how to beat afrin nasal addiction

P.S. i.did overuse the flonase which caussd.my nose to bleed ( so I refrain from using it for about a month-and-a-half and just use the saline solution) but now i use it once every couple days or so.

So now I am Afrin free after 10 years of being addicted to Afrin.

I tried to tell the doctor that I was Afrin free and how I accomplished but he was really not interested in knowing.

In my opinion the doctor should be on top of this.

diluting with increasing amounts of saline worked for me. gone back on it with the diluted solution no more then three days and not getting hooked.

I was very careful when I used Afrin for night time congestion, but I still got addicted. One of my wife's friends told about Flonase and Reboost (a homeopathic nasal spray from Sprouts). I used the two sprays together twice a day. After a week, I noticed my congestion was completely gone, and I could breathe. This stuff works!

To "thenoseknows103030". I was going to post to this, but your post would be exactly what I would say,right down to the number of years you used the spray. I have tried everything,including 3 septoplasties and 3 coblation treatments. I will try your suggestion of mixing saline with the spray. I hope it helps. Thanks!

I was using nasal spray for roughly 25 years. I started using it in my early teens for stuffy nose when I had a cold. Then that just transpired over the years and lead into addiction. The past 10 years I have suffered dearly needing to use more frequently. The last several years of usage got really bad. I was literally needing to use it every hour. Which lead to waking me at night every hour. I was not getting any sleep. Hopefully you won't wait to become this miserable to stop using it. I had been mentally preparing myself to slowing wean off. I had purchased a new bottle of Afrin and a bigger bottle of saline to start diluting. All my bottles were gone so I was just on one bottle NOT yet going through the weaning process. I forgot my bottle at home and went to work. My instant reaction was to head to the drug store. I stopped myself from going and figured why not do this? I was already miserable on the spray how could things get worse other then my initial anxiety. I quick cold turkey that day. Day one is horrible. I was a bit prepared however, as I did speak with my primary physician and asked her what can I get to help me. She did give me a six day oral steroid. I used this at night only to help me sleep. During the day we can get up take walks, exercise. I figured I could do this as long as I was getting sleep at night. Steroids help with the membrane swelling. I also used ocean saline spray to help dryness and also helps with the addictive habit of putting a spray up your nose. Weaning is a good option, but think about it...you are going to go through rebound congestion with every spray. Cold Turkey you go through it once and its gradually gets better with the help of oral steroids or even a spray.
My first night on oral steroid I got more sleep then when I was still on nasal spray. I slept propped up so I was not lying down all the way. The second and third night about the same but I was sleeping and breathing through my nose. By the fourth night wow I think I slept 5 hours.
The best method is to prepare and decide which option you want to try. For me cold turkey was the key. Do this also outside of the common cold/allergy season to avoid added complications.
1. See your Dr about steroids
2. Decide on best method
3. Start outside of cold/allergy season
4. Execute and feel better
My life has been so much better and sleep is a good thing.

Today is day #8 that i have quit using nose spray for over 25years about 8 times a day it was not easy at first but it can be done, i started diluting my nasal spray with saline spray, and it worked wonders for me.

did the dilution work and how long did it take ?

I have been addicted to afrin for about 6 months. I decided it was enough because i needed it every 3 hours and even woke me up when i needed it. I am trying the dilution method. can someone help me and answer these questions i have ? I am on day 3 and trying to use it less. i have 1/4 afrin and the rest simply saline spray. i lasted 7 and a half hours without it but was sleeping but that is good because i would wake up every 3-4 hours. how much can i use the afrin ? how long does it take (estimate) to get off of afrin this way ? will this method work ? i try not to use it and wait at least 6 hours but i cannot breathe for most of it. i have only been using one spray too. please can someone tell me everything about this method and answer my questions ? this is the hardest thing i am doing, thanks !

Wow. I am not sure if that would work for me but I wish it would. 6 years here.

WOWWWWW!!! I never knew it can become a problem until someone at my work mentioned that it is addicting, I have been using afrin for past 1 month, nonstop. I have sinex and afrin in my bag and using it every 3-4 hours. ready all this, I am throwing it away immediately.
Its better to let nose drain and blow when needed. thank you all for letting me know.

I'm currently on day three of my withdrawal! I honestly thought it would be much harder. I also did get some prescriptions from my doctor which could be easing the pain. I was using afrin probably almost 10 times a day.. every couple hours it seemed like I needed more to breathe. Some days my nose would be so bad I wouldn't be able to breathe with the afrin. I was tired of letting it control my life.. and my money lol. I saw a dr who prescribed me tapered predisone for two weeks, a steroid nasal inhailer, an antihistamine nasal spray, and told me to continue with my regular allergy medication. The first day was a little rough up until I realized if I excersize both nostrils clear up. Luckily where I am the weather has been beautiful so for the past couple days I have been staying outside as much as possible as the fresh air and excersize work! Today I would up with one nostril cleared and the other just a little stuffy. I'm hoping it will clear up completely by the end of this week. I am already feeling so much better about myself and know I can beat this addiction!

