I’m addicted to Afrin Nasal Spray

Thanks for the holier than thou insight...this is a real problem for many people not a Doctor concocted story convincing people they have an issue just to make money

annoyed wrote:

Guest wrote:

Just a short note. I have argued with doctors and pharmacists for years over tolerance building when using oxymatazoline topical nose sprays. I've been using them for at least 20 years and NEVER need them more than once a day. Usually once every 3 or 4 days at most. Occasionally depending on the activity I may use them more but no rebound effect and no mucosa damage ever.

Now perhaps I just may be different but the idea that someone would panic if they forgot to bring them along seems extreme. Even under the stuffiest conditions a nice hot shower will clear passages. It just the spray is more convenient. I really think that this addiction is overstated by healthcare professionals in order to sell patients prescription drugs. Again perhaps my metabolism is such that I don't develop tolerances for drug as easy as some. I smoke tobacco - real tobacco not Marlboros - 5 or 6 sticks per day. Never had to increase though sometimes I smoke a few more and somedays I don't smoke any. when traveling overseas I may go a week or two with no tobacco. Never a yip.

Don't take the above as medical advice as I may just be the exception. I used to drink a lot of Cuervo Gold tequila. I stopped in one day and never had a reaction and never went back to alcohol. I needed neither AA or God. While I do believe that some people do/may become addicted to any or all of the above, I just want to suggest that addiction intervention is perhaps a bigger business than the substances one becomes addicted to.

IN other words don't let anyone but yourself proclaim you an addict, at least until you relax and try to stop. And trying to stop using any substance (abusing if you will) or other negative behaviors may require replacing that so called addiction with another "passion"

By the way, Saline solutions do not work for me but steam (in a shower does) as does clean ocean water (where one can find it) especially when I get pounded by a big wave.

Control your brain first before you begin freaking out about what doctors and pharmacists may tell you about addiction. And remember there is money to be made by convincing folks they are addicted especially to relatively harmless behaviors. My opinion and experience only. But always include your own best judgement in any diagnosis.

Thanks for the holier than thou insight...this is a real problem for many people not a Doctor concocted story convincing people they have an issue just to make money

Agree completely. Not constructive at all just a distraction from a major issue. I can tell you now that this can do some major damage to you people. The vasoconstriction is exactly what destroys the lining of cocaine abusers noses. It relieves congestion by restricting blood flow and therefore causing necrotic cell death just like cocaine. I was on this c**p for years and have been off it for 8 months. I can breath ok now but I also suffer from constant painful sores all because this stuff damaged the lining of my nose. I don't mean to freak people out, I just don't want you to end up like me. Get off it, do whatever you have to do but get the hell off this stuff now. I couldn't do the neti pot, steroids or weening process as they did not help me. In the end I just had to say enough is enough and stop. I was blocked almost solid for about 3 months but my nose gradually recovered from the congegstion. Saline spray actually starts to work for you after a while but it takes weeks to months to make a difference. Now it just has sores all the time and I don't really know if they will ever go away without surgery. Sorry guys but my experience has taught me not to be subtle or nice about this because there IS a point of no return you need to know about. Don't worry about the blockage, you get used to it in a matter of days I promise, you really do start to lose the fear of blocking up really quickly....just get off it is all I can say.

You can use water, but saline solution is better. Make sure it is sterile and do not use tap water! There has been cases of people using neti pots and have contracted some amoebas and died. google "Danger of Neti Pot Brain-Eating Amoebas" for the story....

hello i have been addicted to afrin for over a year now and i started using it when i was pregnant, my doctors keep telling me that i may be allergic to the air and everything and they keep giving me zytec, alegra, every allergy medicine known and nothing is helping he sent me to get tests done for asthma and test came back negative and i am just fed up with him not giving me the right answers so ive read through your messages and i was hoping to find out what steriod it was he gave you to see if i can get it and see if it will work i cant even sleep through the night any more. a few people had mentioned a steriod so if possible please let me no thank you.

