14 WKS..and I have severe nasal congestion, any advice???

I have had severe nasal congestion for about two weeks now, First my doctor told me to take sudafed which helped a lot but I can only take that for so long, then he recommended the asprin nasal spray that helped, but cant use it for longer than 3 days. Any of you have any remedies that dont include medication??? I get so worried evebn though they say its okay to take anything...

[niftynote]

Try Vick's vaporub.  Sudafed also makes those tablets that activate in a hot shower.  I don't know how well they work, but it might help.  I know when I had a sever sinus infecftion (with major nasal congestion) the doc told me to get a baby aspirator, suck up warm water, and gently squirt up my nose (bending over the sink), repeating until cleared.  I know it sounds gross, but it did help!

[peekawho]

Be careful with the Afrin nasal spray.  Your body gets dependent on it very quickly, as your doctor told you.

In addition to the excellent suggestions you got above, you can get a saline nasal spray over the counter.  Keep it in the fridge, and spray as needed.  It may help a little.  

[wishingonastar]

What is the diff between the asprin nasal spray and the saline?

[jifnif]

i don't know if you have allergies...but while i was pregnant i had severe allergies and i had to take zyrtec everyday.  it is in the category b but i had to take it.  i believe category b is safe.  i have bad asthma too so if my allergies are bad i couldnt breath.  you might want to look into something safe to take throughout your whole pregnancy if it is a chronic issue.  good luck.  everything else i know to use is supplements or herbs and i wouldnt really suggest anything like that during pregnancy.  sorry

[jifnif]

you can even make your own saline spray w/ salt and water....same thing..i tried that but it didnt help me....but i had a lot of other symptoms too like watery eyes and stuffy head:)

[peekawho]

It's AFRIN nasal spray, and it contains a chemical that shrinks your swollen nasal tissues for 12 hours or so.  The trouble is that as it wears off, the congestion and swelling actually gets worse.  You often need to use it more and more frequently to get the effect it had at first.  Its fine for a few days, if your doctor says it is.

A saline nasal spray can either be made or purchased.  One brand is OCEAN mist or spray, and you can usually find it with the other nasal sprays.  If you are not sure, ask your pharmacist.  It is just a mild salt water solution that keeps your mucus membranes soothed and moist.  If you keep it in the fridge, the coolness of the spray briefly shrinks the swollen nasal passages.  The advantage of a saline spray is that it can be used often, and for as long as you need to as long as your nose does not get irritated.

[wishingonastar]

Thanks for all the advice, peekawho sorry about the misspell yeah it is afrin spray, thanks for the clarification of the differences, i will try the ocean spray and see if that helps..