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So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
tl/dr: I guess this is a PSA. Use nasal decongestant sprays only for a couple days at a time, lest ye become an Afrin junky.
--- Not a true addiction, but a physical dependence. Been a rough winter for the Warden and me. We've each had the flu and a couple of bad colds. I came down with sinusitis in early February and started using over the counter nasal sprays for relief. I have a deviated septum, thanks to a broken honker when I was a kid, and only one side of my nose functions effectively. If that side gets stuffed up I am miserable. Hence the nasal spray. The stuff works, but because I've been using it for the better part of a month I now am suffering from rebound congestion. Basically my sinuses swell up unless I take a couple hits from the nasal spray. My doc's analogy: it's like hemorrhoids in your nose. I have to take 4 sudafeds to gain relief even for a couple hours. The only way to break the cycle of congestion is to quit the sprays cold-turkey. I'm on day 2. It sucks. |
#2
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
the first spray is always free...
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#3
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
pretty soon it will be cocaine. Is this really the path you want to head down?
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
[ QUOTE ]
pretty soon it will be cocaine. Is this really the path you want to head down? [/ QUOTE ] Should eventually burn a hole in your septum, thus helping your breathing. I see no downside. |
#5
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
On a related note cocaine does help alot. Every time after I am clear as a whistle.
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#6
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
Dude I am in the exact same boat as you. I have a deviated septum that seems to always been clogged. I have been resisting using afrin but every once in awhile. The stuff is a miracle drug.
You prolly should just go get surgery to fix your deviated septum. It's just a minor procedure I have ben reading about, becuase I want to get it done too. I bought some stuff call NasalCrom from Walmart that was supposed to help but did not do anything. My dad also has the same problem as me. He swears by shooting a couple of sprays of FloNase every day. Says it keeps him clear. You should try that. |
#7
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
I had this as a chronic problem for years and it took two suregeries and a week stay in isolation in the hospital with a antibiotic staph infection before it got solved. I had both my turbinates as well as my tonsils taken out at the age of 20 (removes the swollen tissues that block breathing) and then my septum fixed and my sinus cavities drilled open last summer at the age of 35. It is worth every bit of post-surgery suffering to get it fixed!!!
In the meantime no more sprays, get a benzedrex inhaler to use until you get to surgery, as it does shrink the nasal lining some to allow breathing yet its use does not have the awful rebound effect caused by the sprays. Also snort warm salt water with a pinch of baking soda twice daily. It does help. |
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
Thanks for the info NN. I want to avoid surgery if at all possible, though.
I took 4 sudafeds at 11:30 this morning. I was clear from 1:00 until 2:15. Now I'm jammed up again, nervous as hell, can't sit still, and have major heartburn. Seeing the doc tonight. Fingers crossed. |
#9
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
Here's the strategy:
Prednisone for 12 days: 60mg first 2 days, 50mg next 2 days, 40, 30, 20, 10. The ENT guy observed that my nose is "97% occluded" which prompted the prednisone script. No side effects so far, but I fully expect the bloating and irritability, as I'm bloated and irritable most days anyway. Hope this works. |
#10
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Re: So I\'m addicted to nasal spray...
Dr. Min Ahn 508 755 8623
Call this guy and get it fixed. He's the best imo. |
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