Nasal Spray Addiction _{Page 10 of 11}

I havent posted for a while because i've been ashamed that i quit and kept going back. Well its been a couple months now and im still stuffed on one side bad alot of pain in the nose. I've gone through hell the past couple months. Had a sinus infection and took the antibiotics didnt do anything. I started having severe dizzy spells that I was blacking out. Went to an ENT said I have Labyrinthitis sinus backed up and going to the inner ear. He gave me omnvare new spray, doesnt do anything. I've been feeling so lightheaded out of it all day and night. I hardly have gone out. I am afraid i will never feel better if i damaged myself from the otrivin. I am close to sparying it but havent gave in. We wanted go to on a vacation for aw eek and been anxious to get better but almost 2 months and no change. I hate living like this. Has anyone else had any problems like this? it feels like I have a flu. Always tired, dizzy out of it.

Sun 10th April 10.pm stopped using my nasal spay fri night 8th April , still got blocked nose , been on this stuff for 25 yrs , my nose feels blocked and a bit runny , wonder when I'll start feeling like I can breath again , prob in for rubbish
nights sleep , I have ordered something call nasodren ,so don't know if it will work till I try it , I live in Scotland , so say a wee prayer for me lol , Alec , let me know if anyone in the same or been on this trip

Monday morning 10am still got stuffy blocked nose , wish it would clear, but I'm not gonna let this spray beat me , let's hope ,

what does all this have to do with homeopathy? I thought it was a homeopathic forum, not a nasal spray forum.

Hi;

I just found this website and am going through the previous posts. I ran across your post and it definitely peeked my interest. I am hopelessly addicted to nasal sprays. I've been using them regularly for 2 years and need to use them approximately 4 times per day (on a good day) to breathe. I panic when my nasal passages completely swell shut. I've tried seeing a homeopath, a chiropractor and just finished laser acupunture, nothing has worked. I went to see an ENT specialist today. He couldn't even get the scope in my left nostril, which is typically worse than my right nostril. He said I had a deviated septum and required surgery, however, he will not perform the surgery until I'm completely off the nasal sprays. What a catch 22. I've been reading about various tips, and I'm hopeful, I'm actually glad other people have gone through getting off the nasal sprays and survived. Any help or advice you could give me would be appreciated.

Jocelynne

You need will power to come off nasal spray I was on it for 25 yrs , it took me about a week with royal blockage. , , the nasal swelling will come down , you will have sleepless nights as I did , again it took will power and determination , I still have a bit of blocked nose the odd day but I use a nasal inhaler and it works , if I was you I would consider the surgery , especially if your passage is out of line , good luck. , I know what your going threw

Wow, I am really happy that I found a place where others are going or have gone through what I'm going through.

For atleast 3 years (most likely longer) I've been taking Otrivin (xylometazoline hydrochloride) almost every single day. For the past year I've been spraying, putting gel or putting drops in my nose at least 4-10 times a day. If I didn't use it, my nose would clog. I always wondered why when I got up in the mornings my nose would be so blocked up and now I know why...It's because my nose didn't have any otrivin in it!!!!

Well, I quit the stuff last night and I have not even been able to breathe out of my nose all day. My grandfather boiled some water and let me inhale menthol and I have a vicks inhaler and they don't do crap!

I will say though, what truly shocked me today was what happened when I had a panic attack. I have Panic disorder so it's common for me to have them when I'm quitting something...What happened was when I started getting overwhelming sensations of impending doom, my nostrils cleared almost instantly! I was so shocked by this that I quickly calmed down to sit in wonder of it. I think becuase in the fight or flight response, our blood vessels constrict and thats exactly what happens in the nose. Too bad that I hate panic though.

Also, I read on here that some people wake up with panic/anxiety attacks at night when they are off of their nasal spray. I think this may actually be temporary Sleep Apnea because we can't breathe out of our noses. I say if it persists after your nose has been unblocked, then see an Otolaryngologist (ENT).

Anyway, I'm really happy that others are getting off of the stuff too. The moment I realized that I was physically dependent on this stuff, I wanted to quit asap. good luck to all of you.

like most people i stumbled accross this site after wondering if anyone else had this addictive tether to a little white spray bottle which i relied on like oxygen.

i have been taking Drixine/Affrin for over 4 years, it started after a bit of a rough cold. after a few days i started needing it constantly, i had bottles all over the house, in my car and desk draw at work. it started off that a bottle would last a month but with more frequent reliance on the spray i was nearly on a bottle a week. it even came to a point where when i traveled to thailand i stockpiled 4 bottles in my suitcase and 1 in carry on because i knew i would need it several times on the 8 hour flight.

nobody seemed to understand that without it i could not breathe, even saying it now seems pretty wild.

so im getting married in 40 days, and i said to my fiance that i didnt want to be sniffing and struggling on our wedding day reaching for nasal spray during our vowes. so 3 weeks ago i stopped, and god it sucked, i didnt sleep, my nose was raw and this went on for 4 days, then one nostril opened up a bit and it felt like heaven, then it only got better from there, the only thing i did use was saline irrigation to flush my sinus. so 3 weeks later i can breath through both nostrils with only a tiny sniffle, i sleep the whole night without waking up at 3am for a hit to get me through to morning. and i no longer panic when i leave the house if i forgot to bring my spray.

so cold turkey works, it sucks for a bit but totally worth it, i sweeped over my house today and found 42 empty drixine bottles in random spots around the house, thats about $588.

good luck to anyone who trys to kick this habbit, i promise the sucky days pay off.

