# Warning to all re Nasal Sprays **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316 "2013-12-27T22:15:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/21 "2013-12-28T04:59:38Z")
A lesson from the surgeon who did my sinus surgery: Decongestants are counter productive because, while they provide relief, the do it by drying up what’s clogging your sinus. Effectively turning non draining snot into gummy bears. What you want is MORE moisture, to assist draining, not less. It does sell more product however. They make an aerosol saline sinus spray for this and for people recovering from surgery. The aerosol part helps it get where needed, even in misshaped sinus. The saline fights the sinusitis (notoriously hard to defeat once in the sinus, usually chronic!), and the moisture thins everything and gets it moving on out of there. Yes, there is snivelling and nose blowing. Always, always sterilize the tip after every use to avoid reinfection. Always! The second thing he taught me was that while people may insist that apple cider vinegar will cure cancer and bring peace to the Middle East, those people are idiots! However, because it’s made by fermenting the apples with the skins on, it concentrates something present in the skins which does actually thin mucus. Drink an ounce or half ounce, (shoot it back like tequila at the bar, or mix with syrup, jam etc!), a couple of times a day. (I recommend on a full stomach, and before bed!) you will be stunned at how quickly this will clear your sinus, be prepared. A couple of minutes and BANG, done! More importantly though, it will thin the mucus and it will drain away magically while you sleep. (Always brush your teeth afterward, vinegar is hard on the enamel!) the real beauty of this one two approach is it enhances your bodies ability to do it’s job. No pharmaceuticals, and costs pennies compared to OTC stuff! If I’d known about this, during the twenty years prior to having sinus surgery, I’d have saved enough money to buy a damn car. I’ve been using these two things in tandem, since the surgery, several years ago now, have entirely cleared my chronic sinusitis, and have not purchased an OTC sinus product since. Please consider these two products, used in tandem BEFORE going pharmaceutical, way less cost, way more effective! Good Luck! Life with bad sinus sucks indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/22 "2013-12-28T05:10:48Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I usually use Afrin several times a day when I’m sick and stuffed up. Then I get better and stop using it. It’s never been an issue for me. The warning on the labels say not to use it for more than 3 days consecutively. If you haven’t done that, then you should not have had any problems. They are now running ads on the radio selling these things and even those ads say, “Do not use this product for more than 3 days consecutively.” The pharmaceutical companies must have found a real gold mine here. They get people hooked on this stuff and then they use it every day for several years - without ever missing a day. I used it for two years - every day. For the first year I used it once per 24 hours. For the next six months, once every 12 hours, then for the next six months, once every 6 hours. I wish we could get a class action suit going to sue the pharmaceutical companies. But I fear they own all the lawyers and courts. They make so much money from this stuff that they could afford to slug it out in court with anyone. The people who run these companies should go to prison - at the very least. And these products are just the tip of the iceberg. They make so much money from other addictive products, it’s a crying shame. Elbow’s post contained an excellent description of these things. “Decongestants are counter productive because, while they provide relief, the do it by drying up what’s clogging your sinus.” Can you imagine? They sell a product advertised to help you. But instead, it just increases the level of damage it does to you and makes them a fortune in the meantime. How can this not be criminal? ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/23 "2013-12-28T05:16:29Z")
In my experience, there is little rebound if you just use spray decongestant for a few days and only at night so you can sleep. (I also use a neti pot once the decongestant opens my sinuses up.) I do wish I could have my sinuses coated with epoxy or enameled or something. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/24 "2013-12-28T05:41:01Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > I wish we could get a class action suit going to sue the pharmaceutical companies. But I fear they own all the lawyers and courts. They make so much money from this stuff that they could afford to slug it out in court with anyone. > > The people who run these companies should go to prison - at the very least. And these products are just the tip of the iceberg. They make so much money from other addictive products, it’s a crying shame. :rolleyes: Your inability to read and follow directions is no one’s fault but your own. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/25 "2013-12-28T05:46:54Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > :rolleyes: > Your inability to read and follow directions is no one’s fault but your own. The warning on the package is so tiny, the print is microscopic. You really think I should be responsible for buying a magnifying glass so that I could read the warning? I couldn’t read it any other way. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/26 "2013-12-28T06:05:23Z")
