I’m addicted to Afrin Nasal Spray

Hi, I’m allergic to grass pollen, so every spring my nose sneezes. It’s very unpleasant to breathe and talk like that. So, I use Afrin Nasal Spray to treat congestion, to enable normal breathing. It works, but I have to use it very often. Now, I’ve reached the point when I can’t be without it anymore. Am I addicted to Afrin?

Afrin is nasal decongestant which contains oxymetazoline as active ingredient. In allergic reaction histamine is secreted and his effect is to increase permeability of blood vessels, so more nasal secrete is produced and the nose gets congested. Oxymetazoline prevents blood vessel dilatation and stops increase in production of nasal secret. It’s not recommended to use nasal sprays for more than 3-5 days, because the prolonged use can make the nasal ducts oversensitive. Addiction to oxymatazoline is also very common by inappropriate use of the drug, actually overuse. The fact is that as you use it more you start to depend on it more to keep your nasal airflow. The condition is called rhinitis medicamentosa and there is no drug registered for treatment of this condition. However, there are some other preparations like Rhinostat, which are effective in curing addiction to nasal decongestants. It’s worth trying it!

I have used nasal sprays for several years and had severe clogging ,finally a friend told me about this...it's 4 way saline moisturizing mist.it's put out by Bristol-myers.i couldnt find it in stores .it really got me off the nasal sprays without all the clogging and stuffiness. the number to see about getting it is...1-800-468-7746.
I really hope it helps you llike it did me.

You can become addicted to nasal spray. I used Afrin from 1978 to 1996.
I could not survive without it. If I would not use enough before I went to sleep, I would have dreams of being buried alive. Doctors always prescribed me the fancy spray that smelled like lilacs. It did not work. I used to empty a full bottle of Afrin every day or two. Finally I decided to treat myself with my own method using Flonase. I was off Afrin for good in less than 7 days. Ask your doctor for a prescription of Flonase. Tell him you used it in the past and it works well for you. Dont tell him about your addiction to Afrin. When you get it, use the Flonase once in the morning and once before bed. But, the trick is, continue to use Afrin as you usually do. This will weane you off Afrin within a week. Flonase is not addictive, Afrin or other OTC nasal sprays are. Flonase alone will not unclog you. You will find yourself using Afrin less and less to none at all. I have been off Afrin for 11 years now. If you have any question, email me at dan@presidentialcollision.com Trust me it works. Good luck.

I discovered a very simple way to get off of Afrin.

Go to the store and buy a bottle of Saline solution.

When your Afrin bottle is half-empty, fill it the rest of the way with Saline so that it is half way diluted.

As you continue using your afrin and it starts to get empty again, go add a bunch more Saline.

You will be surprised how much dilution you can add and the Afrin still do its job.

Keep doing this, keep diluting it more and more. One night when you go to bed, you'll forget to use the Afrin.

Once you realize you stopped using it, throw it in the trash.


I do this every year. I get a cold, I start using afrin then I use the dilute method to get me off completely pain and suffering free.

In fact, right now, I am about 75% the way through the dilute method... I'll be back off Afrin in about a week.

I was quite addicted to Afrin. Months and months of depending on this. I would freak if i was running low in the bottle. I had one in the house, the car, the bedroom etc. It was awful. I was a junkie!!!

I tried the saline thing, that didn't make it any easier for me to breath, it just lubed up my nostrils. The half and half thing sounds real good tho, never thought of that.

Anyway, i found ZYRTEC. You can now get it without a script. It's a little expensive, but i swear by it. 1 pill every 24 hours. No more sneezes, nice clear breathing, no coughing

About the Afrin, i went cold turkey. It takes less than a week. You will notice that your breating gets easier with each day. It's hard. You may want to try the half and half thing that jsidlosky suggests.
But do try the Zyrtec. I was a skeptic, but i am happy now.

I too was addicted to afrin for 17 years. It was horrible. Everywhere I went I was constantly using it. Bottles everywhere. I kept on getting sinus infections and got a real bad one and went to my physician. I told him I hadn't slept in 35 hours and was miserable. he gave me a kenalog shot and allergra D and said get off the afrin. With thanks to those two meds I am now off. I didn;t really want to take the shot and I am not much for antihistmines/decongestants, but I feel so much better. It is so nice to be able to breathe thru my nose again. Yes it was hard for a couple of days, but it kept getting better. I now can go places and I don't need to take my afrin bottle anymore. Yeah I am so happy.

I am addicted to nose spray right now. I started on Afrin and then changed over to a generic brand, but it's basically the same thing. I have been addicted for almost a year now, and have been treated twice now. The first time I was treated I didn't have the motivation to get off it, so the treatment didn't work. Just a couple of days ago I went to a new doctor, who prescribed some mild steriods to help open my passageways and some prescription (non addicting) nose spray to help me stay off it.

Today is the first day off of my nose spray and it really is quite awful, but I know it was start to get better. Hopefully this time I can stay off the nose spray.

I was addicted to nasal spray for 5 years. I went to a ENT doc becasue I was using the nasal spray while I was pregnant because I just had too..i couldnt breathe without it. He told me I had to come back after I delivered my baby and then he could help me. When i went back months later he gave me a shot in each nostril (in my sinuses) of some kind of steroids. my nose was a little stuffy for the rest of the day but by time I got ready to go to bed at night it was clear. I didnt use for a whole year but I recently got a cold and i used nasal spray to clear up the stuffiness. BAD IDEA! I am not addicted to it again (2 months) and have no health insurance to go back to the doc to get that shot!

danclear wrote:

Ask your doctor for a prescription of Flonase. Tell him you used it in the past and it works well for you. Dont tell him about your addiction to Afrin.

Under no circumstance should you lie to your doctor. Flonase may have worked well for one person, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone. In fact, some people may have certain conditions or be on certain other medications that contraindicate Flonase. This is why you should never expect to go to your doctor and just place an order for whatever drug you want. If you give your doctor all the information you can, he/she will be able to decide what is best for you as an individual.