You don't need a Dr. to get off of nasal spray. I was addicted for 8 years to Dristan, but have been "clean" for 10 weeks (today is 7/25/12). I had a plan of how I was going to get "clean", but I'm happy to report some other options happened that no one has mentioned on this forum. The first day I decided to go cold turkey, half way through the day I was congested. Then I remembered we had some Claritin D (12 hour) and I wondered if that would help (I had never taken it before). I took the first pill and it really opened up my sinuses so I could breathe, then I took another at bed time and it helped me breathe so I could sleep. I also tried the Breathe Right nasal strips you put on your nostrils at night, that helped too. I also used some Petroleum Jelly and swabbed some in my nostrils to keep them moist. By the second day I didn't need the Claritin D and I used the Breathe Right nasal strips for a few more nights. I tried the Saline spray, but it didn't really help me. I'm surprised no one has tried these other options, but they worked great for me and it was so much easier than I thought it would be to get "clean". Keep trying everyone. You can do this!

I am addicted to Sinex spray. It works better and faster that Afrin. I can not walk out the door to go anywhere without it. I carry it in a backpack so it doesn't get broken in my pocket. I drive a truck so people don't think it's weird that I carry a backpack. If I lose the bottle or run out I panic. It makes me feel like a druggy who doesn't have drugs I think. I use it at least 4 times a day every day. There isn't a single day in over 2 years that I haven't used it. Maybe if I take sinus pills to stop the congestion? It's not like I have a cold it's a matter of my nose kind of swelling up and constricting air flow. Nose spray takes the swelling down so I can breathe clear. 

I used to be the same way, I used my nasal spray 4-6-8 times a day. I wouldnt be caught without it. I had so much of it on hand / stock just in case. I stopped 100% cold turkey about 3-4 weeks ago. I now breathe just fine. The first week and a half was hell but i did it. Sinus pills didnt do much as that wasn't the issue. I put vicks in my nose, sinus pills, breathe strips at night, you name it. Anyways slowly it did get better. I went to the doctors and they suggested NASONEX. I use this product once a day and it's not over the counter / highly addictive. Im ok with using it once a day. At least I can now breathe and dont look like a druggy / freak spraying my nose every few hours. I use it in the morning and go to work then carry on with my day problem free. With time I will also stop using the NASONEX. Best of luck, you can do it. Nothing is impossible.

Well not sure I'm addicted but most likey am. I started having night time stuffy nose about 2ish years ago. Got bad a year ago and started using afrin. Still using it today because I can't afford to go to the doctors. Like some of the ideas here but wanted to point out that someone said something about using vicks vapor rub. NEVER put this in your nose, your suppose to put it on your upper lip and use the baby vapor rub doesn't irratate your skin as much. The only thing I have found that works great is Claritin - D however it doesn't work at night, still have to use afrin. About every 5-8 hours it seems throughout the night. Tried sinus buster and that doesn't work, actually makes it worse lol Going to try adding Saline to afrin to see if I can get off it but atm I would rather have relief then suffer. If I dont sleep, I get sick and without afrin I dont sleep. If anyone knows something over the counter that I might not have tried that works, let me know. At this point I will try anything.

Thanks so much for this advice! I'm on my 3rd day trying this diluted method and it seems to be working. I'm surprised that I haven't had to use any Afrin during the day at all... just a squirt or two before bedtime... hopefully, that'll go away too!

Andre'

Hi Guys,

All of those that are addicted to nasal spary, count me in. I'm from canada and here it is Dristin which is similar to Afrin. Same ingredients. I tried the stop cold turkey, and it worked for about 2hours after which i gave up. I went on every website possible looking for a solution, researched, got a nasal surgery done, flonase, nasonex, steroid drugs, decongestion drugs but nothing helped. Zilch, i came back to this horrible habit stronger and more dependent. Worse was my nights were sleepless, i woke up every 2hours just to clear my nose and sometimes wouldnt fall back asleep. I had sprays everywhere. Is there a way! Yes there is! 1. Will power to quit2. This process will take aprox. 10 weeks to complete - you will want to buy a measuring beaker which you can usually find at most drug marts, Aloe saline spray, and offcourse your bottle of the spray your adicted to (saline spray is safe) the aloe will prevent you from dry nose during the process- start by adding 90%nasal spray and 10% saline spray (keep this for one week)- why one week: the general body take about 1 week for you to get used to something so by the end of the first week you will be used to th 10 - 90 solution. Second week change to the 20-80% mix and so on- does it get hard? yes it does, as the weeks progress you will notice you will be using more and more to clear your nose and so often as well (usualy at the 6th week) where you nasal spray is only 40% of the solution and the saline is 60%.  (how do you know it is working, when your on week six, for fun try spraying your nasal spray at full strength, you wil notice your nose will clear and you could breath for 6 or 7 hours, then stop there and go back to your solution)- As week 7 comes along the stretch it will get slighlty more difficult because your nose will be more clear but you will have this feeling that its not. No worries, for the first 3 days use the help of an over the counter sinus pill (I use Tylenol Sinus), by the third day I stop and just use my solution.- by week 8 and 9 your pretty much mostly inhaling saline, and you will see that your nose now needs more then ever is to heal from all of those years of nasal prays. Some peoples nose will be so damaged it will be hard to heal. - you want to get Nasonex or flonaese to help you with the healing process and start using it during week 9, because it takes about 7 days before it starts working to its full affect. - once week 10 hits you will be free of your spray. However you nose is now healing so even though you can breath on your own, it will feel dry and disturbed. So you want to have a saline spray or nasal gel near you to help you stay away from infections and such. Also the constant motion of moving to spray your nose at the slightest discomfort will have to stop.

