December 10, 2008
I Have a Nose Spray Addiction – I’m Addicted to Afrin
I Have a Nose Spray Addiction – I’m Addicted to Afrin Share on FacebookThis is a story on how I relieved my Afrin nose spray addiction with some simple helpful tips.
So there I am standing in the isle of of the drugstore with a head cold and sinus congestion when I see a bottle of Afrin. Twelve hours of nasal congestion relief? Sign me up. I got some important phone calls to make at work and I can’t sound like I’m all stuffed up and sick. I gotta be professional sounding and clear headed.
How My Nose Spray Addiction Started:
There is nothing worse than lying in bed at night trying to go to sleep with a stuffy nose. Finally there was something that I could take before bed that would allow me to breathe threw my nose… nose spray.
The results were phenomenal. A couple of sprays up each nostril and within minutes I was able to breathe through my nose. So I stuck the Afrin in my pocket and it remained there for many weeks.
Why had I never used nose spray before? Why isn’t everyone using nose spray throughout their colds? Well, unfortunately I found out the hard way why it is not a good idea to use Afrin throughout the duration of your head cold.
Why Afrin Has a Hold on Me
There are warnings on the back of the Afrin bottle that explain that you should not use Afrin longer than three days in a row. I did read that warning. I however, did not pay attention to that warning. The sinus clearing results that I got from using nose spray were too good to just stop.
I decided on the fourth night to go ahead and use Afrin for another night.
What I wasn’t aware of when I decided to use Afrin longer than the recommended durations is a little something called rebound congestion. Rebound congestion occurs when vascular constricting properties of nose sprays begin to cause abnormal swelling of the nasal mucosa.
This can block the nasal airway completely, causing extreme discomfort.
Rebound congestion is temporarily relieved by the use of nose spray giving the person a small window of relief. You can see how this can become a vicious circle right? Too much nose spray use causes more nasal congestion that can only be relieved by using even more nose spray… etc., etc.
So the answer to the problem of rebound congestion seems simple right? Just stop using the noses spray and allow your nasal mucosa to return to normal. Well that is much easier said that done. Being unable to breathe properly through your nose can drive you crazy. It can send you running right back to that nose spray even though you know that it’s the nose spray that’s causing the problem.
How I’m Breaking Free from My Afrin Addiction
Now, you could just stop using nose sprays altogether and suffer with your rebound congestion for a couple of weeks until it goes away and you will be broken of your dependence on nose sprays.
I don’t see myself doing that so I have done some reading up on the subject and have begun a one nostril at a time withdrawal program.
What?
That’s right. I still use Afrin in one of my nostrils and am allowing the other nostril to heal.
Once this first nostril is all healed and I can breathe through it, I plan on stopping the use of Afrin in the second nostril. After a little while I will be able to breathe comfortably again through my nose without the use of nose sprays.
So how are you planning on breaking your nose spray addiction? I would love to hear people’s different methods for breaking nose spray addiction.
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Jakob
12/10/2008 at 8:39 pm
Interesting. How long do you think it will take to be Affrin-free? I’m on and off the stuff whenever I’m sick.
Shaina
12/15/2008 at 11:48 am
I’ve been on and off the stuff. I am back on now and I am determined to quit again. It’s been about 7 or 8 months since I’ve been back on it. When I quit it took about 3-4 days to breathe normally again without the stuff. If you’ve been on it for years it could take a couple of weeks. It really suck though I have allergies to pet dander and i live with animals so i always get stuffed up when I’m around them so afrin would save me from that. But i’m going to quit one nostril at a time and use the saline spray and my allergy medicines to help with getting off. Good luck!!
jody
02/12/2010 at 2:48 pm
i have been on it for 6 years! i recently went to the doctor for high bp..(184/115)…and headaches! the doc told me it was all from the afrin addiction! I have been workin on getting off of it for a week and its goin well.Try this dilute the afrin half with saline spray and the other half afrin and DO NOT use it untill you ae miserable.Also only use about half a squirt.i havent used any for about 15 hours now and im breathing fine…
Ken Savage
12/15/2008 at 12:27 pm
Obviously Shaina, you can just get rid of the pets and clean up your place but I’m sure that you thought of that. What about getting a allergy shot prescribed by an allergenist?
Tina
12/24/2008 at 3:40 pm
Just letting you guys know, I have been addicted to nose spray for about 2 years. I started using the Breathe Right strips, and they are working great. So far, so good!
Cynthia
01/12/2009 at 2:23 am
Hi..I am addicted too.:( The problem with me is that i have sleep apnea and have to sleep with a CPAP mask…it blows air through your nose all night to keep the flap in the throat from closing so you don’t stop breathing off and on through the night.If my nose is stuffy ..I can’t use the mask at all (you can’t open your mouth with the mask on..the pressure is so much that if you open your mouth the pressure going in your nose just blows out your mouth.It seems though that if it were making it through to my mouth..than it would be getting past the stuffiness and working correctly after all.However..all I know is that I can not breath with it on if I am stuffy..so..I wake to find it off and then the whole next day is horrible for me…it’s like I only slept about an hour.
Anyway…sorry for the rambling…I really just wanted to know how you were doing..ie;an update.
I did what you are doing the first time i was addicted to this stuff and it worked for me.But the next time I had a bad cold..I succumbed to the spray again.:( This time I think it’s been about 8 mths addicted….and it seems harder for me to go through the one nostril thing.I use breathe right strips,have tried saline, and am also on nasonex.
i heard that a netti pot could help..anyone tried that?
John
01/27/2009 at 3:02 am
Ahhh…. I’m not alone in the world!
I had heard of nasal spray addiction, there was even an episode of “Yes, Dear” dedicated to it, but I had no idea the reality of it!
I started using it at the behest of my Ear-Nose-Throat doctor as a possible way to alleviate snoring until I could get a sleep study done … I was hooked. If I was out w/o it, I would stop and buy some (and at $8 a bottle, not cheap!) … and if I didn’t have any, I was miserable.
Miraculously, one morning I woke up w/ only moderate Affrin-withdraw congestion and decided enough was enough. I went cold turkey and for about 2 days I had moderate congestion (nothing as bad as the usual withdraw) and have stayed away ever since.
“Affrin… here’s to breathing easy!”
Cheers!
Sade
01/28/2009 at 11:10 pm
I started using Affrin when i was about two months pregnant and I’m eight months pregnant now. I am miserable then ever when I run out. I use it about five or six times a day sometimes my throat even starts to hurt because I use it so much. I asked my doctor what to do. He told me to use sudafed it does not work I even tried saline drops its don’t work i tried using a vaporizer it don’t work I don’t know what to do.
jessy
12/31/2009 at 1:08 am
did the doctor mentioned if afrain can harm your baby? Ive been addicted to afrain for years and Im afraid if I get pregnant that if it will harm my baby.
Ken Savage
01/29/2009 at 12:24 pm
Sade, have you tried the Sudafed BEHIND the pharmacy counter? Not the PE stuff. That usually works for me.
Also if you’re taking Affrin that often then you have an addiction to it. You gotta continue to use it or get off of it by suffering a bit.
Maybe try 1 side at a time for a few days and slowing ween yourself off?
Let us know how it goes.
niessa
02/04/2009 at 11:27 pm
Sade,
It is not a good idea to take Afrin that often while you are pregnant. It constricts blood vessels, like those in the placenta, and can put you at risk for placental abruption (where the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus). I know this because I am a labor and delivery nurse, and I was addicted to afrin while I was pregnant. I have been off of afrin for 8 years, and just started using it again a few days ago. For some reason it has been nearly impossible for me to stop this time. Its like I jumped right back in a few days to where I had been after using for years.
mackenzie
02/14/2009 at 3:18 am
wow the one one nostril at a time withdrawal program sounds like it might work for me. ok heres how im addicted to the crap well i was so severly congested i went to the er thinking they would probly tell me that its my allergies (im elergic to everything but wood food even grass and even never herd of this before im elergic to tar likr=e the tar in roads) so as im sitting uncomfrtble in the little rom the doctor strolls in and and says what im going to have you do is go to wal-mart and buy a bottle of afrin personaly ive never herd of the stuff before being that i was 14 at the time well im 15 no and the stuff the first time i used it was great i slept like a baby for the first time in a week. well after i knew I was addicted it started to not work for me so I switched to the afrin no drip severe congestion. and its starting not to work and im having to use almost 5 sprays in each side of my nose and im going through a bottle a week and alot of people think im trying to be lie normal teens and use drugs as drugs well u know what i mean but im not that kind of kid anyways do u think the method of using it in one nostral will work and if anyone has ever done this please let me know how it works im getting tired of using this shit and using atleast two bottles a week. ok thanks heres my email bigmackburger@yahoo.com,
thanks,
Mackenzie F.
niessa
02/14/2009 at 4:12 pm
Mackenzie,
You need to see a different doctor!! If you have really severe allergies you will need to get that under control with daily meds, maybe shots. Using afrin in only one nostril at a time will be helpful, but the reason you started using it probably has not gone away, and it will make it harder to stop. I would recommend seeing an allergy specialist, and ask him/her if they can help you to stop using Afrin, maybe with a steroid + antibiotic + decongestant. I hope you are able to get this under control, and feel better soon!