You could read it online if you were curious enough. Personally I use the Neti pot every day, as a preventative measure. Keep everything open and soothed. I rarely have nose or throat issues anymore, and when I do they are short-lived. I used to have chronic problems. Sometimes I do use nasal spray but I’ve known since I was about 10 (I’m 34) that you shouldn’t use them longer than 3 days. I can usually get away with 1 or 2 days. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/27 "2013-12-28T06:19:43Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > The warning on the package is so tiny, the print is microscopic. > > You really think I should be responsible for buying a magnifying glass so that I could read the warning? > > I couldn’t read it any other way. As **Zipper** mentions, the information is freely available online and has been for years, enlarge it as much as you need to. At the same time, they do not make that printing too small to read for normal vision. So unless you have a medical condition that precludes you from reading it, like legal blindness, it is again not anyone’s fault but your own if you don’t get your vision corrected or use tools to help you see things you need to read. There are plenty of other things out there that are just as small, like street signs from a distance, or food package labels. If you do have a condition that precludes you from reading it, I would expect you to employ whatever resources you have that assist you with everything else you can’t read, whether that’s someone who reads stuff to you, or asking a pharmacist, or whatever else the visually impaired have at their disposal for assistance. Ultimately, taking medication without reading/finding out all the information on it and following directions is totally on you. I’m assuming you’re a grown-up. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/28 "2013-12-28T10:21:04Z")
I spray Beconase or Rhinocort(\*) in each nostril once a day, for prevention of rhinitis (hayfever, etc.). I think these are completely different from the decongestant nasal sprays OP discusses. These are “miracle drugs” for me: I didn’t have serious allergy problem in U.S. but had problems in rural Thailand until I found these drugs. (\* - Two different drugs, each effective. I had to switch due to availability issue, though by now upcountry pharmacies are better stocked.) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/29 "2013-12-28T14:48:51Z")
Moved to IMHO, home of medical threads, from MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/30 "2013-12-28T14:58:22Z")
I started using nasal sprays at one point, but found them too expensive for me to get addicted. I switched to a neti pot to rinse my sinuses in allergy season/at the end of a cold, and haven’t had a sinus infection since. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/31 "2013-12-28T15:12:06Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > The warning on the labels say not to use it for more than 3 days consecutively. If you haven’t done that, then you should not have had any problems. My colds usually last about a week, so 7 days plus or minus a couple, is my usual routine. 3-4 times a day for about a week. No problems at all. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/32 "2013-12-28T15:43:48Z")
> [@LawMonkey](#): > > Mom had quite an issue with it, back in the day. Me, I use it when I’m in dire straits–in the doldrums of a nasty cold that isn’t just congestion, but also coughing, running nose, the whole thing. It takes care of the congestion for the few days it needs to. When the other symptoms subside, I’ve got a few days of concrete nose to deal with–but I can, because that’s the only thing I’m dealing with. Then it passes and I’m fine again. For everyday congestion… fuck it, I’ll mouth-breathe. The instant I get the tickle on the left side of my throat indicating I have a cold coming up, I start my regimen - on strict schedule I do nasonex and mucinex and chug down at least a litre of water over the next hour. I keep this up for the entire time I have the sore throat, typically 7 or 8 days. If I do this, the drugs do their job and prevent me from my sinus cavity closing up, and keeping the mucus thinned out properly. If I don’t do this, I get the whole head cold torment. [there must be a demon associated with this … they had [one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titivillus) for typographical errors…] Of course this also means you have a doctor willing to give you an annual prescription for nasonex. My doc is willing to give me a few scrips for conditions that may turn up over the course of the year because we have a fairly long term relationship and he knows that I know when to use them properly. Sort of like someone like me with a deadly allergy to something getting a scrip for epipens. mrAru has a pretty much constant scrip to get prednisone thanks to an amazing ability to get poison ivy and go to 75%+ coverage in 12 hours. I am sure he would love to move somewhere there has never been poison ivy … ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/33 "2013-12-28T16:33:48Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > That looks very interesting. > > As far as price goes, I bet you can’t imagine what it would be worth to me to escape this horror. > > $40? I would pay $400 and not even think twice. > > If I could find a way to guarantee my freedom, I would even pay $4,000. I would have to think twice about that. But only for a split second. > > I have been free for six days now and I pray that I can maintain that. During the past two years, I have not ever gone for more than 24 hours without using this spray. So, six days is definitely a minor miracle. > > I would struggle like crazy to never use it again. But if I do use it again, I will call my doctor immediately and request an “urgent” appointment so that we could try to find an alternative. > > In the meantime, I will check into Rhinostat and hopefully, I can buy some somewhere in my city for cash. I have a problem with ordering things over the net. But hopefully, I can get some. > > ETA: I sent them an email and am waiting for their reply. Thanks again. Regarding Rhinostat, it’s more a ‘system’ than anything else. All you do is dilute your spray with saline in increasing percentages; there is a schedule you follow. So, basically, day 1 is 50% spray, 50% saline. Day 2 is 45% spray, 55% saline (or something like that). But you get the idea - after a while, what you are spraying is 95% saline, then 100% saline. What you get for your $40 is a device to dilute your spray, some saline, and a schedule to follow. If you are short of cash and motivated enough, you could come up with your own system to accomplish the same thing for a fraction of the cost. mmm ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/34 "2013-12-28T19:36:54Z")