When you all said and done most of you will have forgotten what it feels like to breath on your own with out the help of a nasal spray. But let me tell you, our nostrils are different, one of them is always better then the other and you will notice that you can breate better through one then the other. This does not mean you run back and get to the store. In about 3 days you get used to it.

Most people start there adiction due to colds, so next time you get a cold. Use the Aloe saline spray I told you about above

-- I hope this works, because it has done wonders for me

 

 

there is a way... I posted below of what worked for me and its quite conventional and not expensive and it gives you relief with out loosing sleep or paying $100s to the doctors

1. Will power to quit2. This process will take aprox. 10 weeks to complete - you will want to buy a measuring beaker which you can usually find at most drug marts, Aloe saline spray, and offcourse your bottle of the spray your adicted to (saline spray is safe) the aloe will prevent you from dry nose during the process- start by adding 90%nasal spray and 10% saline spray (keep this for one week)- why one week: the general body take about 1 week for you to get used to something so by the end of the first week you will be used to th 10 - 90 solution. Second week change to the 20-80% mix and so on- does it get hard? yes it does, as the weeks progress you will notice you will be using more and more to clear your nose and so often as well (usualy at the 6th week) where you nasal spray is only 40% of the solution and the saline is 60%. (how do you know it is working, when your on week six, for fun try spraying your nasal spray at full strength, you wil notice your nose will clear and you could breath for 6 or 7 hours, then stop there and go back to your solution)- As week 7 comes along the stretch it will get slighlty more difficult because your nose will be more clear but you will have this feeling that its not. No worries, for the first 3 days use the help of an over the counter sinus pill (I use Tylenol Sinus), by the third day I stop and just use my solution.- by week 8 and 9 your pretty much mostly inhaling saline, and you will see that your nose now needs more then ever is to heal from all of those years of nasal prays. Some peoples nose will be so damaged it will be hard to heal. - you want to get Nasonex or flonaese to help you with the healing process and start using it during week 9, because it takes about 7 days before it starts working to its full affect. - once week 10 hits you will be free of your spray. However you nose is now healing so even though you can breath on your own, it will feel dry and disturbed. So you want to have a saline spray or nasal gel near you to help you stay away from infections and such. Also the constant motion of moving to spray your nose at the slightest discomfort will have to stop.

When you all said and done most of you will have forgotten what it feels like to breath on your own with out the help of a nasal spray. But let me tell you, our nostrils are different, one of them is always better then the other and you will notice that you can breate better through one then the other. This does not mean you run back and get to the store. In about 3 days you get used to it.

Most people start there adiction due to colds, so next time you get a cold. Use the Aloe saline spray I told you about above

-- I hope this works, because it has done wonders for me

I (my nasal membranes) was addicted (or suffered from "rebound congestion") to typical Afrin (Oxymetazoline Hydrochloride 0.05%) for almost 3 years.  I had bottles all over the place so I would never be without it.  I kept it hidden all that time as well.  Eventually I got sick one day and it no longer worked, period.  So I switched to "blue" nasal spray (phenylephrine hydrochloride 1.0%) which only opens up your passages for about an hour.  After about a week of that, I said OK, this is ridiculous, I'm a grown man using nasal spray every 45 minutes just to breath.  The bad news: it's horrible for your health.  The good news: you can get rid of your need relatively quickly (4-5 days.)

All these other posts you look at on these forums talk about ways to beat it like only spraying it in one nostril and waiting for the other one to heal, or diluting your spray with saline solution, or weening yourself off of it.  THESE METHODS DO NOT WORK unless you have extraordinary willpower and are willing to spend another 3 months as a slave to the bottle, an no doubt being uncomfortable for all that time.

