstatic.
About two weeks later, I went to my local druggist and bought a couple more of the brand that worked so well and he looked at them and then got this horrified look on his face and told me, “I have to carry this stuff. But you should stay away from it. It is horrible stuff because it will clear up your congestion but then you will need to use it again and again and the more you use it, the more you will need to use. Go see your doctor and get a medically prescribed kind of nasal spray that is not addictive.”
Well, I did go to see my doctor and he did prescribe another kind of spray. But it didn’t work nearly as well or as quickly.
Anyway, to make a long story short, after I began using it, my congestion returned about 24 hours later and I used it again. This went on for about 6 months. Then, instead of once every 24 hours, I needed to use it once every 12 hours. Six months later, I was using it once every 6 hours.
I did some research on the net and found that some people continued using this stuff and eventually, they were using a $10 bottle every single day.
Here is a link to a site where a doctor tells this story and also suggests a treatment. The headline on this site is, “Nasal Spray Addiction – Know The Facts and Avoid the Danger”.
http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/medications-253494-5.html
The two brand names that caused my addiction were Drixoral and Claritin. Two years ago, you could buy a 25ml bottle or a 15ml bottle. But now the companies have stopped making the large size. I’m guessing maybe either the government forced them to stop or maybe they did it out of greed because they charge almost double per unit of spray for the smaller bottles. Two other brands that use the same or similar chemical are: Otrivin and Dristan.
In case you ever get addicted to this stuff, you should obviously see your family doctor ASAP. But here is what Dr. James Thompson on the above site says is his recommended treatment to break the addiction from the TNDs (Topical Nasal Decongestants).
Dr. James Thompson recommends: My preference is to prescribe a short course of oral steroid which is tapered (reduced gradually) every two days for a total of ten days. A nasal steroid spray is prescribed for long-term use. The nasal steroid sprays are not addictive and may help to maintain good airflow through the nasal passages as the oral steroid is eliminated. The patient is instructed to stop the TND within two days, allowing time for the oral steroid to take effect. If there is no history of blood pressure elevation, heart, thyroid or eye problems, an oral decongestant (e.g. Sudafed) may also be recommended. I also recommend nasal saline rinses.
The name of the chemical used in Drixoral, Claritin and Dristan is: OxyMetazoline Hydrochloride. The one used in Otrivin is: Xylometazoline Hydrochloride.
If you have kids, I hope you keep an eye on any kind of medications they buy and use.