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Nasal Spray Addiction 2

 

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Nasal Spray Addiction Page 7 of 11

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how do you dilute it? I use the otrivin spray you just push down and it sprays out! do I need to get the Other kind that you have to squeze?
 
shippernhorse last decade
Yes, better get the squeze type, open the bottle carefully so that you can close it without damage the bottle.
 
hypogirl80 last decade
If it weren't for this thread I wouldn't have understood the magnitude of what was wrong with me. After over 35 years of abusing an OTC nasal spray. It also was causing GI symptoms; anxiety, nausea and palpitations, sleeplessness and sleep apnea, muscle pain and weight gain because I was using so much of it. Over the last few years I had been advised to take the decongestant version of a popular OTC allergy product which was once an RX decongestant. I want to warn everyone about this as well. My 'allergies' became so severe I was barely able to function. It was suggested that I had multiple sclerosis because of the dizziness and muscle spams in my head face and neck. I have have a nerve disorder called hemifacial spasm in which the left side of my face twitches uncontrollably due to nerve damage. This MAY be related to scar tissue and damage to the mastoid and sinus form the nasal spray. Don't let this happen to you! I have found the information here on self tapering by diluting the strength of the nasal spray over a period of time very effective. I also want to say that I was experiencing severe rebound effects from the 12 hour oral OTC product as well. After about 9 hours I would develop severe sneezing and congestion and irritability and flu like symptoms. Once I saw an allergist who scheduled me for testing and told me to stop taking all medications in preparation for the test I found that the symptoms abated.. I am now on a steroid spray to help me taper and am hopefully on the way to recvery. Good Luck to all!
 
foxfriend last decade
TO foxfriend 12/03/08 posting)

From Rjfgotchi

Nasal spray habit !

I know what you are going through......I had 37 yrs on the stuff....tried everything to get off of it and failed. You have a better chance getting off of Herion.....I had a nasal opperation called Turbin-Septoplasty on 08-18-08 and after 3 days of of extreme uncomforttability I have been free from all cold and sinus meds and nasal spray....i feel great now.....I know what you are going through....i went to Deborah Hospital in New Jersey for the opperation...

Rich F. (feel free to call me 732-840-4116)
 
RJFGOTCHI last decade
hope everyone is well I havent seen any new posts for months. Well again I kicked the spray, been over a month now. I am very sick with a horrible stomach flu, but I wont give in. Being sick before made me get back into it. I really didnt think I would do it again. I am still stuffed up. I have a feeling I will never not be stuffed up. There probably is major damage. But I am a single mother and had to do it for my daughter and hope it didnt damage my heart from all these years.
 
elissa last decade
I'm so glad I found this forum (even if I'm about 2 yrs late). I had been using nosespray once a night b/c for some reason, a side effect of my sleeping meds (I'm an insomniac) was a stuffy nose. So for about 6 mo, I was able to use it once before I went to bed and that was it. BUT my office now has a mildew/mold issue -- our AC broke, they fixed it, but didn't fix the humidifier part, so it's SUPER humid. I am a child therapist and I could not breathe during my sessions, so I had to start using it (I have a VERY high tolerance for meds like sudafed, etc). It's been only a month now, but I'm suddenly using it once every 3hrs and if I don't, I get that choking feeling. I can't go 'cold turkey' b/c I absolutely NEED the sleep. I was wondering if there really is success in diluting the spray w/ saline, and if so, how long would it take? And then I'm conflicted b/c my office prob still isn't fixed, so I'm thinking why bother getting off the spray just to get congested when I go to work again? But I know I want to quit the moment it's fixed b/c it's at the point I've had to use the spray in front of my patients! (The kids think it's funny -- I try to laugh it off, too, but really, I feel like screaming!)
 
haley458 last decade
Haley458, read my early posts for details on how to dilute the spray, it takes about 2 months to stop using the nasal spray, but that depends on the individual, some people take a little longer. Good luck to you.
 
hypogirl80 last decade
If you want a real easy way to get off nasal spray send me an email. Im not selling anything. It took me 4 days to be off it after 18 years of being addicted to it.
The only thing you will need to get is a bottle of Flonase and I will tell you the process.
 
