Stuffy nose

[Nancy LC]

Well, I think I'm hooked on decongestant spray. Either that or else my nose is perpetually stuffy for some other reason.

Has anyone cured themselves of a chronic stuffy nose and/or decongestant cycle of reliance? I usually start getting stuffy in the evening, but I wonder if perhaps it is because the decongestant I'm using (nasal spray) is keeping my passages open nearly 24 hours, then it wears off and I have backlash.

I HATE sleeping with a stuffy nose, I end up breathing out of my mouth and I wake up feeling like my mouth is a desert. :help:

[Allergymom]

Nancy..

I have been battling w/allergies/sinus/for years and YES you can become addicted to decognestant nose spray. That is wicked stuff when you get addicted. I to will stuff up at night and alot of its fall allergies right now. If anything..get you some just regular saline spray and use that..It non addicting and you can use it more then once a day. Also, ask your dr. for a prescrip for some topical steriod spray for allergies..Flonase/nasonex etc. You will be stuffed for a while till you get off of the decognestant spray..Even being sick with a sinus infection..Dr. says no more then 3 days of using a decognestant spray.

Hope this helps..I am very knowledgeable bout stuff like that..

Cya

[Nancy LC]

I guess I should go see a doctor. I was reading about chronic stuffy noses and common funguses too. http://www.webmd.com/content/article/95/103178.htm

And I've been suspecting I might have a cat allergy. I own a cat and have my whole life!

[Allergymom]

I really think it is allergy related..But if you to use a topical spray like I mentioned above..It should help..But, rememember, it takes time to build up in your system just like all allergy meds..Might also get you a neti pot..google that one..I use it faithfully as does Ruthlamb and it does work..

Good luck

[SidC]

My husband got addicted to nasal spray a few years ago. His doctor gave him the same advice that Linda posted. When you stop, be prepared that you might be more than a little bit stuffy for a few days - he was miserable. One thing that helped was breathing over a pot of simmering water and with a towel loosely draped over his head. Sympathies - but you've got to get off that stuff.

[Whoa182]

Hey nancy, I found using something like sea salt (sterimar) nasal spray and then using maybe nasonex after it would help lots. Although nasonex causes a bit of bleeding sometimes.

For some reason I have a stuffy nose too. My doctor says I have non-allergic rhinitis. It isn't that bad in comparison to most people, so I'm never refered to any specialist. I guess I'll just have to wait till it goes one day! My hayfever symptoms are still gone but this took over hah. I don't have a runny nose, itchy eyes or any sneezing at all (signs of allergy). Just a stuffy, yet mostly clear nose. Anything like yoga, running or some sort of activity gives a lot of relief too, same with you? Luckily the problems haven't caused any issues with sleeping. Sometimes I do get post nasal drip though, which is the worst part for me! bit err disgusting and annoying.

But what always works instantly? Hot salsa :D

Keep positive, it will resolve at some point. :) Don't get stressed out or anxious over it, that makes things worse.

[Nancy LC]

I should try the salt-water flushes in the nose again. I have heard nothing but good things about those (aka nettie pot without the fancy pot).

I do get itchy eyes if I rub them after I've pet the cat. :(

[cs_carver]

If your blood pressure and general health and attitude to sodium-induced water weight gain will allow it.

Dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a glass of water; drink the water. The sodium will suck a LOT of water out of mucous membranes. I will do this once a day when I have one of those nasty watery nose colds; helps. (Can't tolerate pseudofed anymore.) Lasts about 18 hours, so time it for when you need the benefit the most.

[nawchem]

Nancy if you took the 24 hr antihistamines for 5 days you should see improvement if its allergies causing the problem.

I love the netipot, I figure I probably wouldn't have had to have sinus surgery if I'd used one of those all the time. My dr has me using it 4x a day now since I get so many sinus infections it really helps.

I had turbinate reduction, I had stuffiness when I laid down or exercised, its minor surgery, totally cured it.

[deirdra]

I was addicted to decongestants & antihistimines for 3 years (365 days/yr) before quitting cold turkey. Like others have said, the first few days can make you feel stuffier. Steamy showers & chicken soup help too.

I am also allergic to my cats (even though I lived with cats with no problems as a kid), but I have found that eliminating or minimizing all allergens makes it possible to live with them without problems. Two sleep with me and one is a lap cat while the other likes to be cuddled like a baby. I do wash my hands & use a lint roller on my arms, shoulders & chest after each mega cuddle session. I have faux shearling in their key resting spots that I wash a lot and I put my duvet cover in the dryer with a damp washcloth & unscented fabric softener sheet to get the cat hair off in between washes.

I avoid fragrances & food allergens, dust with a mask on, vacuum regularly. The only times I have problems is when I come in contact with a hideously perfumy or cigarette-smoke-laden person at work or get stuck behind a diesel vehicle for more than a few seconds. It seems to be allergen overload that causes the stuffiness to return. If I keep them at low levels, the cats don't bother me. I also refrain from using antihistimines or decongestants unless I am stuffy for more than 48 hrs & try the steam, Vicks vaporub & other old-wives' approaches. Occasionally, if they don't work, I will take 1/2 of a Claritan tablet once, so I do not get readdicted.