> [@Lazlo Hapsburg](#): > > You may well be right. But did you ever see the picture in the following link that shows what someone’s nasal cavities look like after they have abused this stuff? > > I guess the picture looks bad. But I must admit that without seeing a picture of a healthy person’s nasal cavitiies for a side by side comparison, I really wouldn’t know just how bad the picture is. > > [http://nosesprayaddiction.com/afrin-side-effects/](http://nosesprayaddiction.com/afrin-side-effects/) > > Oh well, take a look and see what you think? > > As I said above, one of my biggest fears was getting incarcerated for some stupid reason and then being unable to get any of the spray. I couldn’t buy any and I don’t know how badly I would react to not being able to breathe through my nose. I was truly panicked the first time it happened to me. The picture just shows swelling, which is a reversible rebound effect. If you serial-dilute the Oxymetazoline with normal saline {you can use water, but it stings), you’ll gradually come off without a problem. You can get normal saline at any grocery or drug store. The Simply Saline, Ocean or other saline nasal sprays used immediately after the the Oxymetazoline works too. So does a netty pot. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/35 "2013-12-28T19:46:01Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > The picture just shows swelling, which is a reversible rebound effect. If you serial-dilute the Oxymetazoline with normal saline {you can use water, but it stings), you’ll gradually come off without a problem. You can get normal saline at any grocery or drug store. The Simply Saline, Ocean or other saline nasal sprays used immediately after the the Oxymetazoline works too. So does a netty pot. Tineye shows 60 matches for that picture, almost all identified as a picture of allergic rhinitis not nasal spray rebound. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/36 "2013-12-28T20:02:27Z")
I’ve never heard of nasal sprays; however… Think what M. R. James could do with this thread’s title ! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/37 "2013-12-28T20:23:46Z")
I had this happen to me when I first moved to CA in the 70s. Seems like I was sick all the time, and I was in school in a new place and I was pretty miserable. The spray was a “miracle”, but I did use it too long. I just went cold turkey and only use them sparingly now-- most often if I have really bad congestion while flying and need to clear things up before landing. They have their uses, but only as avery limited use product. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/38 "2013-12-28T20:31:44Z")
My PA warned me about Afrin a few weeks ago, when I was so congested (or something) in my head that I was having balance problems. I mentioned that my husband had bought some Afrin and she told me to toss it. Omnaris cleared up whatever was going on in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/39 "2013-12-28T22:49:27Z")
As I have described in another thread on this subject, I was addicted for at least 15 years. I ran out once while spending 6 weeks in Denmark. Apparently, it is not for sale in Denmark. But a doctor there prescribed a spray (it was likely a steroid, someone told me later) that by the time that ran out I was cured! Now I use it only at night in order to sleep and that very seldom, or when I fly. I do use saline nose spray that moistens quite effectively and is not addictive, but even is necessary only occasionally. On one of those earlier threads someone described another way to break the addiction. Spray only one nostril for as long as it takes for the other one to finally clear. It will eventually. Then you have one good nostril and you can stop spraying the other one and it will eventually clear. It sounds like a reasonable thing to try. Best of luck. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316/40 "2013-12-28T23:36:47Z")
Weird I’ve had nasal problems my whole life; allergies, polyps, asthma (not nasal per say but after a coughing attack I will be congested). Nasal sprays have always been in the cupboard and used for occasional decongestion. I’ve always been aware of that they are strictly a short term product. In Canada at least it is pretty prominent in the instructions. I guess I’ve just never expected that constant use could be a good idea in any way. I’ve never used them for more than a day but they are amazing to quickly clear up bad congestion on occasion. Used properly they are an excellent product. Ephedrine type decongestants work pretty good for a couple days but also need to be respected. For the long term hot showers / baths, exercise, humidity, saline, cotton handkerchiefs all help. Doing a deep sinus saline cleanse in the shower works wonders in the short term. At some point a person has to live with a little discomfort though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warning-to-all-re-nasal-sprays/677316.md?page=3)