autobodywizard last decade
Sorry forgot to post my email autobodywizard at yahoo dot com
 
autobodywizard last decade
autobody please post it here if you can really help people. Its been more than 2 months, I'm still stuff up, I dont think i will ever be normal after extreme abuse. I was taking it every 10 mins at one point. Going through a bottle a week sometimes less. I wont give in this time but I'm still all stuffed. take rhincourt and allergy tablet.
 
elissa last decade
First of all I hope you are getting treatment from a doctor. I was finally able to break my habit through a combination of rhinocort, zyrtec and a cortisone shot from my doctor. The cortisone will help reduce the swelling in you sinuses for 3-4 weeks which allowed me the assistance I needed to kick the habit. I did it over the course of a holiday weekend when I knew I wouldn't sleep as well. I still have sinus conditions and lose sleep sometimes (like last night) but I will never go back to the nasal sprays again. Its been 3.5 years after over 30 years of using the nasal sprays.
 
dzfromny last decade
About 2 years ago I decided to get off nasal spray by gradually mixing spray with saline. (I tried doctors and all they did was charge me a bunch of money and give me steroid sprays that plugged my nose up worse). Every couple of weeks I would increase the saline by a drop or two. My nose felt much healthier in the beginning, and I had less rebound at night, but in the last 6 months or so it seems like I am again using the (diluted) spray more often. And I am suddenly having really severe rebound at night, which takes close to 40 minutes to clear. I am currently at 7 drops of spray to 132 drops of saline. So today I do a bit of research and I discover that the PRESERVATIVE in the saline is just as bad as the active ingredient in the nasal spray! Two years down the drain... >:-(
 
Wallie last decade
This is how I ended a 18 year addiction to nasal spray. Below is the instructions I would send to people who wanted to know how I got off it. I helped approximately 25 to 30 people quit. If you choose to try it, you will find it to work well, if you know a better way to quit, then all the power to you.
Read on and good luck:

I am not a doctor or any other type of medical
> professional. However, I can tell
> you exactly how I got off OTC nasal spray, because I was
> addicted for 18 years.
> The worst nasal spray, I find, has the acting ingredient
> Oxymetazoline
> Hydrochloride .05%,
> which is found in Afrin, all of the rest are equally as
> bad.
>
> If you are addicted to nasal spray, and follow these
> directions, you should be
> off it within a week. Since I posted in some of the forums
> in late 2007 and
> early 2008, several people have quit this nasty imprisoning
> habit. Here is how.
>
> First, you need to have on hand, a bottle of the nasal
> spray you have been
> using, lets say, Afrin, or whatever OTC nasal spray you are
> addicted to.
> Now, you need to ask your doctor for a prescription of
> Flonase or the generic,
> Fluticasone.
> If you already have some, then you can start right now.
> If you dont have a doctor or dont want to go through the
> appointment/insurance
> red tape, you can find Flonase or the generic Fluticasone,
> or Flixonase at an
> online pharmacy without a prescription anywhere from $16 up
> plus shipping . Here
> is one website you can buy it:
> http://www.pharmacydiscounter.com/flonase.asp You
> can also do a yahoo search for 'flonase without a
> prescription'. Just be sure to
> check the legitimacy of the website you buy from. Do a
> review search on them.
> If you have a regular physician, he or she may simply call
> it it without
> requiring you to come in for an appointment. Tell them you
> need the Flonase to
> clear your nasal. Keep your reason brief, the more you tell
> them, the more they
> will require an appointment.
> I told my doctor it was for allergies.
>
> Use the Flonase once in the morning and once before bed,
> daily. Use the Afrin as
> needed, just as if you were not on the Flonase. Let the
> Flonase settle in 5
> minutes
> or so before you use the Afrin.
> You will then find yourself using the Afrin less and
> less, then eventually
> down to never.
> If you do this faithfully, you will be off the Afrin within
> a week, painlessly.
> DO NOT USE THE AFRIN OUT OF HABIT!!!!!!
> When you become Afrin free, continue to use the Flonase
> another one to two
> weeks.
> Then you can stop it, with no congestion.
>
> Unlike the Afrin, Flonase or Fluticasone is not addictive.
> Once you are off
> the Afrin, STAY OFF IT! If you get a cold, use Flonase, it
> works well, just
> not as quickly.
>
> Depending on your physician, telling them you are trying
> this form of treatment,
> may cause them to refuse you the prescription of Flonase.
> However, some of the
> people I have helped, said their doctor agreed with it.
>
> If you are skeptical trying this method, you can either
> quit cold turkey, (which
> we all know, is next to impossible), or you can continue to
> blast one, two,
> three or
> more bottles of this Evil Stuff up your nose weekly, and
> live with this
> miserable, expensive addiction for the rest of your life.
> The choice is yours.
> Should you
> decide not to try this
> method, you may
> look into seeing if the Afrin can be purchased by the
> gallon, because you surely
> are going to need it.
 
