So I'm addicted to nasal spray...

[KilgoreTrout]

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.

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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.