[Nancy LC]

I started dilluting my decongestant spray hoping I could wean myself off that way. But then I noticed I had to use it twice last night! Ack! Looks like I'll just have to go cold turkey.

[Zuleikaa]

Taking organic oregano oil relieves all respiratory problems including allergies.

[kebaldwin]

I was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and was suppose to use a steroid for the rest of my life. All that is gone because of Atkins diet.

[Nancy LC]

Well, I think I'm finally making progress on this. I got some saline spray and I use that before bedtime. First night the left nostril slammed shut and I used a bit of decongestant, but the right nostril, which is the one that usually plagues me, stayed open! Last night left nostril stayed partly open, enough that I could sleep. Right nostril was fine all night long! I didn't use the decongestant at all! First night I haven't had to.

So hopefully in a few days the decongestant backlash will be over and I can resume sleeping without it.

[deirdra]

How old is your pillow? It may be time to get a new one and an allergen-proof pillow case.

[Nancy LC]

I have already addressed the pillow. When I learned that aspergillous can grow in pillows I threw out all the old ones, got new ones and a impermeable cover for it. :p

[babe]

you might try those breath right adhesive strips. i've used them a couple of times. they kinda "hold" the nostril open.

[Nancy LC]

I have them too. :) My first night I tried them and the saline together and ended up with a nasty nosebleed.

I've figured out something though, it seems to be a mechanical thing. If I lay on my side, the nostril on the side I'm laying on clogs up. If I'm on my back I am ok. At least, that was my experience last night. The strips didn't completely help, it seemed like they did at first a little bit but the clogging happened anyway. I'll have to try it again, I've only done it once.

I did make it through a 2nd night without any decongestants! Yay!

[Whoa182]

You tried Nasonex?

[Nancy LC]

No, is that a prescription? I just ordered some capascin spray. That should be ... interesting. :p

[deirdra]

If I lay on my side, the nostril on the side I'm laying on clogs up. If I'm on my back I am ok.I've noticed that too, and if I have one stuffed up nostril before I lie down, I sleep with it smushed into the pillow so that I don't even try to breathe through it and just use the working one.

[Nancy LC]

Interesting, Deirdra!

Well, I had a really good nostril night last night. One nostril closed part of the way for part of the night, but it wasn't that horrible, "all the way" closed feeling I get sometimes. I used the BR strips last night and I think they really helped this time. I probably am over the backlash from the decongestant by now.

[PlayDoh]

i had a good friend that was totally hooked on one of those sprays. she had it in her pocket and used it liberally all day long. she couldn't seem to get along without it.

a few other things to try, i don't brush my teeth right before bed because toothpaste seems to slam all that shut, but, sometimes a good strong listerine type mouthwash gargle will set everything wide open. my husband always does much better when he is consistent with nasal rinses. he just used one of those ear bulbs from the pharmacy, no neti pot. on average of once a year, he gets some wicked viral thing that can't be seen that completely messes up his sinuses and head. he can't work, can't drive, basically can barely function, and the only thing that clears it up is prednisone and the docs are buttheads about prescribing it

i bought a capsaisin spray, sinus buster, because i was getting terrible debilitating headaches for weeks at a time, that nothing was working on, nothing otc anyway, and it was getting to where i had no life and no energy.
it didn't work as immediately as was claimed, but it does work and has been a life saver for me. i actually have days where i feel decent now and can accomplish something. if i use the mild version consistently every day, i can pretty much keep the headaches at bay, but you know how it is, you feel good, you forget...lol. i actually had a period of two months without a headache blowout. i recently had a cold, and for as long as i had it, no headache. i've had this experience before and it has led me to conclude that i have a massive sinus infection brewing in there that i never quite get rid of. as soon as the cold goes and my sinuses stopped draining, bad headaches came back. got one right now .

i hope the capsaisin works for you. i can't say enough good stuff about what it has done for me. another poster on here tried it without it helping her at all, so i'll keep my fingers crossed for you :) i find that when things are really bad off, i'll need a couple of shots of the good stuff, and then a couple shots more ten minutes or so later which generally kills off the pain for a couple of hours, and then followup throughout the day. use the good stuff consistently the next day, and by that time it is usually under control and i can switch to the mild for the duration.

by the way, the full strength stuff will kick your ass :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

by the way, i finally got up the courage the other day finally to try capsaisin capsules. i've had them for aboout 6 months but have been too chicken to try it with the way i've always had acid flare ups. so took an antacid and down the hatch they went. had four throughout the day. i don't think it really did anything, but man, the burn felt great! :lol: :lol: :lol: i was a gardening fool that day :lol: :lol:

[Whoa182]

i recently had a cold, and for as long as i had it, no headache. i've had this experience before and it has led me to conclude that i have a massive sinus infection brewing in there that i never quite get rid of. as soon as the cold goes and my sinuses stopped draining, bad headaches came back. got one right now .