-Angelo

Hey everyone, just finished my 24th cold turkey hour. I'm 25 and been addicted for about a year now although I've been off and on nasal sprays for about ten years. Thanks a lot for all the posts--just reading them helped me out a lot! Sinuses are obviously completely blocked but for me, the first six hours or so were by far the hardest. Even though my nose was completely blocked I kept trying to fight it by breathing in and out extremely hard. That resulted in a horrific headache and a huge amount of frustration. After a while I just sort of accepted that I would be breathing exclusively out of my mouth and once I did that, I found that I'm much more mentally committed to quitting.

There's one thing I've found that I think might help people. For me, the hardest part is the sinus pressure when I swallow (where it makes your ears feel like they're going to pop). To alleviate this, I my plug nose with my fingers by squeezing right where I'm really congested and then gently try to blow through my nose like I'm trying to pop my ears (as if I'm taking off or landing in an airplane). The split second after I do this and unplug my nose, I am able to take a deep breath through my nose. Of course, I can't sit here like an idiot doing that for hours on end but every once in a while, when I'm particularly frustrated or doubting whether I can do this or I just need a moment of relief, it is fantastic. I'm assuming that I'm just pushing the inflamed sinuses together which squishes them down for a brief moment, allowing a second until they swell back shut. More than any true remedy, it's just a great pick-me-up that reminds me that my nose won't permanently be clogged and that I'll soon feel so much better.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone even a fraction of the amount that so many of these posts have helped me.

Hi everyone,

Ive been addicted to otravine for about 5 years now.. :-( Started using it due to nasal polyps what I didnt know I had at the time.. Had them removed and got off the spray for a while as I have done one other time but as soon as I get a cold/stuffy nose I end up using it again then back to square 1. Im trying again from today but just got unberable so used up one nostril, figure its better to wean myself off it.. The thing is I can only ever even think about going the cold turkey if im off work and by myself as I can hardly talk and breath.. The last ent doctor I saw said that its safe to use it for life and that people with bad sinus etc do so.. But then everyother doctor has told me to stop using it.. and it surely cant be good to be puuting this chemical into our systems constantly.

SUCH A NIGHTMARE!

I've been using Afrin for four days. I know... that's like absolutely nothing compared to the ones here who've used it for 14 years! I just started using it because of a cold... but after reading all of your stories here, I've thrown my bottle in the trash.

Even at just four days, I've had a *small* taste of what you all are going through. I'm definitely noticing the rebound congestion. Right now I can't breathe out of my nose AT ALL... I thought it was the cold getting worse but I've realized it was probably from the spray. I've just thrown my bottle in the trash and already I'm wondering how on earth I'm going to get through the night.

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories. You've inspired me to quit now, before it becomes a problem! You're all in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks again.

WOW! I can't believe so many people have gone through and still going through all this just because they want to be able to be freely - I am one of these people. I have been using otrivine and other various nose sprays CONSTANTLY for the last 5 or more years! I went and saw my GP this morning because I have finally had enough of being so dependant on such sprays ( I dread to think how much it has cost me for all this time). The Doc has told me i'm in for a rough ride for a while but should be well on the road to recovery in about 2 weeks. He has put me on 'VISTAMETHASONE' - a steroid in fluid drops and a beconase spray. I'm already struggling to get any sleep, hence typing away on here at midnight! I would just like to wish everybody on here who is trying to beat this every success for the future in their quest to breathe easy.

Hi all,

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I just quit: here is the rundown.
I was addicted for 1 year: afrin I feel everyone's pain. Don't be scared. You can do this, you just gotta know what to expect and muscle through it.

