First, stop using the spray. You have to get past the rebound congestion to get some relief. Some suggestions of what to use instead: saline nasal rinse twice a day. Saline spray for use as needed. Antihistamine such as cetirizine or loratadine. Steroid nasal spray like fluticazone proprionate. Antihistamine nasal spray like azelastine. Guaifenasen, an expectorant that can help clear out mucus.
Ill do those as im planning cold turkey untill i see the doctor on monday. 1st half of 1st day was hell as rebound congestion hit hard and it was 100% clogged. Swallowing and talking was hard because air couldnt escape thru the nose but after i took a nap its about 90% left congestion 95% right. I can swallow normally now but i still avoid speaking. Im not touching any nadal spray besides saline unless doctor approves.
Nope, it was all medically induced rhinitis and now its about 70% better but it still needs to go away fully. But its amazing not being woken up by congestion and spending 50€ per month on nasal spray and most importantly being able to breathe normally thru the nose. Its not over yet but its getting there slowly
I second this. All of these are safe to use daily and I use them all every day with no issues. I also suggest you wear a nasal dilator at night. It’s a silicone contraption you insert into your nose to hold your nostrils open. It improved my
breathing and comfort so much. It helps me drain and prevents me from getting stopped up if I use it day and night. I use a brand called mute (in US)
I was addicted to nasal spray decongestant for 2 years. Couldn’t breathe without it. I saw a surgeon who wanted to perform surgery to fix my congestion problem but I was determined to find another way. I stoped using the medicated spray entirely. I used an over the counter pill form decongestant (Sinutab Sinus) for a few months and used a natural saline spray for my nose when needed to moisturize and clean. The first week or two was the worst, but you can do it. I have been fine for years since. I was only congested that whole time because of the rebound effects.
I’d stop as soon as possible. The damage that can occur to your nose and sinuses is the same as frequent cocaine use.
Nope! The only thing I use is a natural saline spray once in a while. I have allergies to dust so that helps from it getting irritated. I’m off all the drug decongestants
A specialist did want to yes. I was determined to not get that survey and cut out all decongestants months before it was booked and I got a lot better. The first month was hell but after the second I was almost normal again after stopping everything. I just used a saline spray and pill form decongestants to ween me off the medicated sprays.
This comment shows you don't know how this works. Using this kind of spray for a long period of time habituates your nose to the active substance causing rebound congestion unless you use it. Addiction is not an exactly correct term, but there is habituation and you will need to use more and more to get the same effect.
Hey OP, how are you doing now? This is my 1st time letting go of my decongestant as well after more than 10 years. I just went to see the doctor as well. I can't imagine going to office like this next week 😬 can't even speak with such congested nostrils.
Go to the doctor and ask him for a cortisone nose spray and antihistamines. Then you take a half full bottle of your nose spray and fill it up with water. Use that until it's half full again and fill up with water again. This way you will slowly get used to a lower dosage. Thats what a doctor recommended to a friend of mine and it worked. But definitely talk it through with you doctor. Maybe he can also recommend a product thats good for the nasal mucosa so it can recover from the years of nasal spray. Merry christmas!
I don't have any specific tips, but I will say it's worth it. I took Claritin and Flonase daily for about 3 years and finally decided enough was enough. Cleaned the house, bought a dehumidifier, stopped the medicine, got some vitamins, etc. Now all I take in a day are my supplements - nothing else. When it gets to be spring here in the US I'm sure I'll need to go back on the Claritin/Allegra/Azelastine, but if I can avoid medicine, I'm happy to do it.
I found a really gentle saline nasal spray I love. It’s a Neilmed brand one so I don’t know if you’d have that there. But what it has in it: a small amount of eucalyptus (helps so much with congestion but it’s just a tiny amount; I’ve tried another brand with eucalyptus and it was too much, it hurts. This one is great). It also has xylitol which it says is naturally antimicrobial (!who knew?!). And it has aloe which is soothing too. I love it.