Update: I am on day 4 of no afrin and I can breathe!!! I woke up today with a clear nose and no issues at all. Hang in there people it does get better

I have been addicted to Afrin nasal for 13 years. Prior to using it I had a history of migraines, severe allergies, post nasal drip, slight asthma and frequent respiratory infections. When I became pregnant with my first child, my congestion became so severe that I would wake up at night gasping for air. I began using nasal spray because I desperately wanted to be able to sleep. I was also prescribed Flonase and have used it intermittently all these years as well, but was unable to stop using Afrin. Because of my dependence I have bottles of it stashed everywhere. I know that this is damaging to my health and made the decision to stop. A few weeks ago I took all my bottles and dumped them out into a container. I added approx. 40% saline and mixed up the solution before refiling the empty bottles. A week later I did the same thing again and added approx. 10% more saline to the solution. I am on my third week of doing this and I can tell that is most definitely working. Quitting cold turkey is not something I can do because I have to be able to function, attend school, and care for my children. I no longer wake up in the middle of the night needing to breathe or reaching for the bottle of nasal spray first thing in the morning. It has been at least 16 hours since I last used it and I feel fine. This is progress. As much as I would have liked to be able to quit cold turkey, I figure after 13 years of it, committing a month or so to weaning myself off of it isn’t the end of the world. I would encourage anyone else suffering to give it a shot.

I am a registered nurse who was addicted to Afrin for several years. Working in both emergency departments, intensive care units, and eventually the air medical field as a flight nurse. I soon found that if I couldn’t breathe freely through my nose, then I wouldn’t be able to “clear my ears” due to the clogged eustation tube that serves to equalize the pressure on both sides of the ear drum. I finally devised my own cocktail of sorts that works wonderfully. First you must get a box of actual Pseudoephedrine HCL extended release tablets, 240 mg Nasal Decongestant. This is the real pseudoephedrine that you have to show your government or state issued ID to obtain. It is available without a prescription but you must ask the pharmacist for it as it is no longer kept out on the shelves. Next, you’ll want to get a bottle of Flonase (fluticonase) which is not a decongestant, it’s a corticosteroid. It will gradually shrink the swollen membranes over about a weeks time. Thirdly, your going to need a box of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to assist in blocking any histamine and it will help you sleep. It’s most often best to start this when your beginning a long weekend off, or, if your situation is as bad as mine was, use your vacation time or sick time. I did it over the holidays so it worked out well for me. Start first thing in the morning, after you take your usual morning dose of Afrin, you’ll go ahead and take one 240 mg tablet of Pseudoephedrine HCL, once the Afrin clears your nasal passages so you can breathe easily, put 2 full sprays of Flonase in each nostril. You’ll repeat the Flonase spray every 12 hours. The Pseudoephedrine will last 24 hours and will keep your nasal passages clear enough for you to breathe without the use of Afrin. When it comes time for bed, take the Benadryl as directed. Additionally, get a couple bottles of saline nasal wash and keep them in a cool place. Washing out your nasal passages a few times a day will help clear out any of the residual deposits of Afrin. Also if the nasal wash is cool, it will contribute to vasoconstriction of the tissues. You’ll use this cocktail for anywhere from 1 to 5 days depending on how many years you’ve been addicted. You shouldn’t need to use the Afrin anymore than the one time in the beginning. Keep in mind, your nasal passages won’t immediately clear up and be as easy to breathe as it was on the Afrin, but you will improve substantially each day. Most people report complete relief in 24-48 hours. Personally, I stayed on the Sudafed for 5 days and stayed on the Flonase for a few months during the allergy season. Flonase is not a decongestant the way Afrin is. It won’t cause rebound congestion or addiction. It’s a corticosteroid that shrinks the swollen tissues inside your nasal passages. This system has worked for a number of my colleagues in the aviation industry and it should work for you too. Additionally, while on this cocktail avoid taking any stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate or anything that can cause an elevation in your blood pressure. Elevated BP can contribute massively to night time nasal congestion and you don’t want to be chasing your tail!
Best!
John M. RN CFRN

This is the answer, Thank god I found this page, I've been addicted for over a year, I felt good about the one nostril method. Only spray one and wean the other one plugged up. Well it works, I was pleasantly shocked. I thought id never find an answer and Dr wanted to do surgery. Break my nose, etc its all about money for them. So I decided to spray my right nostril and leave the left alone. This is vital to be able to sleep normally, I can with one open Nostril. It's been about a week now, I've gotten down to only one spray at night, occasionally it wakes me up to take one more spray. BUT I've eliminated 4-5 times times a day of spraying driving me crazy. Wondering why I was being punished. The left Nostril has adjusted, It's really shocking for it to be open during the day both. So im expecting more improvement over the next coupel of weeks mean while lubing the nostrils at least once a day with Saline solution to get my nasil PH back to normal. You may want to try The Phlegm reducer Guifaisen (sp) once a day, 400 mg I take. its connected for me. Give the one nostril spry a day or at night a try for the beginning of getting yoru sinus's back to normal. So thankful I found this page. It drives you crazy not being able to breath through you nose, you reach for that easy afrin fix! Stop the madness we are not helpless try one nostril spray treatment, then as it gets better reduce it intil you can quit totally. good luck