how to beat afrin nasal addiction

Ignore nasal addiction it's bad for your health.

the one nostril at a time method was great for me. Thank you! I sprayed only my left nostril yesterday morning, then took two of the original Sudafed tablets. I was not stuffy all day, a little stuffy last night, but did not use Afrin again. It is now 4 PM, and I can breathe out of my nose. Thank you. I was "hooked" for a little over a month.

i was addicted to afrin to using about a bottle a day until i ended up in the ER because it made the inside of my nasal passages literally collapse. STOP USING IT, NOW. It is so dangerous! I ended up having 4 sinus surgeries to open everything back up. Consider seeing an ENT get a cat scan, you may qualify for the surgery. The first week was pure hell, but it is almost 2 years now. I have never used any type of nasal product other than allegra and a little vicks good luck

I'm on oxygen at night for severe COPD so breathing through my nose is CRITICAL.

I'm so hooked on these nasal sprays it's scary. HELP

I have a bottle next to my bed now. I am trying not to use it! You gave me hope, and you're right. It ought to be banned.

About 7 years ago I got addicted to afrin for about 1 year. I quite cold turkey. It took about 3 days of hell, but then started to get better. I think I was up to about 3 or 4 times a day at the time I quit.

I never used Afrin, but I used to use Neosoephrine Nose Drops. Over ten years ago, I had a cold and thought it was hanging on way too long , close to a month. Horrible nasal congestion and itchiness in nasal passages. After a month of that, my sister urged me to get off the nose drops and felt very strongly that was causing the problem. So I followed her advice and for the first nite just used the tiniest amount at one point. I used mentholatum on outside edge of nostrils! and slept more elevated. Into the second day my nasal congestion "rebound effect" had resolved and I ve never used them since. If I have a cold I use cold meds, not drops or sprays. Also, when I blow my nose, I try to do so lightly to avoid closing down my nasal passages, which helps.

Also, when my nose is plugged when I have a cold, I walk up my staircase quickly and this has helped unplug my nostrils at least partially.  

God bless all of you! 

I am also addicted, but thank God, only in my right nostril. I get panicky when it closes, which is pretty much every three or four hours when I'm not sniffing "the stuff". 

However - today I tried something I'd thought about before, but was too embarrassed to do, and thought wouldn't work. But it's WORKING. I'm now "sniffer free" since about 10 hours ago, and have air going through both nostrils. Here is what I did: shoved a lousy piece of paper towel up my nose. Yep, and it's working.

I get PLENTY of airflow (feels like I sprayed it), and the paper doesn't look nearly as embarrassing as a nasal strip. I can just tell everyone I bumped into something. The paper isn't blockiing the flow, but it IS holding open my sinus passage.

I'm throwing out all of my bottles. 

Just to "acid test" this method, I'm drinking a beer. That has always stuffed me up in minutes, even with my inhalers. I should have already clogged, but the air is still flowing! By now I should already be in a panic, but no . . . it's all good. This is like a MIRACLE.

Best of luck to everyone here.

This is a great way to get unhooked from the Afrin. I tried it many years ago and forgot all about it. Thanks a million for reminding me. Here we go, I'm anxious to see how long it will take to get off! Again, thank you so much!!

It's good to know I'm not alone in this struggle. .... but I still do kind of feel alone.... i have related to so many things... i have REALLY tried SOOOO many times and in SOOO many ways to rid myself of this habit.....but I CANT!! I can go all damn day breathing out of my mouth! I can even eat when I am completely stopped up on both sides and, yes its unbearable, but I can pull through! I CAN NOT, however, sleep completely stopped up! The reason is because my body wont naturally let me breathe! I dream that i am drowning! !!! That is because I AM NOT BREATHING!!!! That is the scariest thing! ! I have had this happen too many times!! So, that being said. ...i haven't read that in any of these comments. ...so tell me how to deal with that!!!!!

I have been hooked on nasil spray since I was 13-14 years old. It started with sinex. Then I went to afrin. I've been on a generic afrine brand for many years. I finally went to the allergist and he has prescribed me prednisone for one month. 20 mg for one week and I can use the Afrin as much as i want to.10 mg for two weeks 2-3 times a day for Afrin. then 5mg for the last week Afrin 2 times a day. I too like so many others have major anxiety about being plugged up. I've been on this stuff for a long time. I don't use as much as some that I read about on the forums. I use a bottle about every 3-4 weeks depending on how bad my nose is. I'm 13 hours in with no afrine. The anxiety was real bad this afternoon but I kept telling myself that I'm not going die, I can breathe. I'm really plugged up but so far I'm not freaking out. I've been taking sudafed D every 4 hours and it helps a lot while I'm at work and can move around. Tonight at home it doesn't seem to be working as good. I finally broke down and took some Thera flu to see if it would help. It did a little. I don't see any sleep in my future to night and just am hoping I make it through with no afrin. I decided to try and get this over with and not use Afrin like the doctor said. I want to be done with this. I can't say I'm happy at this moment. It's 10:30pm and I have to just make it through the night and see how tomorrow goes. I can always try the dilut it and it takes longer but will see how my will power holds out. I will repost tomorrow on my progress. I hope this helps someone out there. All the other peoples post have helped give me hope that I can do this. Fingers crossed

The one nostril at a time mixed with the steroid spray worked for me. I was luckily that I had only been addicted for about 6 months. I was watching Blackish and they mentioned that negatives affects of Afrin in a joking way. I was like, "holy sh-t!" I thought I had bad allergies or there was something wrong with the house setting my allergies off. It's a slow process but it works and I was off the stuff in about 2 weeks, maybe less. Noticed difference within the first 2 days.

Great story and motivation. I've had problems breathing since youth. Reading your story is giving me hope again...will try your fix.

How did you even get it down to once ever 14 hours??