Things you need:
Chapstick, sudafed/Advil, Vic's vapor rub, saline, will power.
The night before you quit use your last spray to get a good nights sleep ( ur gonna need it)
Next day: you will completely clogged up. Take sudafed/ Advil every 4 hours. Nose is plugged but keep drinking water and it's not that bad.
6 pm that day my nose opened slightly. Dinner was nice.
11pm that night nose was sealed tight again. Apply vapor rub to nostrils and keep Chapstick on. Stay awake as long as you can. I made it to about 3 am. Passed out. Woke up 8 am. Very dry mouth. Drink water. Take sudafed/Advil .use vapor rub. Layed back down. 9:30 am one nostril opened. 11:30 am nostrils switched , one open, the other closed. 1pm used saline. One side is still slightly opened, other is closed but not as bad as the first day. Hot shower.1:30 pm both nostrils are opened all the way without any nasal spray other than saline. Take sudafed . 4:05 pm - 1 side is open. The worst is over!!! 41 hours. I'll maybe have one more night of crappy sleep but I can tell I've beaten it. Don't be scared! Do it, commit to 48 hours with no spray. I'm free. Please email me if you have any questions. I'll let you know more as soon as I get further along. Hope this helps those who need to break free from nose spray. Go cold turkey, and use the products that I mentioned to ease the pain

Ok the 5th day on gets very easy. Keep using sudafed 30mg every few hour.
I am now on day 10 and completely back to normal. Good luck, no more money waisted on nose spray
[message edited by Steveo1223 on Tue, 29 May 2012 23:42:19 BST]

06/12/2012- haven't used afrin in about a month. Best thing I ever did was quit. Nose is 90% back to normal. All you struggling..... Just stop cold turkey none of that dilution crap, why drag it out. Be free from spending money and worrying about having enough in ur bottle. They is nothing in that spray bottle but, the devil himself lol.
[message edited by Steveo1223 on Wed, 13 Jun 2012 09:26:13 BST]

I've been using nasal sprays for just over two years. It started when I had really bad sinus congestion. It went on for a week and was awful. I decided to see my GP about this and he advised that I use an over the counter nasal spray. I had never used them before and was amazed at how well and quickly it worked. 12 hours relief, WOW!. However, I noticed that if I didn’t use the spray the congestion would return. After a few weeks of using the sprays I went back to my GP (this time a different one as we had since moved house) and explained my situation…

To my horror my new GP told me it was bad practice to be told to use the nasal sprays by a doctor without first explaining the risks of using them after more than three days. I was prescribed steroid nasal sprays and told to stop the over the counter stuff immediately. The steroids helped but didn’t stop what I now know to be rebound congestion. So, I gave in and kept on using the sprays. Sure enough the steroids ran out and I still needed the other sprays.

I went back to my GP cap in hand once again and decided I had to try to kick the habit again. But once again I was a coward and gave in. Over the next few months I noticed I had to use the sprays more frequently to get the same relief. Sleep became disturbed. I got to the point where I would wake up about 5 or 6am and not be able to get back to sleep because I was completely stuffed up. It would take several sprays just to clear this morning stuffiness and then several more through to lunch to get back to feeling human again.

Finally, having temporarily moved to Australia and finding out that the sprays were about 4x the price as they were in the UK I decided I had to quit. I read about people’s attempts on forums just like this and decided I would try cold turkey.

Well, that lasted for about 12 hours. The rebound congestion was awful. Just like others have described, my nose and sinuses cemented themselves shut and the pressure in my head was very uncomfortable. I could not eat without my ears popping. I tried using saline spray and menthol sweets to help but they didn’t do anything. The only slight relief was a hot shower. But it was all too much and I gave in.

Three weeks later and I am trying a different method – the one nostril method that others have described. Early yesterday morning (Monday) I took one spray in each nostril for one last bit of relief. From then on I decided I would only spray in my right nostril and would put up with the rebound congestion in my left. Sure enough it clogged up in the left fairly quickly, but not as bad as I was fearing. I took a run in the cold fresh air of southern Australia which cleared my nose for a couple of hours.

Last night was not the best night’s sleep I’ve had… mouth breathing and fairly blocked up. However, my left nostril is starting to clear a bit here and there and is no longer completely clogged up (its now Tuesday lunch so only about 36 hours in to quitting). I can now breathe enough in my left nostril that I’m giving up the spray in my right (i.e. no more nasal spray). It’s still not perfect and I still have to breathe through my mouth most of the time but I am noticing a difference. It seems to be a lot easier than the complete cold turkey method so I would recommend giving this method a go.

I feel like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m sure it will take a few more days at least but if it continues to improve it will be well worth it… no more trips to the bathroom during meetings and dinners to spray, no more trips to the pharmacy, no more panics that I’m running low.

Good for you!! congratulations on
this.