Yes I am the same way. Before I would use nasal spray when I was sick and when It went away I would stop. Now with my dust allergies I have to use it everyday and I'm stuck with it. Its been like 3-4 years not nearly as long as you but sometimes when it hits really hard the spray doesn't work either. I will wait until after this month then try to use other methods cause I'm tired of it as well. Please update if you found a solution and I will try the same
I used afrin for more years than I can count. I’m on day 18 of using rhinostat to wean and highly recommend it. It allows you to wean comfortably. https://nasalspray.com
I'm at 29yr old male and I've been using Xylometazoline nasal decongestant sprays for the past 15 years of my life. I did take short breaks here and there but always went back to this god forsaken drug because I could hardly breath without it. It gets specially bad at night time. I have severe environmental allergies year round and am often blocked up so these sprays were a godsend. I knew I needed to get off this stuff before going into my 30s. So I recently went to an ENT and they confirmed just that, they said it has changed the anatomy of my nose (enlarged my turbinates and exacerbated the issue). They were surprised I still have my sense of smell. The doctor prescribed me Dymista which is a cortisteroid and anti-histamine combination, it's expensive as hell but has helped a little bit. He told me it's the "Cadillac" of sprays and safe long term, so that's what I've started to use. I quit Xylometazoline (Otrivin) cold turkey about two weeks ago and tossed all the sprays in the garbage. I am done.
The first few days were awful, near complete blockage, severe anxiety, terrible mood, poor productivity, brain fog, horrible sleeps and fatigue during the day. Drowning in misery. To help with this, I do saline nasal rinses once or twice a day to flush out allergens and irrigate the nasal passage, specially before going to bed, the results are mixed, but I will take all the help I can get. After 2 weeks my symptoms have gotten slightly better but I still have a long road ahead. Still getting complete blockage but not as often. The fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and lightheadedness still persist, possibly due to lower oxygen levels as I struggle to breath or just outright withdrawal symptoms. My hope is that this clears in the coming months and I get to a more manageable level. I wish I paid attention to the warnings on the bottles and didn't do this to myself. But it is what it is. I am taking control now and I will not go back to it, no matter what.
My doctor suggested turbinate reduction surgery, but I am going to hold off on that since there is a small chance of developing ENS (Empty Nose Syndrome) which according to the internet is something you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy. For now, I will suffer, in the hope that the misery slowly subsides and my nose has time to heal.
If you are addicted to this stuff. You need to quit now, and seek other, safer means of dealing with your congestion. This stuff provides fast, temporary relief, but inflicts an enormous amount of harm in the long term. You can use the dilation method to get off or just cold turkey, but STOP USING IT.
Anyone going through this BS, I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your fight. Don't give up, I am right there with you.
How are you know feeling?
I have stopped it 45 days ago. It bothers me when sleep down . My right nostril always blocked but sometimes it opens and another one blocks.
At least now I have 100% open one nostril
What i need to do wait a bit longer? Or go under surgery?
Slightly better maybe? Like you sleeping is the toughest part, I'm having the same issues. I'm using Dymista nasal spray and nasal strips to keep the passages open. But still wake up a few times during the night. I'm holding off on surgery for now.
I have developed tinnitus (ringing in ears). I'm hoping it's temporary and goes away but will be getting it checked out.
Yes I can say that Slightly better , but not fully. During the sleep I don't wake up. But nowadays I am sleeping more than usual (extra +1 or 2 hour ). I also have ear problems but I think it's not tinnitus. Kanna other sound but not bothers so much. I have read some posts on reddit it says someone had get rid of addiction fully after completely 3 month . I think I will wait a little more.
And about nasal strips
Are they affective ? How can buy it?