April Hutcheson
03/01/2009 at 6:39 pm
I have a website I just got started. It’s for people with nose spray addiction. I was addicted myself, then I discovered a method that works when everything didn’t. I provide instruction on how to withdrawel completely and with ease while breathing through the whole process. check it out becuase it could change your life. I was on spray for 8 years and I want to get the info out there so other people can be helped too.
Ken
04/28/2009 at 5:35 am
I’d like to read your website. I’m hooked again. Can’t take most meds because I have high blood pressure. Saline is a waste of time. The pollen that started all this is still in the air. Been down this road before. I know where it leads and really don’t want to go there.
Thanks,
Ken
April Hutcheson
04/28/2009 at 10:59 am
If you just click on my name, It should take you to my website, but it is SprayFree4Me dot com. However, the website is down right at the moment, I am trying to fix it. It hopefullly will be back up today. I have been revising it so it holds more information.
and yes, I understand where you are coming from. I believe my method will help you get off the nose spray, but you should see an ear, nose and throat doctor for your allergies. I have them too, bad. You might need allery medicine or allergy shots. I do. You have to get your underlying cause treated while you are getting off the spray so that you don’t have the congestion from your allergies going on.
TulsaTom
10/22/2009 at 2:44 pm
you’re website charges before you will give any information. that sucks. you’re comments here are just advertising.
vandal
10/23/2009 at 11:29 am
Yeah why does it seem like everyone wants to help and then you realize that they want money first?
LLeBlanc
03/10/2009 at 1:58 pm
Years ago, I was also addicted to Afrin for a few months. I could go nowhere without carrying along my bottle of “sniffs.” Once, on the way to a business meeting across the state, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten my sniffs. Panic stricken, I drove 40 miles out of the way to find a drugstore that sold Afrin nosespray.
I used the little red Sudafed decongestant pills to get off of the Afrin. It worked like a charm. Needless to say, I have never used a nasal decongestant spray again.
April Hutcheson
03/17/2009 at 5:07 pm
also, I wanted to say that taking sudafed decongestant doesn’t work for most people. and you are getting on a decongestant with another decongestant. and you said you were addicted for a few months. it is a little easier then. but a lot of people are addicted for years. and it is harder and harder.
LIsa
03/21/2009 at 7:20 am
I am 9 months pregnant and have 30 more days left until I have my baby. I was using Afrin only at night for a while but now need it all day long. Without it I start to panic. My fear is after I have the baby I will still be addicted to Afrin. I want to stop now but due to pregnancy my nose will most likely still be congested and I won’t be able to tell if I am no longer addicted to Afrin. My OB doctors says that my body will change after the baby is here and I will just be able to stop. I have to use it about once every 3-4 hours but having panic that it will just stop working. Anyone ever been pregnant and just stopped the habit after the baby came.
April Hutcheson
03/21/2009 at 6:32 pm
Hi, lisa, I wanted to reply to you becuase that is exacly how I got addicted to nasal spray. While I was pregnant with my son. No, you do not just go back to not being addicted to it after the baby. not unless you are super lucky and you didn’t over do it before. I also had panic attacks when I didn’t use it. That is one of the reasons I had such trouble getting off the stuff. I was on it for eight years. Unless you stop the cycle, that could be you. I was even panicking during the birth of my son becuase of needing the nose spray. I tried everything. I researched to see what I could come up with. I tried various things listed on the web. cold turkey, one nostril, rhinostat. nothing worked. but then I finally figured out what did. that is why I created my website. I give lots of info and detailed instructions on how to get off of it. it works great for those of us who have panic attacks becuase you can breath through the whole thing. you can get started right away before your addiction gets worse. I was using it every 15 min. it won’t take you as long to get off if you get started now. click on my name and it will get you to my website. also feel free to email me if you have questions. my email address is also on the website. what do you have to lose?
Whitney
05/03/2009 at 8:34 am
April, my mouth dropped open when I read this. I too have panick attacks when I don’t have my afrin and I had the WORST panic attack a few weeks ago when I was in labor with my son. I had to get my sister to sneak my afrin to me when my husband and the nurse were out of the room. I’m going to check out your website now. Wish me luck!
April Hutcheson
05/03/2009 at 3:35 pm
yes. I was very paniked with my babies too. My first son, that is when I got addicted. And I remember, I had to go in the hospital early becuase of my blood pressure and I had only one bottle of nose spray with me and it was close to being empty. I made my mother go to the store and buy me a new bottle so I would have it with me. that was 7 years ago. And then with my second son, which was 3 years ago, I had to hide my nose spray in the pocket of the hospital gown when i went in for my C-section. That’s how panicked I was to be without it. Now, I am clear of all of that becuase of the method I came up with. It took a long time for me to figure this out, but it is the ONLY thing that worked for me. I would appreciate it is others would go to my website and leave their stories in my guestbook.
Tina McAdams
11/18/2009 at 8:32 pm
April! You are such a selling vulture. Were you really ever addicted to Afrin? I mean you seem to have a lot of the same symptoms that everyone has had. It’s like someone posts “I had anxiety attacks” and you’re all “oh wow, me too!” You are using a public forum for addiction to pimp your product. Not cool.
April Hutcheson
11/19/2009 at 12:10 am
firsty, I was not addicted to Afrin. I was addicted to 4-way nasal spray. and yes, I was addicted and for 8 years. I have never made a statement on this sight or any other that is not true. And it really pisses me off for those of you that are mad becuase I want to charge 8.00. You are either willing or you arn’t. and my method works. you people are pissed off at this, but as one of my clients said, it is okay to pay mega dollars for diet pills that don’t work, but not okay for me to charge this little bit and for something that works. And how is it helping anybody for me to talk on this sight and not say anything about my website when it helps. and the reason I have the same symptoms is becuase they are common with everyone that has this problem. You bad mouth me without even seeing what I have to offer. and for your info, I don’t charge everyone. there has been a handful of specail cases that I talk to and give my method to for free. and also why is it that no one seems to bad mouth all the other nose spray methods that charge way more that I do.
Donna
05/02/2009 at 11:55 am
I was addicted to 4-way nasal spray for almost 8 years back in the ’80s. It started when I ran into 7-11 one night with a stuffy nose and I bought my first bottle. What relief! Before I knew it, I had a bottle in my nightstand, one in the kitchen, one in my purse, one in my desk at work. I had to spray every 3 or 4 hours, around the clock. I would try to get off it every so often, but was just too miserable, even doing the one nostril at a time thing. This went on for 8 years, until I happened to mention it to my son’s Ear, Nose, Throat doctor. He gave me a 10 day prescription of oral steroid medication and that did the trick. I hate that I spent 8 years of my life addicted to the spray, and am thankful I didn’t suffer any health consequences as a result.
April Hutcheson
05/03/2009 at 3:37 pm
I am glad that a steroid spray worked for you. What works for some, may or may not work for others. I am confident that my method will work for everybody as long as they stick to the instructions and go slowly. 4-way was the one I was addicted to.
Cyndi
05/03/2009 at 4:00 pm
April,
I checked out your website and noticed it says that you want to help but…why 8.00?If you REALLY wanted to help and actually have ground breaking information for an addiction..why wouldn’t you just share it with the world?(no offense or anything..just too many scams out there..and maybe you are not one of them but I am skeptical of people who say they have all the answers and breakthrough methods but only IF you pay money for it.)
PS…has anyone on here from previous posts paid and tried April’s method?
I would love to hear honest reviews.
April Hutcheson
05/04/2009 at 10:48 am
I understand your skepticism and you should be careful. there are a lot of scams out there. I am not one of them. I do want to help people, but just becuase I want to also make some secondary income in this ecomony does not make me a bad person.
There are people all over the internet that charge for information that could be free. I have worked very hard. If I posted my method free on a couple of blogs, chances are a handful of people would see it. I am trying to get to as many people as possible. My website cost money. It has cost me money to promote it and It has cost me a lot of time. And I am working hard to make this website a one-stop place for infomration with most of the infomration being free. As of yet, I have made no profit on this. All of it has gone back into it plus addictional money from my own pocket. But I am like anyone else. I am married, have three kids and my family makes about 45,000 a year combined. I have to make a living. I charge 8.00 for something that I truely believe in, when others charge way, way more. I tried to make this as cheap as I could without putting me in a hole.
As far as others who have tried my method, there arn’t many yet. I have a few testimonials on my website, but I don’t have anyone that has finished my method yet. I have only been doing this since end of feb. But I have a few people that are making good progress. that is all I can say. I wish I could offer a money back guarantee, but once you read the report, you have read it. I can’t give back money on that.
Ken Savage
05/11/2009 at 11:59 pm
April, since you’re practically advertising here on my website, why don’t you send me the product and I’ll review it and let viewers here know whether or not it is a quality product.
Hell I’ll even link directly to your site and promote it for ya.
Cyndi
05/12/2009 at 12:58 am
Now that is an awesome idea!
