nasal spray addiction

[stephanie]

it appears that i have been addicted to the neosyneferin nasal spray for two years now..it all began when i became ill with a siunus infection and i needed something to open my nasal passages..i started on the neosynefrin and could never get off it after that..i also suffer from time to time with what the doctor refered to as medicine nose, which is what i am going through again at the moment..my nose is continually blocked with constant discharge..i need to spray almost every half hour or so and sometimes more frequently..i'm nervous and panicky, irritable, can only sleep at one hour intervals and feel like i'm suffocating...i dread going to another specialist and being told that the only way out is going off the spray cold turkey which is unimaginable or having an operation..please tell me that in this day and age there is another possible route out of this madness..

desperate for your reply,
stephanie

[flipsing]

I have been using Veramyst for about a month now, and when it stopped working in the first 2 weeks, it made me more congested and I also have asthma and very high risk allergies to other things as well. When I called my asthma specialist and allergist, all he told me was to double up my doses, it doesn't uncongest me at all, so the doctors are telling me to just quit everything at once, which is the WRONG THING TO DO!! When you have asthma, and you can't breathe, not breathing out of each nostril ontop of not being able to breathe from your lungs is about 10 times worse. I've been to the ER 4 times because when I would be sitting upright in a chair, i would start choking on my saliva and let alone water, it kinda *****. And they said I got addicted to it, and it makes me worse. So we have no idea what to do now.

[JELLYBEANZ111]

I to had a afrin addiction. I used the spray for almost a year! I would carry a bottle in my pocket, at home in my dresser, one at work and one in my car. I would stress everytime i would get low. I did not want to run out and not be able to breath. I researched on the internet and tried everything that everyone was suggesting and nothing worked. Then one day i got a bad, bad sinus infection and a head cold. My Husband went and got me some Mucinex D and I started taking that and it cleared my nose within a week without having to use any of the Afrin. I did have a little stuffiness for about 2 more weeks after that but, it wasnt nothing I couldnt handle. I am completly free of Afrin today and am so happy! I think Afrin nose spray should be taken off the market.  

Hope this works for you and anyone else that reads my post!   Good luck!

[Sweetcheeks67]

The only way I got off Otrivin spray was to have nasal turbinate surgery.  I was on the sprays for 10 years.  Surgery was in October and I am drug free today.  No more Otrivin for me.....ever.  :)

[a918]

I have the same problem!! and it's driving me crazy:( I went to a few doctors with this problem and they have never heard of it! all they gave me were allergy sprays that did nothing cuz I don't have allergies... and one doctor suggested an operation but that is way to scary for me! I need help so badly! were you able to get rid of your addiction? if so pleeese tell me how you did it.

[evilcowboy420]

I say that the cold turkey thing can work but you will suffer like no other. The best way I have found to get off the stuff is the same way anyone would get off of any drug. Slowly decreasing dosage amount of the nasal spray.

How I did it. I took a quarter bottle of nasal spray. Then I mixed the solution with plain saline water (salt water). This will also help dry up anything causing drippage. use it for about a week. If you run out remake it. You will feel a slight closing but not nearly as bad as cold turkey. After the week put in 1/8 bottle of nose spray and fill the rest with the saline. continue for another week. Then keep cutting back. I remember the last time I used it I was putting in one drop of nose spray and the rest saline. at that point I just said screw it theres no point now. And I was right after stopping it no more swelling.

Also sometimes a anti inflamatory like motrin can help with swelling membranes in the nose.

Now the sad thing is I had gotten addicted to the stuff simply because I quite smoking and my nose stopped up after a couple of days of not smoking.

But this method is tried and true and will work and make it more bareable to getting off the stuff. And I also felt the mix worked better than most nose spray for the fact it was drying up dripping and actually made it easier to breathe.

[Scoobiedoo6559]

They are right! I had this happen to me some 30 yrs ago and sadly - started to use them again about 4 wks ago when I had a head cold and was SO congested! BIG MISTAKE!  As the others said - you don't get addicted to the drug itself but what it DOES - and that is opening up the nasal passages so you can breathe. My Dr. had to put me on a oral steroid for 7 days due to the inflammation and swelling in my nasal passages many years ago - but you're right - it's COLD TURKEY to get over this rebound effect they cause - and the only way IS - is to STOP using them 100%! I found that using an oral decongestant (like Tylenol Cold) works pretty well for 12 hrs at a time and will help you get over the roughest spot of not using the spray any longer...but for days it's NOT fun! I agree that the Breath-Rite strips will help a lot if used at night time as well until those passages and inflammation shrink back to normal again. I am also a RN so I know that all of the above IS good advice as well.
Good luck - you can do this and so did I before...and I was free of this NIGHTMARE for 30 yrs!