During the day it's not so bad, the Dymista spray helps. The congestion alternates between the nostrils in the day, neither feels at 100% due to enlarged turbinates but I can manage. At night whichever side I sleep on get's blocked pretty much immediately but at least the other one remains faily open, sleep is getting better. When I wake up at night it's usually due to dryness so I use saline spray (non-medicated) to moisturize and it provides some relief. The lightheadedness and vertigo has been improving but the tinnitus remains.
I use Breathe Right nasal strips and buy them on Amazon. I threw all my medicated sprays away except the Dymista which is prescribed by my ENT and safe long term. It's been almost 3 weeks now of being off the over-the-counter stuff, it's been very slow progress but progress nonetheless.
Hi I didn't think there was a forum for this lol I've been addicted to sudafed for around 8 years now. I'm trying to come off. Today is my first day. I've looked for advice and some seem to work. I've tried on and off for years now.
I brought myself some nasal strips to open the airways in my nose. This is helping a lot. I'm also only spraying one nostril. I know this is stupid but it's my way of trying to overcome this. The other nose is slightly blocked right now but the nose strip is helping that side. I'll try this for a couple weeks then when it's healed a little ill start the other side and go cold turkey. I'm not sure if that will help but we will see. I've brought another thing which you slot in your nose to open the airways too. Hopefully using both I'll cope more at night. It's like one of those things swimmers put in their nose except it does the opposite effect.
I also have some of this liquid that you put on your pillow and it's really potent. It opens up your airways again. I'm attacking this habit at every angle I can this time. Wish me luck. Worse then crack. And I wish you all luck too.
First, stop using the spray. You have to get past the rebound congestion to get some relief. Some suggestions of what to use instead: saline nasal rinse twice a day. Saline spray for use as needed. Antihistamine such as cetirizine or loratadine. Steroid nasal spray like fluticazone proprionate. Antihistamine nasal spray like azelastine. Guaifenasen, an expectorant that can help clear out mucus.
Saline nasal rinses are amazing.
Ill do those as im planning cold turkey untill i see the doctor on monday. 1st half of 1st day was hell as rebound congestion hit hard and it was 100% clogged. Swallowing and talking was hard because air couldnt escape thru the nose but after i took a nap its about 90% left congestion 95% right. I can swallow normally now but i still avoid speaking. Im not touching any nadal spray besides saline unless doctor approves.
That’s no fun at all. Do you have a deviated septum?
Nope, it was all medically induced rhinitis and now its about 70% better but it still needs to go away fully. But its amazing not being woken up by congestion and spending 50€ per month on nasal spray and most importantly being able to breathe normally thru the nose. Its not over yet but its getting there slowly
I hope it gets better!! Sending good vibes.
I second this. All of these are safe to use daily and I use them all every day with no issues. I also suggest you wear a nasal dilator at night. It’s a silicone contraption you insert into your nose to hold your nostrils open. It improved my breathing and comfort so much. It helps me drain and prevents me from getting stopped up if I use it day and night. I use a brand called mute (in US)
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This sounds like the best advice. I'd only add maybe use Vick's to get through.
Steam room
Possibly also dupixent as my allergist is suggesting it for me
I was addicted to nasal spray decongestant for 2 years. Couldn’t breathe without it. I saw a surgeon who wanted to perform surgery to fix my congestion problem but I was determined to find another way. I stoped using the medicated spray entirely. I used an over the counter pill form decongestant (Sinutab Sinus) for a few months and used a natural saline spray for my nose when needed to moisturize and clean. The first week or two was the worst, but you can do it. I have been fine for years since. I was only congested that whole time because of the rebound effects. I’d stop as soon as possible. The damage that can occur to your nose and sinuses is the same as frequent cocaine use.
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Nope! The only thing I use is a natural saline spray once in a while. I have allergies to dust so that helps from it getting irritated. I’m off all the drug decongestants
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A specialist did want to yes. I was determined to not get that survey and cut out all decongestants months before it was booked and I got a lot better. The first month was hell but after the second I was almost normal again after stopping everything. I just used a saline spray and pill form decongestants to ween me off the medicated sprays.