autobodywizard last decade
I'm sorry but this does not work. I have been no flonase, rinocourt aqua and it never helps, it seems to give me the rebound stuffiness too. I got myself off it for the past few months, and had a really really bad cold last week, I gave in and sprayed once 3 days over the couple weeks. I think the poster is right about the saline spray. I bought that too and its doing nothing, and right now I'm extremely stuffed up, but I dont want to give her. I did it a few months ago and found it not so bad at all. Was summer and spend alot of times outdoors, and I'm not usually stuffed outside. Now I am very uncomfertable on one side and I hope I dont give in again. Its a vicous cycle this drug should be illegal
 
elissa last decade
Sorry Elissa,
I wasn't aware that you already tried to use the Flonase together with the addictive nasal spray like I posted. With Flonase alone you will still suffer, they have to be done together. I guess it doesn't work for everyone. If you manage to get off it again whichever way you think you can, next time you get a cold think good and hard what your getting yourself into again before you give in and use it.
 
autobodywizard last decade
well cold is over and i didnt get back into, i did one spray 3 times over a week period, and thankfully didnt hook me on it. Becuase of the pain in my face, if you read my other posts its not so simple for me. I have artifical tmj joints and nerve damage, and take mor phone for the pain so the congestion was having on top of that, it just got to a point i couldnt take it, but after not taking the spray for a few months the stuffiness as yet to go away, if it will ever, but i will not go back to abusing the spray.
 
elissa last decade
I am 30 years old, I have been using 4 way since I was 13, I use it every 2-3 hours. I have MVP and heart reguratation,high blood pressure, muscle and joint pain and stiffness, chronic colitis, and bleeding problems all of which come from my nasal spray addiction, annd I still have tried everything and can't quit.
 
christyt95 last decade
Hi christy feel free to email me if you need support. I am still fighting it. I finally stopped using it in August. Other than thatweek I was sick and sprayed it once a night for 3 days, I have not given in but the congestion has not yet gone away. I am afraid I permantely damaged it because of the major abuse. Right now actually I am really stuffed, sinus pain and nosse throbs and is painful. I think I will always have to struggle but I know that at least I am not damaging my heart anymore. The stregth to get me to stop is my daughter. I'm a single parent. My father died when I was a child and I am all she has. What helped me was being proud and telling my family that I really stopped and although there were nights I thought I couldnt take anymore, I felt I would be ashamed to tell them I started again and that stopped me from doing it. I still have one in my home. I know I should of thrown it out but once you overcome the first hurdle, it builds up your willpower. I found the best time for me was in the summer. I am in Canada so spend most the year indoors. In the summer we spend alot of time outside and when I'm in fresh air, the rebound and pressure isnt as severe, so I picked a weekend when we didnt have anything important to do, as I knew I wouldn't sleep, and spent most the time outside. I dont believe any of these miracle drops works. People here dilute it and that worked for them. I have taken all the perscriptions nasal sprays on rhinocourt not but I dont find it helps. I took all the allergy meds, sinus/cold tablets, they dont do either. The only thing for me that worked was going cold turkey. I did one side at a time. I started off instead of spraying every 30 mins I would spray every 5 hours and then so on and so on untill I stopped.Feel free to contact me. It wont let me post my email so its elissaz (at) rogers dot com.
 
elissa last decade
Christy: from reading your post it sounds as if you are already receiving medical assistance from a doctor for your other ailments. Please consult with them regarding this problem too.

What I found helpful is to get a shot of cortisone that will help with the stuffiness that comes with the rebound effect from the nasal spray. A prescription for rhinocort or flounase will also help.