Whitney
05/12/2009 at 5:16 am
Hi Ken,
I went to my Dr yesterday for help with my Afrin addiction. I do not know how they keep this stuff on the market. It should at least be behind the counter with the Sudafed, really. Anyway, she prescribed a prednizone (Sp?) tapering dose pack, which I’m starting today, and a steroid nosespray (Nasonex). She said I should be fine in 6 days, but that I would benefit from using the Nasonex for a few weeks. I will keep you posted.
I felt like such a junkie at the doctor’s office. You should’ve seen the look she gave me! You would think I was telling her I’m hooked on cocaine, though I’m sure cocaine isn’t half as good as Afrin!
Whitney
Cyndi
05/12/2009 at 2:32 pm
Whitney,
I have the prednisone too…the tapering pack.About 3 mths ago I tried prednisone (it wasn’t a tapering pack though just a dosing schedule that my doc gave me.The side effects were too intense for me so I only lasted on it for like 3 days but in those three days I went from using Afrin so many times a day I lost count to using it only before bed and then about mid-day.So if you can handle the prednisone….it will work wonders.
sad to say that for about a week and a half my usage has increased again.Not as bad as before but bad enough.
I really want to give prednisone another chance and have that pack here when i’m ready.
I was wondering if you could let us know how the side effects are for you…and your age (if you don’t mind) and if you are a smoker etc.I am 35,a smoker…and have some anxiety.I just imagine prednisone may react differently on say 20 somethings vs 30 somethings and so on.
My son is distracting me like crazy..so I hope all that came out readable.lol
Good Luck!
Whitney
05/12/2009 at 11:44 pm
Hi Cyndi,
I am 33. My Dr explained this is these are the same prescriptions she gave me when I was in my 20s for this same reason and it worked, so the same Dr is trying it again with me. I didn’t notice any side effects the first time in my 20s but I’m wondering if I’m noticing some now. I just started with the 6 pills today and tonight I’m having joint pain and a headache that is so uncomfortable, but I’m not sure if that was from this medicine or not. I figure since it is tapering, maybe today is the worst day either way… I haven’t noticed anything else, but will keep you posted. I’m not sure if I told you I started Zyrtec about 2 weeks ago too, so together I’m trying Zyrtec, I started my Nasonex yesterday and the prednisone today. I did not need my nosepray at all this entire day UNTIL just now before bed. As soon as I tried to lie down, I got stuffy and the Nasonex wasn’t helping. But considering I have Afrin bottles everywhere and then keep one in my pocket and use several sprays each time I use it, this one spray tonight is a HUGE improvement. I’m accrediting that mainly to the Nasonex though this early because I’ve been using that today instead of the Afrin. The Dr said Prednisone and Nasonex together are the key. Also, no I’m not a smoker anymore. I was smoking in my 20s when I was on this the first time though but like I said I don’t think I had any problems then. I’m sorry you’re getting back on the increase currently. I was off of it for years and then had this bad allergy attack with congestion lasting for days and I still remember standing in the aisle at the store convincing myself I’d only use it for 3 days. That was 2 and 1/2 years ago. It is just so easy… I’ll keep you posted this week!
Whitney
Crystal
05/11/2009 at 10:27 pm
So I read all these stories and can relate.. I am addicted to afrin and i am 8 months pregnant. My nose hurts from using it and im trying so hard not to use it.. I have tried everything.. every medicine .. the neti pot EVERYTHING.. nothing works like afrin.. but the oxymetazoline is horrible for you., and I am having the rebound congestion. Curious to know April.. whats the ingredients in your sprayfree4me?.. please let me know and email me at cjohnson3108@yahoo.com and let me know im curious to buy some.. just want to know whats in it. thanks
Whitney
05/12/2009 at 11:59 pm
Crystal,
I’m not sure if you are as bad off as I was, but I would say you should bring Breathe Right strips with you to the hospital. The clear ones for sensitive skin work the best. They have a stronger grip than the tan colored original ones so they help open your passages up more. I was in such a mess during my delivery that I didn’t even care about the pain from labor! I mean, can you imagine? They wouldn’t let me sit up at all and I can’t breathe when I lie flat on my back so I panicked. They brought in a fan to blow in my face, so that may help you if your hospital has one. (I have NO idea why they didn’t give me oxygen…) I ended up using my Afrin during the delivery so if you’re comfy doing that then have it with you. Good luck and congratulations on your baby!! Also, if you haven’t tried prednisone, you may want to consider it when you’re able to take it. I’m doing the 6 day dose tapering pack this week, and I’ll post updates on this site this week as Ken asked us to write what we’re trying. -Whitney
April Hutcheson
05/13/2009 at 7:15 am
I know what you mean about panicking duriing childbirth. I had a c-section, but I was like you, they wanted to lie me flat, and I coudln’t breathe and for some reason, they didn’t give me oxygen. and I was having a panick attack. I had my nose spray in my hospital gown pocket, but in the position I was in, I really couln’t spray enough to relieve me. Plus I was scared to death as it was. and to boot, the anetheaologist told me I was acting like a baby. My husband wanted to punch him. and now, i am going in tomorrow morning for lapband surgury. I am free from the nose spray this time, so I won’t have to worry about that. but I am still scared to death the close it gets to tomorrow. anyway, good luck with the methods you are trying. predisonze can make you gain weight and kind of swell up, kind of puffy in the face and increase your appetite. one of you said you had headache and it can cause that. I am not sure about the nervousness. and the nasonex is good for allergy control. It is always good to get treatment for any underlying problems you have like allergies, so that when you try to get off the spray, it works. good luck.
April Hutcheson
05/12/2009 at 7:43 am
Hi, Crystal and Ken. I can’t tell you the specific ingredients here, once the full secret is out, then my business is done for. I do want to help people, but I do want to make a living too just like everyone else. I will tell you that one ingredient was recommended to me by my ear, nose and throat dr. And the entire method is safer than what you are doing now. And it will work. I am 100 percent confindent about that. You just have to decide whether it is worth it to you to try it. Ken, I would love for you to link to me, but I can’t send you the product for you to do it. It is just a method and you have the tools already. And I would never ask you to promote it unless you are addicted to nose spray, bought my method, used it and it worked for you. I just want people to know that I went through all this for 8 years. I got on it when I was pregnant. I had the panic attacks. I had the terrible rebound congestion. I took the bottles everywhere I went, even room to room in my house. I freaked if I had an almost empty bottle and hadn’t bought a new one yet. My nose hurt, my blood pressure kept going up. I also wanted to get lapband surgury, but coudn’t because the dr wouldn’t do it while I was on nose spray. That is when I really seriouly began trying to find a way to get off. That was three years ago. I had tried many times before, but I was set on doing it now. It took three years for me to figure out how to do it. The answer was simple, but yet I hadn’t thought of it until recently. I used the method and I am sprayfree completly now. and I feel free. It is amazing once you realize that you don’t have to carry a bottle with you all the time or worry about all those problems associated wiith it. And now, I am finally geting my lapband surguy this very week. So you decide.
Whitney
05/17/2009 at 2:19 pm
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give an update – I took my last dose of the Prednisone pack today (I started on Tuesday with 6 pills, and tapered down to one pill today). I haven’t used my Afrin since Wednesday and I don’t even need the Nasonex now. I feel wonderful and I can breathe and for the first time in 25 straight months, I am throwing away my Afrin for good! I really recommend the prednisone. I did gain weight (about 4 lbs) but I kept drinking water because I noticed my fingers seemed to swell and my face got puffy and flushed. It seemed to be more of a water retention problem than actual weight gain, but I expect to get back to normal now that I’m finished with the pack. The water did help me with this. Like I said, I had some joint pain the first night which I read is a side effect of prednisone, but other than that all was fine. Good luck everyone!
Sherri
05/20/2009 at 1:44 am
The answer is so simple I can’t believe I’ve not seen it anywhere else. I was addicted too and broke it by simply going cold turkey one nostril at a time. Took about two weeks for each. As long as I could breath out of one nostril, I was fine. Once the first nostril cleared up enough for me to breath through it, I quit Afrin altogether and just had to wait for the second one to clear up.
Rocky
06/02/2009 at 12:44 am
Hey everyone! I was addicted to Afrin Nasal Spray for a long time. My story is very similar to a lot of those already posted. I would get sick and use the spray for months at a time. One time I tried to quit cold turkey and it was HORRIBLE! So a few years ago I figured I would try something new, so I went down to Walgreen’s and I tried this stuff called Benzedrex. It comes in a small tube, kind of like a Vick’s inhaler. I thought I’d give it a shot, and see if it would work better than Afrin and break the addiction. I was very happy with the results because it works really good! It takes a few minutes to kick in, but it cleared up my sinuses fast. I must caution you when you use it, because it does burn and sting a little, but it works so good it is worth it. I used it for a few days, and after that my congestion went away completely. Now I use Benzedrex whenever I get sick and will never use Afrin again. But don’t overuse Benzedrex, cuz the label says it can be addicting as well.
mayra t
06/15/2009 at 2:47 am
hi everyone I’m addicted to afrin. it started when i was pregnant with my 2nd child. i started to have a stuffy nose then my doctor told me to use afrin. and i been using it for almost one year now. I am trying to get rid of it, I’m trying not to use it no more but i cant. i also been taking over the counter claritin but it doesn’t work. so does anybody have any tips i could use to help me quit using afrin, thank you i would really appreciate it if you would write back.