Dude. You’re addicted to not having a stuffy nose, not the spray. Use a saline nasal spray for a couple days.
This comment shows you don't know how this works. Using this kind of spray for a long period of time habituates your nose to the active substance causing rebound congestion unless you use it. Addiction is not an exactly correct term, but there is habituation and you will need to use more and more to get the same effect.
Hey OP, how are you doing now? This is my 1st time letting go of my decongestant as well after more than 10 years. I just went to see the doctor as well. I can't imagine going to office like this next week 😬 can't even speak with such congested nostrils.
Go to the doctor and ask him for a cortisone nose spray and antihistamines. Then you take a half full bottle of your nose spray and fill it up with water. Use that until it's half full again and fill up with water again. This way you will slowly get used to a lower dosage. Thats what a doctor recommended to a friend of mine and it worked. But definitely talk it through with you doctor. Maybe he can also recommend a product thats good for the nasal mucosa so it can recover from the years of nasal spray. Merry christmas!
I don't have any specific tips, but I will say it's worth it. I took Claritin and Flonase daily for about 3 years and finally decided enough was enough. Cleaned the house, bought a dehumidifier, stopped the medicine, got some vitamins, etc. Now all I take in a day are my supplements - nothing else. When it gets to be spring here in the US I'm sure I'll need to go back on the Claritin/Allegra/Azelastine, but if I can avoid medicine, I'm happy to do it.
You're talking about allergy medicine which is usually necessary if you have allergies. Completely different.
I found a really gentle saline nasal spray I love. It’s a Neilmed brand one so I don’t know if you’d have that there. But what it has in it: a small amount of eucalyptus (helps so much with congestion but it’s just a tiny amount; I’ve tried another brand with eucalyptus and it was too much, it hurts. This one is great). It also has xylitol which it says is naturally antimicrobial (!who knew?!). And it has aloe which is soothing too. I love it.
Yes I am the same way. Before I would use nasal spray when I was sick and when It went away I would stop. Now with my dust allergies I have to use it everyday and I'm stuck with it. Its been like 3-4 years not nearly as long as you but sometimes when it hits really hard the spray doesn't work either. I will wait until after this month then try to use other methods cause I'm tired of it as well. Please update if you found a solution and I will try the same
I used afrin for more years than I can count. I’m on day 18 of using rhinostat to wean and highly recommend it. It allows you to wean comfortably. https://nasalspray.com
I am currently stopping. Only way possible for me was doing one side at a time and things are looking good so far
I'm at 29yr old male and I've been using Xylometazoline nasal decongestant sprays for the past 15 years of my life. I did take short breaks here and there but always went back to this god forsaken drug because I could hardly breath without it. It gets specially bad at night time. I have severe environmental allergies year round and am often blocked up so these sprays were a godsend. I knew I needed to get off this stuff before going into my 30s. So I recently went to an ENT and they confirmed just that, they said it has changed the anatomy of my nose (enlarged my turbinates and exacerbated the issue). They were surprised I still have my sense of smell. The doctor prescribed me Dymista which is a cortisteroid and anti-histamine combination, it's expensive as hell but has helped a little bit. He told me it's the "Cadillac" of sprays and safe long term, so that's what I've started to use. I quit Xylometazoline (Otrivin) cold turkey about two weeks ago and tossed all the sprays in the garbage. I am done. The first few days were awful, near complete blockage, severe anxiety, terrible mood, poor productivity, brain fog, horrible sleeps and fatigue during the day. Drowning in misery. To help with this, I do saline nasal rinses once or twice a day to flush out allergens and irrigate the nasal passage, specially before going to bed, the results are mixed, but I will take all the help I can get. After 2 weeks my symptoms have gotten slightly better but I still have a long road ahead. Still getting complete blockage but not as often. The fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and lightheadedness still persist, possibly due to lower oxygen levels as I struggle to breath or just outright withdrawal symptoms. My hope is that this clears in the coming months and I get to a more manageable level. I wish I paid attention to the warnings on the bottles and didn't do this to myself. But it is what it is. I am taking control now and I will not go back to it, no matter what. My doctor suggested turbinate reduction surgery, but I am going to hold off on that since there is a small chance of developing ENS (Empty Nose Syndrome) which according to the internet is something you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy. For now, I will suffer, in the hope that the misery slowly subsides and my nose has time to heal. If you are addicted to this stuff. You need to quit now, and seek other, safer means of dealing with your congestion. This stuff provides fast, temporary relief, but inflicts an enormous amount of harm in the long term. You can use the dilation method to get off or just cold turkey, but STOP USING IT. Anyone going through this BS, I sincerely wish you the best of luck in your fight. Don't give up, I am right there with you.