That sounds very much like an allergy. When you have a serious infection your immune systems goes after the viral of bacterial infection, while the allergenic proteins do not stimulate an attack by the immune system. I've noticed it many times over... get ill and the nose problem goes away, then it comes back after my body has dealt with the infection.

In fact, there is a new treatment that is being tested that works on this idea. I'll look for it later.

[DerBlumers]

..hey..I can't even use a nasal spray. It either squirts right back out all over the floor, or goes down my throat so fast it causes me to gag. My allergy spray must be prescription non-aquaeous.

And...NO SPRAY does any good when my sinuses are infected (as they are now....) You said there is a new treatment for infections? I HOPE SO.....I have nasal polyps and get such infections regularly...and they are so difficult to overcome....

[Nancy LC]

Interesting, sleeping on my back keeps my nostrils clear. But whatever side I sleep on gets a clogged nostril.

[Nancy LC]

Playdoh, I just used that Sinusbuster spray, the full-strength one.. . YOW! :D My eyes are watering!

[PlayDoh]

kicks your butt huh? :lol: well, did you get any help from it? i'm hoping so. :) if it works for you and you continue using it, you'll get used it. i've found that when things are really bad off i have to use it several times at first and then often throughout the day. i'm past the eye watering part, but when i use it now, my eyes ache altogether, inside and underneath, but in a way that feels like it is breaking up nasty sinus congestion/infection. i couldn't get along without it now. it does have it's merits though as an aversion technique. even though i'm used to it now and i know how wonderfully well it works, i find myself putting off using it anyway. i had one of those headaches pretty much all day yesterday and yet like a bonehead i didn't use any. i'm going to go do that now because you reminded me, thanks :D and if i can get back into the groove, i can go with mild daily along with alleclear and will feel much better overall. it's great to feel better, but horrible to realize also how much a headache or sinus drags down one's daily life. i can't wait to hear if it helped you. fill me in when you can :) have a great day sweetie! :D

[Nancy LC]

Well, I don't think it helps with my stuffy nose that happens in bed. I think that's just a mechanical thing with the fluids rushing to that area and swelling tissues. :( But it sure might if it were stuffy due to other causes. Call me weird, but I kind of liked it. It was like eating something really spicy.

[PlayDoh]

when i was down in san diego, the whole allergy sinus thing was completely different. it's much scrubbier down there, greener and more heavily pollinated up here. from childhood years through adulthood, i almost always got stuffy noe when laying down. funny thing was, my nose did not feel as if there were any cause for it most times, as in, no congestion. also, with the dry air there, most times i felt as if i could not breathe well when it was dry which is almost always down there. i was actually breathing fine, but it felt as if my breath was being sucked away. santa anas were torture! i didn't realize how much that had changed after we moved up here until we were driving home from lake shasta last year and that same old feeling hit when we were driving through dixon. suddenly i couldn't breathe well and it was the exact same sensation as i had almost constantly down in san diego. home was roughly 20 miles away and by that time the feeling had mostly passed. dixon in more rural wide open space and windier than where we are. i figure it was something in the air reminicent of san diego. that is what made me realize that i had become more acclimated to here and that those feelings of stuffiness and breathlessness were largely due to having lived in the scrubbier/drier area of san diego. i had known no differently having had always lived there before we moved here. i was used to it though, it was just aggravating to have it happen last year because i am not used to it anymore so it was difficult to deal with, made me feel panicky. down there it was so constant as to be a way of life, from child to adult. i actually used to take a wet washcloth on long car trips with me just so i could breathe better because my folks would have the windows down and i flat out felt like i couldn't breathe when the wind would hit my face. anyway, i guess what i am saying is could largely be due to the atmosphere of where you are? because it seems to have been for me. i just didn't realize it because the change was slow to happen and i didn't realize until that feeling hit me for the first time in ages last year. have you tried using a humidifier at night? is humidifier the one that puts out cool mist?

[Nancy LC]

I really think it is mechanical not related to allergies. I've probably got a narrow passage to start with then when I lay down, usually on my side, the side that is down is probably getting all the bodily fluids drained into it, the side that up is getting the fluids drained away. I can feel it happening a bit. Then when I stand up, I feel the reverse happening, my 1 clogged nasal passage will open as the fluids go rushing down to my feet. I was compounding the issue by using decongestants and they'd wear after about 20 hours later and my nose would react by swelling even larger, so that led me to think it was a night time allergy. But now that I'm off the decons I don't have that happening, just the side I am laying on swells and closes.

Its like when you are turned upside down, the blood wants to pool in your head.

I've heard there is a thing they can do by putting a balloon gizmo up your nose. They inflate it and it breaks these teeny bones you have and your nasal passages will stay open. I think I'll ask my Dr. about this because this problem is getting worse as I age, I suppose the tissues aren't as firm as they once were.

[DerBlumers]

Nancy...back when it was experimental, I had those balloon thingies inflated in my sinuses....after about the fourth treatment I had such a gusher nosebleed that the doctor refused to do it again....I have to admit, though, it cleared out my sinuses for awhile after the treatments.....