LIsa
06/23/2009 at 10:23 pm
Anyone who is addicted to Afrin should go see and ENT. They can prescribe you some steroids to help you stop using Afrin. I was prescribed Prednisone and by the first evening I had a little bit of air. Enough not to have to use the AFrin. It still took a while using the steroids but it really helped a lot.
April Hutcheson
06/15/2009 at 9:01 pm
Mayra, look at my website. It has a lot of info about nose spray addiction with includes afrin. I was addicted for eight years. I finally got off. the website will tell you how you can get off it for good. I got addicted when I was pregnant too from the pregnancy hormornes that give you the stuffy nose. And I have lots of good testimony now that is in favor of my method. I can’t believe your doctor actally told you to use afrin. every doctor I have met is agaist OTC nose sprays becuase they know what can happen. good luck.
LIsa
06/22/2009 at 8:55 pm
Anyone who is addicted to Afrin should go see and ENT. They can prescribe you some steroids to help you stop using Afrin. I was prescribed Prednisone and by the first evening I had a little bit of air. Enough not to have to use the AFrin. It still took a while using the steroids but it really helped a lot.
April Hutcheson
07/02/2009 at 3:17 pm
I just wanted to say that yes, steroids can help you breath easier, but it doestn’ help very much in the addiction fight. You still can’t breath while you are using it and you still want to use nose spray. and Prednisone will make your skin puffy and cause weight gain. It makes you want to eat all the time.
LIsa
07/24/2009 at 1:06 pm
I would rather eat and gain weight for a little while then be stuck on Afrin for years. I am sure there are down falls to any method someone is trying but the steroids helps the swelling in your nose go down which gives you air to breath. With the little air it gives each day, maybe an individual can have some will power not to use nose spray.
Cyndi
07/02/2009 at 11:36 pm
Prednisone (Corticosteroids) may not help with the actual addiction but they WILL help you survive the rebound while you stop using the afrin.
They are AMAZING at helping you breath while you are withdrawing/rebounding.
Generally you will be on them for about 6 days and the first day of the steriods you will probably still need the afrin but by the second day and with a tiny bit of will power you will be… for the most part comfortably withdrawing.After 5 days of no afrin most people will be over the rebound.
They may not work for everyone …but nothing will.I do believe they are most people’s best bet.
Ps..Corticosteroids are serious drugs…not something that you want to casually take.Make sure they are prescribed by your doctor and the dosing instructions are followed.
whitney
07/03/2009 at 3:43 pm
I posted above that I gained 4 lbs and had a puffy face and fingers when I took prednisone for my Afrin addiction. I did NOT feel hungry. I was just gaining weight without eating more. I finished the pack in the 6 days and the following week the puffiness and extra 4lbs on the scale went away day by day. 6 days of puffiness was WELL worth it to me. I’m completely medicince free now. Decide for yourself.
If you’re like I was, if you’re so bad off that you actually found this website, I’m begging you to see your doctor. Prednisone or not, your doctor will have the best option for you. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!
LIsa
07/24/2009 at 1:08 pm
I agree with you completely.
Lia
07/28/2009 at 5:43 am
I was addicted to nostrilla nasal spray for about 2 years. I felt absolutely hopeless until just a few months ago, i visited an ear nose & throat doctor. He prescribed me with prednosine tablets (as mentioned above) and after about 5 or so days of taking them, I was nasal-spray free and able to breathe out of my nose perfectly. Yes, I had to deal with a lot of discomfort during those 5 days, but it was SO worth it. Seriously, anyone who is suffering from this should know that it is not as hard as you may think to break the habit and live your life normally again
April Hutcheson
09/12/2009 at 1:50 pm
I just like to leave an update here occasionally to help keep the site updated. I was addicted for 8 years to nose spray. Started with pregnancy. tried everything and was very discouraged. I finally came up with an idea on how to quit and I still think it is the best method out there. I am currently trying to send it to ear, nose and throat doctors all over US My site has can get you to the method to stop too. but most importanly, go to my site for free info on nose spray addiction. This has most anything you need or want to know and it also has a links page that goes to just about everything other site on internet about nose spray addiction. so one stop place. Good luck to everyone. I know what you are going through.
Andrew
09/23/2009 at 3:36 am
The Afrin Addiction consumed a huge part of my life. I got addicted to the stuff when I was around 7th grade actually. Once in a while i’d be thankful that my doctor would inject me with a steroid that helped for a few months but never actually cured my addiction to the Afrin. So after I had graduated Highschool.. I went on for a few years still addicted….
Eventually I said enough was enough and just went cold turkey. I couldn’t breath through my nose for days so i also couldn’t sleep for days. But I’ve been off the stuff for about 5-7 years now? I do use it once in a while when i have a cold. But thankfully i haven’t fallen back into the addiction. Because I take the whole 3 days thing VERY VERY SERIOUS.
However my sister and my mother tend to still get addicted to the stuff.
Atrox
09/27/2009 at 10:06 pm
3+year addiction to Afrin (every 3-4 hours- I have pretty bad allergies in addition to the addiction). I tried numerous times to quit by weaning and cutting the Afrin with saline, but with bad allergies, it just was not enough. Went to ENT, got 10 days of oral prednisone and Nasonex. First day/night and second day were miserable. Up most of the first nigh staring at the Afrin bottle, but held firm and did not cheat. Feeling great now and glad to be off the Afrin (I will always need allergy meds, so the non-addictive Nasonex is a better choice for me).
whitney
09/28/2009 at 4:07 am
Atrox,
I hope you continue to get better! Your description of being up most of the night staring at the bottle made me laugh so I wanted to write. I have been there before many, many nights, and I also used prednisone to get better. I still say I do not know how Afrin is still on the market.
Take care,
Whitney
Jennifer
10/01/2009 at 5:51 pm
I am 21 wks pregnant and have been addicted to afrin for about 4 months. I used it one night against my better judgement when I just could not breathe at all and wanted to sleep SO bad. I tried to go off it cold turkey on Tuesday and I was miserable, so when my husband came home I told him to go to the store and get me some. He came home and brought me not Afrin but a generic store brand that isnt Oxymethalizone (sp?) but Phenylephrine Hydrochloride. I didnt even realize it was different until after I used it a few times. I didnt think it was good to take Phenylephrine while pregnant so I sent him back to the store for Afrin and now the Afrin does not work on me anymore since using the other stuff. I try to go cold turkey but my whole face gets swollen and then I start gagging from not breathing and I throw up…so I give in and I am using the Phenylephrine in one nostril and only in both at night. Problem is that it only lasts about an hour…an HOUR can you believe it? I am miserable…all I think about is my scheduled C-Section in January and how am I going to use my decongestant while being operated on? I ordered the Rhinostat system today, has anyone had success?
Kimberly
10/04/2009 at 11:26 am
Hi Ken,
I just stumbled across your website… I just currently moved to Germany with my husband for him to attend grad school. And… I just ran out of Mucinex nose spray. Yikes. I have never thought of myself as having an addiction. However, I was googling how I could ship Mucinex, Afrin.. heck, any kind of nose spray over here and stumbled across nose spray addiction sites. In Germany, I haven’t found a nose spray yet that has Oxymetazoline… instead, they are all saline sprays. So, I bought a bottle of the saline spray yesterday when I started freaking out that I was almost done w/ the Mucinex. I didn’t even realize it was a saline spray until I translated the bottle. I woke up about 5 times throughout the night not being able to breathe. It was horrible. It only brought relief for an hour or maybe a few hours… but not complete relief
. However, I am still using the saline spray whenever my nose is stuffy because it’s all I have now… well, that and Flonase but, it doens’t seem to help. I spent a lot of money getting all this Flonase so hopefully it will start working. I also have year round allergies which isn’t helping anything. Basically, after reading a few websites and reading this website, I’ve come up with the fact that maybe I am addicted to nose spray. Kind of embarrassing. My husband agrees so I guess I am. I didn’t want to think I was because my nose will completely shut if I don’t use it…so I just assumed there was something wrong with my nose. It all started back in the Spring of 2006 when I got a bad cold. I started using nose spray and have been on it daily since. I would keep 2 bottles in my purse just so I always had a backup. Honestly, not only does it get expensive but due to the fact that I can’t find my “drug of choice” over here, I guess I have to get off of it. I start freaking out when I can’t breathe through my nose… I cannot STAND that feeling. Can anyone tell me how long (days) this rebound congestion will lasts for? Please! And, are you sure it will just stop one day? I guess I’m just not sure what to expect and the thought of being severely congested for days is kind of depressing/scary. Also, after a few days the congestion will just stop? How is that possible? I just want to be normal again 
Oh, and can I keep using the saline spray throughout this whole process? Please say yes 
April Hutcheson
10/04/2009 at 6:39 pm
Hi, kimberly, I feel for you. I know the anxiety you are feeling, and I can’t imagine being in a country that doesn’t have the nose spray you are addicted to. I just wanted to say that I have found that it is kind of individual to how long the congestion will last., some get over it after a few days, some it takes up to 10 days. and it will be harder for you becuase you have allergies. I do too. And I had to get treatment for the allergies also. Keep using the saline. It won’t help but so much, but it is non addictable, and ear, nose and throat doctors recommend it for helping and clearing out nasal passages. the flonase will help with allergies too. but depending on how bad your allergies are, you might need more help. I wish you good luck.