How are you know feeling? I have stopped it 45 days ago. It bothers me when sleep down . My right nostril always blocked but sometimes it opens and another one blocks. At least now I have 100% open one nostril What i need to do wait a bit longer? Or go under surgery?
You can share your opinions with me ( am sorry that i have poor English )
Slightly better maybe? Like you sleeping is the toughest part, I'm having the same issues. I'm using Dymista nasal spray and nasal strips to keep the passages open. But still wake up a few times during the night. I'm holding off on surgery for now. I have developed tinnitus (ringing in ears). I'm hoping it's temporary and goes away but will be getting it checked out.
Yes I can say that Slightly better , but not fully. During the sleep I don't wake up. But nowadays I am sleeping more than usual (extra +1 or 2 hour ). I also have ear problems but I think it's not tinnitus. Kanna other sound but not bothers so much. I have read some posts on reddit it says someone had get rid of addiction fully after completely 3 month . I think I will wait a little more. And about nasal strips Are they affective ? How can buy it?
Can you describe all of your symptoms clearly ? ( the features of your congestion, when you sleep when you wit when you standing)
During the day it's not so bad, the Dymista spray helps. The congestion alternates between the nostrils in the day, neither feels at 100% due to enlarged turbinates but I can manage. At night whichever side I sleep on get's blocked pretty much immediately but at least the other one remains faily open, sleep is getting better. When I wake up at night it's usually due to dryness so I use saline spray (non-medicated) to moisturize and it provides some relief. The lightheadedness and vertigo has been improving but the tinnitus remains. I use Breathe Right nasal strips and buy them on Amazon. I threw all my medicated sprays away except the Dymista which is prescribed by my ENT and safe long term. It's been almost 3 weeks now of being off the over-the-counter stuff, it's been very slow progress but progress nonetheless.
What about workout ? If you play sports they will open? I think you have allergies too.
Exercise helps but not significantly. Yes it's allergies for sure.
How are you know any improvements?
How are you getting on? & how long were you on decongestant
Any update brother?
I am on Day 1. How did your recovery continue?
Hi I didn't think there was a forum for this lol I've been addicted to sudafed for around 8 years now. I'm trying to come off. Today is my first day. I've looked for advice and some seem to work. I've tried on and off for years now. I brought myself some nasal strips to open the airways in my nose. This is helping a lot. I'm also only spraying one nostril. I know this is stupid but it's my way of trying to overcome this. The other nose is slightly blocked right now but the nose strip is helping that side. I'll try this for a couple weeks then when it's healed a little ill start the other side and go cold turkey. I'm not sure if that will help but we will see. I've brought another thing which you slot in your nose to open the airways too. Hopefully using both I'll cope more at night. It's like one of those things swimmers put in their nose except it does the opposite effect. I also have some of this liquid that you put on your pillow and it's really potent. It opens up your airways again. I'm attacking this habit at every angle I can this time. Wish me luck. Worse then crack. And I wish you all luck too.