Regards,
Simone717

My name is Kelly. I just found this forum when I was looking for a time frame for recovery. I never thought I would admit this but, I am addicted to nasal spray and this is definitely not my first bout with the addiction but, it is definitely the longest. This one has lasted about five years. My last bout was when I was living with my parents. It made getting over it easier because, I was unemployed and my Mom bought it for me. When she realized I was addicted she cut me off. I got over it. This time, I'm married and living in my own home. It happened just like every other time. I got a cold and couldn't breathe, I started having panic attacks and nightmares of drowning (I drowned when I was 6 months old, and now I have a deep fear of drowning). The next day I went to the store and purchased some nasal spray. It worked and I couldn't stop. Every time I tried my nose would seal shut and the panic ensued. After two years of using it, my husband started bugging me about it. Since, he couldn't 'cut me off' his complaints were pointless. About six months ago, I started to notice some things that bothered me. While the nasal spray helped me to breathe my nasal mucous became like glue. Then it would become dry. I was constantly in the bathroom 'cleaning' out my passages. I also noticed that I felt bad. My head felt like a giant cotton ball and I couldn't focus or function. My father died in August and I decided to try to get healthy. I tried to quit smoking, I changed my diet and I started exercising. I still felt horrible and my motivation was quickly leaving me. Needless to say, I went back to my old ways. Two days ago, I said enough is enough. I want to have children and I can't do that if I'm unhealthy. Last night, I went to the grocery store and instead of buying nasal spray, I bought saline spray, vicks and nose strips. Last night, I used the very last drops of my nasal spray before bed (not enough to get me through the night). I backed it up with a nose strip and while my sleep was not uninterrupted due to inability to breathe, I did make it til time to get up without a panic attack. Today, I have not used any nasal spray but, have alternated between vicks, saline and the strips and I seem to be doing okay. I am congested but, I am able to get some air in. I am slightly worried about bedtime when my congestion is the worst. No matter what happens, I am determined to get off of this stuff for good. I've read many of the posts and have a general idea about what I can expect. I think that in itself will help me to overcome this debilitating crutch. I say debilitating because it really alters your life. I was constantly making sure I had spray on hand when needed and trying to use it without anyone else finding out about it. It's become a strain and now I want to be free.

You can do it!!

Thanks Steveo1223! I've made it beyond the 24 hour mark. It's 5:30am and as expected not one wink of sleep. I laid down and my nose completely closed up. I felt the panic starting and so, I got up. If I have to stay awake to beat this, I will. If I have to sleep in the lazyboy, I will. Strangest thing happened today, I told my husband yesterday what I was doing. He said nothing. When he came home tonight, I apologized for not cleaning the house and told him how horrible I was feeling. He said 'Honey, if you're that miserable go to the store and get your spray, it's okay.' I was stunned. But, I shouldn't have been. He did that when I was trying to quit smoking. My irritability would get on his nerves enough and he would tell me to go buy some cigarettes before we ended up divorced. Hence the reason I've failed at that more times than I care to mention. That's my next mission by the way. I've purchased a self hypnosis cd and it should arrive today. It's the only thing I can do. I'm allergic to the patches, the lozenges, the gum and the electronic cigarettes are crap and twice as expensive. I'm making two major changes in my life by eliminating both of my addictions. I can't wait to be normal again!

In an hour and a half I will make the 36 hour mark. I did finally fall asleep but, then my idiot husband let the dogs out of the bedroom. I had only been asleep for about 50 minutes.

I'm really miserable right now. But, I feel a bit encouraged too. I'm at 40 hours right now. I went back up to bed after the husband got up for the day. I slept off and on for about five hours. Instead of my nasal passages being dry and stuffy, I actually have some moist stuffiness on one side. So, blowing my nose brings a moment of relief on my left side. I'm able to get some air in on my right side so that's encouraging. I know I'm posting a lot but, it is helping me to stay focused on my ultimate goal. Thanks for tolerating it.

43 hours in and I'm feeling much better than I was three hours ago. After blowing my nose a couple of times I can breathe A LOT better. I'm really encouraged now!

I'm well passed the 48 hour mark and I've back tracked to near miserable. I tried to go to bed tonight and my nose completely shut down. Since, I gave up trying to sleep, it's been stuffy and difficult to get even a little air through. I imagine it's going to come an go in phases. Oh well, looks like it's the lazyboy for me tonight.

It's been over 65 hours. I'm still hanging in. I finally went back to bed when I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. It was too hot to sleep in the Lazyboy. My nose started clearing a bit and I thought, I would give sleeping another try. I managed to sleep for 5.5 hours without waking up to reposition myself or to reapply my vicks. Woke up feeling really yucky but, that worked itself out within a few minutes.

It's now been a week since I quit and sleep disturbances are down. I slept 7 hours on Saturday night and 8.5 hours last night. I still feel yucky when I wake up but, I'm able to sleep and that is what is most important. I can deal with blowing my nose multiple times in the morning to clear out the yuck.

I just passed the two week mark and I'm sleeping through the night. Morning is still a bit uncomfortable but, I'm not blowing my nose six times every morning to breathe. My only significant remaining issue is the fact that my nasal passages are so dry. Usually only in the morning but, I have occasional dryness during the day. I remedy that with a little saline and I'm good.

I'm so happy to finally be free of nasal spray!