April Hutcheson
10/05/2009 at 12:29 am
Jennifer, that is how I got addicted to nose spray. when I was pregnant with my first son eight years ago. I had pregnancy induced congestion, same as you. It is almost impossible to get off the nose spray while you are still pregnant unless you want misery. and it is just almost impossible to withstand. It will not directly hurt the baby. but you have to keep watch on your blood pressure beucase the spray can cause high blood pressure if used much and long term. the rhinostat system may work, but you shoudl be warned that you have to be only usuing your spray every six hours before you can start the system and then there is very little spray for you to use before you change dilution. it didn’t work for me. my method worked and if you email me, I will send you the method free. You have already spent money on rhinostat, and I don’t want you to spend more. when you email, list sprayfree4me in subject line.
April Hutcheson
10/05/2009 at 12:32 am
also, jennifer, I forgot to tell you that the c-section isn’t easy. I had two of them while on the nose spray. I had panic attacks. I just made sure that I sprayed rigth before they took me in surgury. also, ask for oxygen if they will give it to you. It helps make you think you are breathing better. also have a good support system to be there and help keep your mind off your nose. my second c-section while on spray, I acutally hid my spray in the hospital gown pocket, but didn’t use it. but I felt better having it with me. and let your ob/gyn know. sometimes it helps to know they know why you are freaking out if you do. good luck.
April Hutcheson
10/22/2009 at 5:58 pm
Tulsa tom, my comments are not just advertising. If you will read them all, you will see that a good handful say absolutely nothing about my website. And of coarse, I charge before I give out the method for nose spray withdrawal. Do you go to the store and they let you take out the merchandise before you pay for it? no. I don’t know why everyone is always so mad becuase I charge 8.00 for my method. all these other methods online charge a whole heck of a lot more, and they don’t even work. I provide all the other info about nose spray addiction on my site free. I am trying to make a living just like everyone else, but I also know that my method is not a lie and it works. And everyone that seems to knock it haven’t even seen what it is about or tried it including you.
TulsaTom
10/22/2009 at 7:09 pm
well, nobody wants to pay for something that may not even work, not knowing what it is, with just your hype to go to your website and buy it. here’s what does work. ONLY SPRAY ONE NOSTRIL, THE WORST ONE AND THEN STOP SPRAYING ALTOGETHER IN A FEW DAYS. IT WORKS AND THERE IS NO CHARGE FOR THE INFORMATION.
Jenn A
11/02/2009 at 9:33 pm
April – No one is mad at you, I just don’t think is the appropriate place to advertise your product. Ken’s nice enough to post some information out here on his OWN WEBSITE in order to help people, and you’re out here “trying to make a living”. That’s not the purpose of this blog. Do your own advertising and stop hijacking blogs, ok?
Jennifer
10/23/2009 at 1:59 pm
I just have to let everyone know that I wasted over 30.00 on Rhinostat and it did not work. What they dont tell you on the website is that you have to be down to using the spray only once every 4-6 hours for the system to work. I used mine at least every 2 hours so that ytwas not helpful at all. They offer a way to “wean” yourself down to 4-6 hours by adding 15 min increments to your spray time, but that was not practical for me.
April Hutcheson was kind enough to send me her system AT NO CHARGE just like she promised in a prior posting, and I must say I feel very positive about it, I am due to give birth soon and I know that if I follow her directions I will not have to ask my fiancee to smuggle Afrin into the delivery room. Thank you April for helping me out, I truly appreciate it!!
In response to TulsaTom…The one nostril thing does not work for everyone. In my case, I have a deviated septum and dont breathe well out of my right nostril. I tried to do the one nostril method and it did not work because I was not getting enough air out of my right nostril alone…I needed both to breathe!! And I am sure I am not the only one with this issue.
Freddy
10/25/2009 at 9:15 am
I have been addicted to nose drops for two years. It was awful, the expense, I always carried it on me, I’d secretly use it when I “needed relief”. It was terrible. Last week, on Tuesday, I used it several times and was getting no relief from it. After two years I couldn’t get my fix. I went to the Pharmacist and asked what I could do. He said I had rebound congestion and I had to quit because it wasn’t good for me. I already knew that. He said my red blood vessels in my mucous membranes were probably engorged and my nasal passage will close up. He said it would take about a week of hell in order for the membranes to heal and to get back to normal. I decided to do it. I had no choice, my nasal passage was completely blocked and no air was going through. It was awful. I had to breathe through my mouth. My lips were chapped, I had to drink lots of fluids, and I couldn’t talk normal. My friend said I sounded like a robot because I couldn’t breathe through my nose. The first and second nights were hell. Especially the first night. I was up all night, wanting and wishing I could have my fix. I bought the Breathe Right strips and it didn’t help since my membranes were swollen. I tried saline solution to help flush out the nose, did the steam to add relief but it didn’t work. I used mentholatum under each nostril and it didn’t help. It was cold turkey without relief but I knew I had to do it. The third night was easier, I used the strips and slept for 5 hours. The most I slept in two days. Today, day four, it’s a lot better. I can breathe about 80% better today. I’ll still use the strips tonight, they help out. I should be completely normal in another three days. Just like the Pharmacist said, one week. It’s hard, very, very hard to quit. But if I could do it anyone can. I’m a weak guy and have no patience. It was hell at the beginning but was worth it. I’ll never do nose drops again. Good luck.
Terra
10/30/2009 at 5:27 pm
I too have been addicted before..It sucks.. I have used all available antibiotics to get rid of sinus infections, they always come back…I stay on pseudofed from am to pm to breathe and keep my allergies ar bay..it works..get the one from the pharmacy though. I also researched a natural way to help with my sinus infections etc. and found collidal silver. You can dilute it with saline and use it as a nasal spray and it really helps! There’s also ecinechia and goldenseal..the goldenseal helps with your mucous and the echinecia to help fight off colds etc. You can make a tea out of oregano that can really help if you are super congested! I have helped many a sick person with this tea..Make it til it’s light green and add honey and lemon and sweeten to taste.
Good luck and happy breathing
C
11/09/2009 at 10:22 pm
My husband is completely addicted to afrin. This is probly going on the 4th year of continuous use. It is in every vechical, diaper bag, my purse, bedroom, and theres even a bottle at my parents house just in case he needs it when we go there to eat/visit. He has had breathing problems since he was a child, he is now 30. He has severe rebound conjestion and now is complaining of fatigue, inability to sleep or breathe deeply. I am very worried and have tried to get him to stop using it but its he says he feels like he is suffocating if he doesnt use it. So what would be the best thing to do? make an appt with an allergist or start with our family dr? He doesnt think goin to dr will help because he’s been on every allergy medication/shots with no results. Also we have been to a surgeon that suggested nasal surgery but we would like to try somethin less invasive if possible
LIsa
11/10/2009 at 3:28 am
Make an appointment with an ENT soon as possible. They are professionals and seriously will help.
Valery
11/10/2009 at 12:16 am
Hi, I just wanted to share with you something I tried and actually helped. I’m 26 yrs old and I’ve been addicted to nasal spray (actually my favorite was the CVS brand spray bottle) since I was 15. In high school, people always thought I was running to the bathroom constantly when I really just wanted to spray my nose. I always carried a purse so I can have a place to keep it with me. It wasn’t until this past summer my husband noticed how often I would have all day runny noses or how I complained that I was getting more and more addicted. He went to a local drug store and bought me a bottle of Alkalol, a “soothing nasal wash, mucus solvent and cleaner.” The bottle says its been around since the 1800’s. Anyway, what I did after I tried using this solely in my nose with no avail, was added it to a half full bottle of my nose spray. It added a slight menthol scent which I liked. The important thing, I still felt like the nasal spray cleared my nose. Then when the bottle was a quarter empty, I filled it again with the Alkalol. So it was twice diluted. By that time about 2 weeks later, i felt less of a need to use it as often. Then when that bottle finished I just filled it with the alkalol. So there maybe was a tiny bit of nasal spray in there but hardly. By the end of that bottle i had gone threw a full day and not used it once. I decided that night to try to go one day without it. I was stuffy and had to sleep on my back but i survived. And the next day and day after. 3 months later still no nose spray. Try looking up the product online for its ingredients if you cant find the same thing near you. Please try it though, i always felt like my nasal spray addiction was my dirty little secret. Not anymore.
C
11/10/2009 at 4:30 pm
Thanks! i will try it
gwen
11/11/2009 at 11:35 pm
I used 4-way for 10 years!!! I couldn’t stop. My dr. prescribed me steiroids. Plus flonase…that took care of it immediately…ahhhh i can breath by myself again!!!