 

THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE HABIT is to go cold turkey.  HOLD ON, you don't have to do it alone.  Get yourself into any clinic where there is a doctor or a nurse practitioner.  Call around to find the cheapest rate if you don't have insurance, you don't need a good doctor just someone to write you a prescription (you already know what is wrong with you.)

 

Be very honest with the doctor/nurse practitioner.  Don't try to beat around the bush saying you're congested or you may have allergies.  Tell it like it is "I am currently dependent on OTC nasal sprays and I need help to stop."  Don't be embarrassed, they are a medical professional there to help you, not judge you.

To get off the nasal spray I was prescribed prednisode, a prescription steroid nasal spray, an a prescription antihistamine.  The whole operation cost me $40 under insurance, and I was cured in 4 days, I NO LONGER NEED THE SPRAY.  The first day was the worst but if you start in the morning by night time you should be able to get a little air through and sleep.  The second day will be a little better, and as the days go on you'll forget all about your once important need for the spray.

 

This is no gimmick, I have nothing to gain from this, I'm simply someone who has been through it and knows your pain. 

 

Bottom line.   GO TO THE DOCTOR, DON'T TRY TO BEAT THIS ALONE.

I (my nasal membranes) was addicted (or suffered from "rebound congestion") to typical Afrin (Oxymetazoline Hydrochloride 0.05%) for almost 3 years. I had bottles all over the place so I would never be without it. I kept it hidden all that time as well. Eventually I got sick one day and it no longer worked, period. So I switched to "blue" nasal spray (phenylephrine hydrochloride 1.0%) which only opens up your passages for about an hour. After about a week of that, I said OK, this is ridiculous, I'm a grown man using nasal spray every 45 minutes just to breath. The bad news: it's horrible for your health. The good news: you can get rid of your need relatively quickly (4-5 days.)


All these other posts you look at on these forums talk about ways to beat it like only spraying it in one nostril and waiting for the other one to heal, or diluting your spray with saline solution, or weening yourself off of it. THESE METHODS DO NOT WORK unless you have extraordinary willpower and are willing to spend another 3 months as a slave to the bottle, an no doubt being uncomfortable for all that time.

THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE HABIT is to go cold turkey. HOLD ON, you don't have to do it alone. Get yourself into any clinic where there is a doctor or a nurse practitioner. Call around to find the cheapest rate if you don't have insurance, you don't need a good doctor just someone to write you a prescription (you already know what is wrong with you.)

Be very honest with the doctor/nurse practitioner. Don't try to beat around the bush saying you're congested or you may have allergies. Tell it like it is "I am currently dependent on OTC nasal sprays and I need help to stop." Don't be embarrassed, they are a medical professional there to help you, not judge you.

To get off the nasal spray I was prescribed prednisode, a prescription steroid nasal spray, an a prescription antihistamine. The whole operation cost me $40 under insurance, and I was cured in 4 days, I NO LONGER NEED THE SPRAY. The first day was the worst but if you start in the morning by night time you should be able to get a little air through and sleep. The second day will be a little better, and as the days go on you'll forget all about your once important need for the spray.

This is no gimmick, I have nothing to gain from this, I'm simply someone who has been through it and knows your pain.

Bottom line. GO TO THE DOCTOR, DON'T TRY TO BEAT THIS ALONE.

In reply to everyone here... Just wanted to share a success story.  I just have to say, unfortunate as it sounds, just get to a doctor.  It doesn't have to be a specialist, even the nurses knew what I referred to.  They understood the rebound effect and how exactly it would be treated.  When I saw the doctor, she nodded as if she had heard it a thousand times.  Treatment was simple:  stop the Afrin.  She then treated me with a corticosteroid shot that would soothe my symptoms.  Prescribed was a schedule of prednisone for 5 days of 50mg, accompanied by a regular dose of nasonex and allegra for allergies.  A few days later, I use no more Afrin and feel infinitely better (better enough to even write on a blog like this for the first time).  This cycle lasted about 3 months for me that got progressively worse.  Its a bit expensive, with blue shield of CA (high deductible) type PPO insurance, I still paid about $200 out of pocket for treatment.  Best $200 I have spent in a long time.  Do yourselves a favor and get to the doc ASAP... they will get you squared away in double time.  Start feeling better, you deserve it.  Nasal spray sucks.  Good luck, everyone!

-Chris