In addition to the above, I found that sudafed helped in combination with all of the above but check with your doctor to see if it will react with any other medications you are taking.

The only way to quit is to go cold turkey. It will take some time to get over the addiction so don't expect immediate results. I did it at the beginning of a stay at home vacation so I could go without sleeping the first few nights. Its been 4 years after using the sprays for over thirty years but I still struggle at times.

Once you decide to take the plunge and quit, throw out the sprays so you can't use them even if you wanted to.

Please make sure you get help from your doctor.
 
dzfromny last decade
My doctor won't let me use anything but allergy meds,because of the heart and blood pressure issues. I told him it was better than using the nasal spray, he just said I had to stop and walked out like usual. It might be easier if he would help a little more, he has let me use flonase and nasonex and rinacort with zertec,but that is all the help he will give me. I have accually thought about quitting the next cold I get, since I'll be stuffy anyway. idk
 
christyt95 last decade
Christy95, have you tried dilution method ??
 
hypogirl80 last decade
Yes, by the way my mom and brother are both on the same spray, we got the habit from our mom. We all try that all the time, especially when funds are low and we are running out.
 
christyt95 last decade
What do you mean that you try that all the time. All you need to do is a few weeks, 2 months the most. And What do you mean funds low and running out ?
 
hypogirl80 last decade
When we don't have the money to buy another bottle and we are running out of nasal spray, we dilute it and try to stop until we can get some more and it never works as good. Happy New Year
 
christyt95 last decade
I see, well, dilute will save you money since you use less and less spray week after week. but do not stop, otherwise you will have to start it all over again. Most people use 4 or 5 bottles of spray, carefully mix them (reduce the amount a little a time) into 6 or 7 weeks of differently diluted spray, that is all you need to do. (by the way, Do you know how to dilute and use the spray over the weeks? read my early -last year- post for details)
 
hypogirl80 last decade
I am sitting here at work and I was reading these posts. I am 24 and WAS addicted to nasal spray for just over 2 years. It all started with a cold and I used it and was unable to stop. I too felt the same way that everyone on here felt and that is that I could not live without it. I was that girl that had a little white bottle in my nitestand drawer, in my purse, in my car, in my locker at work and freaked out if I ever went on vacation or camping anywhere away from home and didn't have it. I thought about a year ago that I was addicted and then thought....There's no way you can be addicted to Nasal sprays. Well while I was sitting here at work one nite I looked up Nasal Spray addiction online and realized I was not alone. I realized at that point that it is possible to get addicted to this stuff and that it can cause longterm damage down the road. I got to the point where I was using it frequently during the day and ALWAYS right before bed...it wasn't just the one puff in each nostril it was three or four just to stop the congestion. I realized about mid december that the inside of my nose was completely raw and that everytime I'd blow my nose blood would come out. I honestly felt like a crack addict. That is when I realized this madness has to stop and I'm a stronger person than this and that I cannot let Nasal spray control me. I know it sounds stupid but those that have been addicted to it know what I'm talking about. I stopped cold turkey on December 20th 2009 and let me tell you it's the best thing I've done for myself. I've read about Rhinostat and diluting the substance, but by quitting cold turkey you are giving it up completely and get off quicker...I believe anyway. I decided that on the 20th I was done...I went home and threw out my 6 bottles I had stashed around my house....6 BOTTLES!!! I mean seriously I was soooo embarassed by this. I went to walgreens and bought sudefed PE and I took that for three nites in a row and DID NOT use the spray. It was a little rough but after the sudefed kicked in I was better. I also slept with my head elevated a little in bed...that was rough because then my neck hurt from laying a different way. Within 5 days I was completely off and will NEVER use it ever again!!! It's the best feeling to not have to depend on something as silly as nasal spray to help you breath. If you have patience and the motivation to get off this stuff you can do it within a week guaranteed!! I know the first few days are going to be hard, but it will get better I promise!!! My nose to this day still is sore on the inside and sometimes hurts to blow it but the blood has stopped and I believe it's healing up on it's own. I can definitly sympathize with anyone that is going through this...good luck to anyone trying to get rid of thier nasal spray addiction...
 
Coley last decade

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