Matt
11/14/2009 at 4:45 am
I have been addicted to afrin for 25 years, and because of my high blood pressure I had to get off it. I have tried many many times, but this time I went to an Ears Nose Throat MD, he said I had a deviated septum(SP?) Anyway he gave me a shot and then some steriod nose spray to use 2 shots each nostril twice a day. One night one I found that 2 “breathe right” strips helped and I am on day 4 and still WITHOUT AFRIN. Last time I did it was before the EENT MD. I still keep my afrin bottle around, like at work in my car and not in my pocket….but I know its in the car, if it gets too bad. This morning I reached into my pocket like 5 times before noon out of habit. I didn’t realized how much psycho it is! GOOD LUCK! You can do it….. the first 24 hrs was the worst!
Cushy Cush
12/08/2009 at 12:00 am
I’m glad to know that i am not alone in this addiction. I threw away my Afrin today and asked my boyfriend to throw away any that were at home for me. My addiction started from severe allergies. I just like to breath lol. Well, i now have nose bleeds, blow out blood anytime i blow my nose, on top of that…. I’ve lost my sense of smell. I hope that returns when i am off the nose spray. My addictions are periodic, during allergy season. I had no clue these sprays are this bad to so many people. I really have to quit and I’ll suffer through the cold turkey method.
Cynthia – I tried the neti pot… it does not help with the addiction or to clear up a stuffed nose from rebound congestion. But, i love the concept of it and will use it once i am clear of Afrin addiction.
Ken – Thanks for posting this site, whether i find any of the info or methods useful or not…. i am so happy and comforted by the fact that i am not alone.
April Hutcheson – I dont know if anybody would pay $8 for an email with no guarantee or refund if it doesnt help. Yes i spend money on Afrin, but if it doesnt work…. Walgreens will give me my money back. I can also read the ingredients in OTC products…. how am i to know if any of the $8 miracle method is something i may have an allergy to? If you truly want to help people….. you would give info and ask for donations, kinda like non-profit organizations. And to even post your way of “Earning a living” in the same paragraph as diet pills gives me the impression that it is only about money not about help. And you mentioned you havent seen results for testimonials because you just started this in February? Might as well stay on Afrin if it takes months to heal from using your method! Plus, you declined Ken’s offer after trying to use his site to advertise. Whether you want to help or not…. that is advertising!
April Hutcheson
12/08/2009 at 2:45 am
well, I am sorry some of you have a problem with me. I am not posting on here anymore. If you want to find me, you can get to me. This is the only site that has had a problem with me. And everyone that has said something has not talked to me nor bought my method. My site is what it is and those who read the site and try the method know what it is about. and to date, I have helped over 60 people get off nose spray. Most don’t leave testimony, but do talk to me by email personally. Believe it or not. It’s your nose. I don’t offer refund, becuase I am not selling a bottle of nose spray from walgreens. I am selling an e-report on how to get off and what you need to do it. Once I send the e-report, they have it and it can’t be returned to me. And nobody is going to donate when something like this is free. And I never said it would take months to heal. It takes aprrox 4 monts or less to complete. and if you put toghter all the time you spend trying to get off it with everything else or trying to do it yourself, you are still on it for months, years. so 4 months is worth it, when in the end of it, you are free. I will say no more. I will post everywhere else online with those that don’t have a problem. becuase I am tired of trying to explain myself.
Freddy
12/08/2009 at 2:04 am
I posted on 10/25/09 stating that I was one week in to going cold turkey. It did get better, but was still a long process. After stopping I went through various stages. Sometimes I could breathe, other times I couldn’t. Night time was the worst because when I’d lay down I couldn’t breathe very well so I’d have to prop my pillows up and sit up and sleep. It helped. My nasal membranes were in the healing process so it was very moist inside, sometimes dripping like a runny nose. For one whole month after I stopped nose drops I went through various stages of healing. Not to be gross but to be honest, for two years I had not produced dried nasal mucous (boogers). I finally started to. After one month and two weeks of being off nose drops my nose is completely healed! No runny nose, no blood, and no swelling of my nasal membranes. I can breathe on my own and it feels great. Nose drops will never be in my house again, bad, bad, bad stuff! If I can do it, anyone can. It’s worth the little hassle you have to go through. Good luck!
TulsaTom
12/08/2009 at 3:48 am
i was hooked on afrin for months and months and got off by spraying only one nostril. it lets one side get over it and then you start weaning off the other side. when i was uncomfortable, i would spray, but only the one side, that went on for about a week, then i skipped spraying one day, because i didn’t seem to need it, then did spray the next day, but only needed it once, then nothing. off, the whole deal was over and it was not hard or scary. i’ve been off for a month now and never give it a thought. actually, about a week ago, i sprayed once at bedtime and have been fine ever since. i’m normal again.
this may not work for people who have a deviated septum that blocks one side, but if you can get air though both nostrils, it is the way to go. good luck and easy breathing to all.
la la la, ha ha ha
))
jle
12/16/2009 at 9:37 pm
How I ended the afrin addictionl I should tour schools. I was addicted on afrin since april of 2009. I took it everyday, twice a day and sometimes three times in October. I saw an allergist who prescribed me steroids and nasanex. Neither of the two worked. I then saw my regular md for something else and I told her about this, she said to use both the nasanex and afrin at the same time. She said it would take about three days for the nasanex steroids to work. Well it worked somewhat, but I was still using. Then last Friday, today is the following Wednesday, I suddenly got a nose bleed. See, I had my nose cauterized a couple years back, so it should have bled. I told myself that this cannot happen again as I was getting constant nose bleeds. I decided to cut, as they say, cold turkey. I went to the store and bought nasal moisturizing spray/nasal saline, and just went to town with it. I have not used for 5 days. I can tell my nose is very dry and still squirting the saline but I have got off the addiction. The problem with afrin is is that it raises your blood pressure and there are no studies as to what happens for prolonged use. I still think afrin is a very good drug, but one must use it with great moderation and not to get into an addiction. I would also suggest to anyone with an addiction who wants to stop to cut cold turkey, with a little nasanex or flonaise. These are nasal steroids that would help repair the damage done by afrin. Happy breathing everyone!
Amanda
12/28/2009 at 5:53 pm
I’ve been addicted to nasal spray since I was very young. I think the first time I used it I was about 8 years old, and now I’m 34. I’ve taken oral steroids, steroid nasal sprays, done the one side spraying, ect. The oral and nasal steroids helped the most. I only wish my doctor would give me a fill as needed prescription on the nasonex so I won’t be tempted to use the nasal spray the next time I get sick. What frustrates me the most is that no matter how many times I swear to get off the stuff, I find it is also a mental addiction as well. I absolutely LOVE that feeling when I’m all stopped up and suddenly I can breathe. But not just breathe, it’s all clear and tingly. Should I seek out psychological help for that side of the addiction? Thanks.
P.S. It’s a good idea to keep a nasal steroid around even after you’ve completely quit the Afrin.
Whitney
12/29/2009 at 3:33 pm
Hi Amanda,
I know exactly what you mean. Afrin does feel wonderful when you first use it after being sick then you try forever to get that same feeling. Honestly, HOW is this stuff available OTC??? I too started using it when I was a little girl. (Thanks, mom!) I finally used the oral 6 day dose pack of prednisone to wean off it in May. I’ve been off ever since. BUT, back to what you were saying. I’m wondering if you could get the same relief (or at least close) if you tried pseudephedrine (behind the counter- the real stuff) with a Breathe Right strip AND a little dap of menthol under your nose (like Vicks or something.) At least it might get you out of a bind without prolonging an addiction.
But, I don’t know about getting psychological help. I would say no. Unless we all need it. Maybe we do. I call this site my Triple A group. Afrin Addicts Anonymous. Take care and good luck!
Helene
12/29/2009 at 4:33 pm
Hello everyone!
Have I been addicted the longest? I am 41 years old and have been addicted since my late teens. I remember as a teenager riding my bike up to the store to buy the nose spray (not Afrin, but a store brand, which is what I’ve always used).
A few years ago, I tried a product I found online called Rhinostat. Basically, they send you a kit that helps you slowly dilute your nose spray until eventually you are taking only saline spray. It worked!!! It took just a few weeks and the best part was that there was NO discomfort. But I got re-addicted….
I bought the Rhinostat again, and this time it just didn’t work for me. To make matters worse, over the past few months, I’ve found that my regular nasal spray is losing its effectiveness. Talk about PANIC! I could always count on that stuff to clear me up, but lately I was still congested after using it. One evening, I could NOT get my nose to clear up no matter how much of the stuff I used. I got no sleep that night, and the next morning I called an ear, nose & throat doctor and begged for the first available appt.
I went yesterday morning. I was afraid the doctor would just tell me to go “cold turkey” or berate me. It is an embarrassing addiction. But he didn’t.
He prescribed 3 things for me: a 12-day pack of Prednisone steroid, a nasal spray steroid called Omnaris, along with a nasal spray antihistimine called Astepro. He told me that I should avoid using my regular nasal spray altogether except at night if I absolutely have to. He told me I should begin feeling relief in a few days, but he will see me back in 4 weeks to see how much I’ve improved. I am hopeful, especially after reading some of these comments about how the steroids have worked for many of you. Like every other woman out there (LOL), I am afraid of weight gain and bloating from Prednisone, but if it helps me break this addiction, I will do ANYTHING! I have been addicted for over 20 years! (at $5/bottle…sometimes as much as a bottle a week…how much money have I wasted???!!!!).
I am only on day 1 of my doctor’s medication cocktail, and I am very stuffy right now, but not totally congested (yet). I know the next few days will be tough, but I am hopeful.
BTW, my doctor did say that if this doesn’t work, there is a surgery I can have?? I have never heard that before, and I would never jump into that without thoroughly researching it, but has anyone else ever heard of it? He said they go in and open up your passages widely somehow. Sounds scary. I feel like I can do this if I hang in there and give the meds a chance to work.
Someone earlier posted that these medications should be kept behind the pharmacy counter. I thoroughly agree!! This stuff is horribly addicting, as I’m sure everyone who found this board already knows. The warnings on the label should be larger as well.
Wish me luck! I will report back in on how I’m doing. I’ve promised myself that if I break the habit again this time, I will NOT touch another bottle of OTC nasal spray ever again, no matter how bad I am congested due to a cold or allergies. It’s like an alcoholic trying to have “just one drink.”
Heather
12/29/2009 at 9:46 pm
I’ve been addicted to afrin for about 6 months (which isnt long in comparison to some of you, i know), but I knew I had to stop when I started getting nose bleeds & making emergency runs because i ran out. I tried a couple of times to do it ‘cold turkey’ & it didn’t work.
This time, I’m in the process of trying the 1 nostril thing & ITS WORKING. A couple words of advise though:
1) wait for cold weather, keep your house freezing & DONT turn on the heat
2) put afrin in 1 nostril & sleep on your side with that afrin nostrill on the ‘bottom’ closest to the pillow & the other nostril on the ‘top’ because it keeps it somewhat clearer
3) use claritin or sudafed that first night (or both…I used both hah)
4) even though its FREEZING in your bedroom…turn the fan on ALL night (again, it seems to help)
5) keep yourself elevated on pillows (like 2 or 3 pillows)
Its only my 2nd day, but i do feel a lot better already in that 1 nostril. Last time I tried, it was still hot & humid out (I live in florida), & that’s what really did me in last time, so i’m using this week of cold to try to get off it as much as possible.
Helene
12/31/2009 at 6:33 pm
Update on my posting from 12/29.
I am on Day 3 of the medication cocktail prescribed by my ENT. IT IS WORKING! Per my doctor’s instructions, I am only using my nasal spray at night “if needed” (so far, I have needed it, but only one small drop in each nose is all I need for complete relief overnight). Day 1 was really tough and I was congested all day. Yesterday was better, but I was still congested although not as bad as Day 1. Today, so far, is so much better. I feel only slightly congested. I am just amazed at how well this is working, but I have another 9 days on the Prednisone, and then will only continue with the other 2 spray meds he gave me until I see him in a few weeks. I really think that in the next day or so, I will not even need that drop of “regular” nasal spray in the evenings at all. I will be completely free of the stuff.
If this can work for me after a 20+ year addiction, it can likely work for anyone! And very minimal discomfort. Yes, the first couple of days are full of congestion, but NOTHING like that total congestion you get when you stop cold turkey.
Wish me luck! I hope to be totally med-free soon!
Joe
01/09/2010 at 5:36 pm
Hi. My name is Joe and I am a nose spray junkie. Have been, on and off (more on than off), for over thirty years. My condition is so bad that sometimes at night, my nasal passages are so stopped-up that I can’t even blow air out through them. I have to get out bed and sit upright in a chair to clear my nasal passages enough so I can squirt (I am beyond a simple spray) some of the magic juice up there.
My problem is further complicated by the fact that I have severe allergies and a deviated septum. I’m not sure what role, if any, the deviated septum plays. Other than this is part of the reason why I have nasal congestion in the first place. And I think this is the reason why one nasal passage is worse than the other. However, it’s the allergies that are most problematic.
What am I allergic to? You name it. Dust, trees, grass, cats, smoke, etc. (some seasonal, but mostly non-seasonal irritants). There are even some foods that aggravate my allergies. I did allergy shots for about five years and this helped. But my treatments lapsed about ten years ago and my allergy conditions are now as bad as ever. I guess I should have stayed on the maintenance plan because – as I have discovered – there is no cure for allergies.
For the longest time, I was an oxymetazoline HCL user and usually I could get by with just using the stuff a few times per day. But this was when I had the allergies under control. When my allergies are acting up (as they have been for years), I have constant congestion that I am trying to combat, which means I am now using the spray several times per hour. I have various bottles strategically situated around my house so I always have a bottle at the ready when needed.
Another side-effect of the allergies is constant post-nasal drip, which causes a chronic cough. So I eat decongestants (i.e. Sudafed) like M&M’s, which is causing my blood pressure to reach the minimum threshold of the problematic spectrum. The decongestant tablets help curtail the mucous, but they don’t fully shrink the nasal membrane. That’s where my trusty nose spray comes into play, once again!
Lately, I have experienced a new phenomenon, whereby the oxymetazoline is no longer working for me. This started when I inadvertently switched to a different type of spray. I never knew there were different active ingredients in these nose sprays (who reads the package?). I thought one was the same as all the others. In fact, I would try to buy the generic store brand whenever possible in order to save a few bucks (the generic is at least half as expensive as Afrin). Mine isn’t a terribly expensive habit, but if I can save a few bucks, why not?
I’ve been using a spray with phenylephrine HCL for the last month or so (i.e. “Novartis 4 Way” brand) and when I ran out, I tried to go back to oxymetazoline HCL. But the oxy doesn’t work anymore. Only the phenylephrine does the trick. I suspect this is because the oxy compound is 0.05%, whereas the phenylephrine is 1.0% (i.e. it’s more potent). I would squirt, not spray, the oxy and no matter how much I flooded my nasal cavity, nothing would happen. Except my allergies would become severely aggravated and I would have to pop a couple of Benadryl to arrest the symptoms. The downside to doing this is that I fall asleep. Interestingly, sleep has become the best part of my day because the body doesn’t produce histamine when you’re asleep. Even though I am still congested, I am at least free of the allergy symptoms.
When the oxy failed to work and I was out of the phenylephrine HCL, I actually started to panic. I went to the store immediately and bought some phenylephrine. But I can’t live like this any longer.
By the way, I also am trying a nasal rinse that my wife picked up for me, but it’s not really doing anything. The treatment sounds good in theory so I’ll keep doing it, but I’m not optimistic.
I was previously under the care of an ENT, who helped me beat this addiction years ago. He has since retired, but I am going to find a new doctor. I know there are some drastic treatments out there. I am willing to try anything, including surgery, if necessary. I will report back on my progress. I am making the commitment today to so something about this terrible condition, once and for all. I’m going to get on this right away. But first, I need another squirt!
Joe
01/19/2010 at 5:18 am
OK, I’m back. I went to see the doctor last week. Because allergies are the root of my problem, I chose to see an allergist. But I also picked a doctor who has experience in the general area of sinus problems. He looked up my nose and his facial expression screamed, “Yikes”!
By the way, I’ve been reading the recent posts on this page and one thing is abundantly obvious to me, which is that there isn’t a single solution to kick the nose spray habit. The benefit of a forum such as this is to gain an understanding of the various remedies that have worked for different people. That being said, I do not plan to copyright my treatment plan and sell it to anyone!
Anyway, the doctor said he wants to try to get my alergies under control first. Because people respond differently to allergy medications, he gave me a few things to try. This includes Singulair, which is a daily pill to reduce the nasal secretions that were causing the congestion, as well as the post nasal drip that causes the chronic cough. He also gave me Nasacort and Patanase, which are allergy-relief nasal sprays.
I’ve been following the doctor’s orders for five days now and I have noticed some improvement. I am not yet off the over-the-counter nose spray, but I find I am using it less. The allergies are also a little better (I haven’t taken any Benadryl in a few days). These are small improvements in the grand scheme of things, but any progress is good at this point.
I go back to see the doctor in another three weeks to do skin testing (I have decided to go back on the allergy shots). He said if I don’t respond to the current treatment, he will consider some more drastic measures, such as steroid pills / shots. He was reluctant to start out with this plan of attack because he said the treatment is very aggressive and not without risks. I didn’t inquire as to what they might be.
One thing for certain is that it’s going to take a while for me to get this addiction beat because I have to treat the underlying problems first. My hope is that I am completely free of OTC nasal spray by the summer. I honestly think it’s going to take that long. Stay tuned,,,
Tisha
01/16/2010 at 11:51 am
Oh my gosh, I for sure thought that I was the only person in the world that was addicted to nose spray. It started when I was in high school, a friend recommended that I try afrin, I did and couldn’t believe that I went so long with out it. Then I got off of it and was only using it when I was sick, I was no longer addicted. Then when I was twenty five and having a baby I of course get the whole congestion thing because of the hormones or what not, and I bought it again. I know it sound horrible, but. I would not have made it thru my pregnancy with out it. Then I had my child, 13 mths ago, and the congestion went away for about a month, 12 mths later here I am addicted again. I can’t quit, my life revolves around nose spray. If I forget it at home, I have to go buy some. – have like 30 bottles around me at all times, if I run out I freak out! So I’m going to give this a try, relieving one nostril at a time! Thanks for the advise.
Carlos
01/18/2010 at 9:00 am
as it seems no one will ever say this, i will : ” April fuck off stop trying to sell your crap in a blog where there are people really worried because of their addiction, this is the first time i read this blog, because i just got found out what afrin could do and im sick of your advertising comments, so go sell your crap on the street, and let people talk about real, free and useful tips, you think you know more than doctor, but you need to make your living with a crapy webpage.
The only thing i can tell to all the people with the same problem, is to go see a doctor, they are the only ones with real, safe options to get rid of AFRIN (and other similar sprays)
Jennifer
01/19/2010 at 2:28 am
I just have to say, that April sent me her program for FREE and it was the only thing that helped me!! Is she advertising on this site? Yes. But she is doing it because she knows it works…so chill out!!!
April Hutcheson
01/19/2010 at 7:30 pm
I just wanted to say, thank you to Jennifer for taking up for me. and To Carlos, people think it’s not okay for me to help people on this site, but it’s okay for him to use language. And I don’t deserve to be talked to like that, especially since I have not posted anything in quite some time, even though I really wanted to respond to some people and their problems and not anything that has to do with advertizing my site.
Carlos
01/19/2010 at 6:10 am
ok sorry then.. my bad
Jennifer
01/19/2010 at 8:00 pm
April, I have been meaning to email you about my situation…I have a c-section scheduled on Jan 29th and THANK GOD I am not taking Afrin anymore!! I had such bad anxiety wondering if I was going to have my husband smuggle the spray in the OR!! You really helped me out, and your system was great. So thank you thank you a million times!!
Valery
01/19/2010 at 8:39 pm
Hi I wrote back in November saying how I kicked my habit of 10 years and i wanted to update by saying what i tried is still working. What I did was mix a nasal wash with a half empty bottle of my favorite nose pray. The nasal wash i used also contained menthol which I liked, and also is known for helping clear nasal passages (i think). Anyway when the bottle was a quarter finished, i filled it again with only the wash. Then when the bottle was empty i still filled it with only the nasal wash. At this point, it was only nasal wash. Did I mention that my nose felt the same clearness as it did with all nasal spray. I had just started a new job when I was using only nasal wash so that incited me to not use it all one day at work. The fact that I could do that was huge for me. Then that night, i said if i can not use this before i got to bed, this will be the biggest step towards quitting this. And i did. And it kinda sucked, i was stuffed, couldnt sleep on my side but i did eventually go to sleep. And the next day i said if i can distract myself at work and not use it, great. And it continued like that for a week. By week 2 I threw out all my bottles of nasal spray. I gave the nasal wash away. Anyway, im now 5 months clean (lol) and i wanted to share with you guys cuz i know how it feels to be congested or runny one night and the nasal spray is not working and you cant sleep and your online hoping that someone, somewhere has found the cure or something that works. I did find something for me. Please try it. And if anyone wants to know the specific nasal wash i used just respond to this or look back at my November post.
mark
01/20/2010 at 9:34 pm
What Valery… you dont want to try and make a mint off your treatment ideas lol… Thanks a million, you probably just busted Aprils treatment wide open. I had thought of the same thing to try and WEAN myself off this crap but wasnt sure what i could mix with the spray to do it properly, thats why I was on here researching in the first place. Is there any certain kind of wash or any wash will do? Im living in a house full of nasal spray users, first one has YEARS of abuse and even a surgery under her belt due to the prolonged use, then comes the daughters. I have allergies to pet dander and they have dogs, when I moved in with her I started getting stuffed up and the stuff is sitting on every counter and table. Addicted in no time uhhhgggg… I need to get off this stuff,
Im miserable and seeing me off it just might inspire the rest of them.
Thanks again for posting your ideas and everyone else of course… except april, lol… Ill let ya know how i do : )
Joe
01/21/2010 at 10:22 pm
Reading the posts on this page, I find it interesting that a lot of people got hooked on nose spray in the first place because of allergies. This is certainly true in my case (I’m hacking on post-nasal drip as I’m writing this).
Beating the allergies has to be step one. If I didn’t know better, I would suspect there is a conspiracy between the allergists and the makers of nose spray against the miserable, suffering addicts.
I’ve been down this road before and the first order of business has to be getting the allergies under control. Without that, rebound is pretty much assured.
Joe
02/06/2010 at 6:29 am
UPDATE: I went to the allergist yesterday for testing and as it turns out, I am allergic to just about everything on God’s green earth. I will be starting shots in the next two weeks. I am allergic to so many things that I need to get not one, not two, or even three shots at each sitting, but a grand total of four shots. I’m going to feel like a pin cushion!
Also, I convinced the doctor to prescribe me Prednisone, based on the intelligence gained from reading this board (thanks to all). The steroid nasal sprays have helped a liitle bit, but I still haven’t gotten the allergy symptoms completely under control. We’re trying different brands and still haven’t found one that seems to work effectively. Also, we scrapped the Singulair. That wasn’t doing a damn thing.
Use of the OTC nasal spray is definitely down, but not yet out. Nevertheless, we’re making progress, so that’s good.
One other thing the doctor gave me to try is a non-addictive, OTC nasal spray called capsicum (brand name “Sinol-M”). He described it as a derivative of pepper that is designed to invoke a natural reaction, which in turn, opens up the nasal passages for more air flow. Sounds good, right? I tried it and it certainly isn’t comparable to the relief provided by the Afrin-type OTC sprays. But it has a pleasant fragrance to it. It’s a bit pricey ($15 at Target), but if it helps to kick the Afrin habit, it’s worth it.
whitney
02/07/2010 at 1:38 pm
Joe, your posts crack me up!
You are a humorist! I was posting back in the spring and early fall, but then the dose tapering pack of prednisone kicked my habit. I’ve been reading the posts though as they still come to my email, and I just laughed out loud at both of yours! I’m getting ready to go through allergy testing and shots too. I’ll probably giggle at your pin cushion comment the whole time! Anyway, I hope the prednisone works for you. Keep us posted!
Joe
02/07/2010 at 9:10 pm
Thanks, Whitney. It could be a lot worse, so why not try to find some humor in the whole thing, right? I mean, it’s not like having a terminal illness, or anything. This is merely an annoying, quality-of-life ailment.
I did the shots years ago and they do work. But I am allergic to many more things now than I was back then because I used to only get two shots instead of four. They’re tiny needles, so it’s no big deal. The worst part is having to sit around and wait 30 minutes after the injection to make sure you don’t go into anaphylactic shock. Some guy in the city where I live (Norwalk, CT) died a few years ago because of this. This is one of the reasons why most doctors don’t recommend the new allergy drops that you may have heard of.
The lesson I learned from my allergy shot experience is not to stop the shots. The doctor said it’s a customary part of the treatment plan that once you get to a certain point, they recommend you cease treatment because sometimes it holds. In my case, it didn’t. So I have accepted the fact that in order to maintain the higher quality of life that presently eludes me, I will have to keep doing the shots forever.
So far, all that the prednisone has done is aggravate my allergies. It’s almost like my sinus cavity is the battlefield between good and evil (I have the mother of all wars going on in there right now!). The prednisone and the histamine are having it out and so far, the battlefield (i.e. my nose) is the only casualty. So I’m back to popping Benadryl, once again. Unfortunately, when you mix Benadryl with a few Super Sunday suds, I may not be able to stay awake for the big game!!!
Freddy
01/21/2010 at 10:17 pm
I posted on 10/25/09 when I began my path to get off nose drops, cold turkey and again on 12/08/09 to give my results. Nose drops were like my drug, hiding it, going in to a bathroom to use it, buying in bulk. It was terrible. The ONLY thing that will work to get off of nose drops is going cold turkey like I did. The first three days is hell. I could only breathe thru my mouth. It took about a month to get 75% of my breathing back, and a couple of months to be normal again. Yes, it was hell at the beginning, but worth it. Start on Friday morning and just breathe thru your mouth all day. At night sleep sitting up. If you can’t sleep, like I couldn’t, just try, you may dose off for a little while. If you don’t work Saturday you can stay home and take cat naps and continue your fight. Sunday will be a little better and you’ll probably sleep more that night. On Monday, you should be even better and sleep a lot more. Just try this when you have three days to yourself and not have to worry about work. If I could do it, you could do it. Let me know if you do, I’d be happy to hear of your progress.
Helene
01/21/2010 at 10:34 pm
Freddy,
I must respectfully disagree that the ONLY thing that will work is going cold turkey. I am thrilled that it worked for you. I also posted about my addiction recently (on 12/29, and an update on 12/31). I was addicted for well over 20 years. I went to an ear, nose & throat doctor who gave me a prescription for a 12-day regimen of steroids (Prednisone), plus some steroid nose spray & another spray for allergies. He told me I could use my own spray only at night if I needed to. The first few days I was definitely stuffy, but NOTHING like the feeling I’ve had when I tried to go cold turkey, where NO air at all was getting through. I was getting some air through, but was breathing as if I had a slight cold. I needed to use my spray at night for the first 3 nights. On night #4 my nose was clear enough to sleep without using my dreadful spray. Since then, I have been completely off the stuff.
So, it took me only 4 days to break a 20+ year addiction, with minimal discomfort. I was off the steroid pills in 12 days, and when I see the dr. again next week, he will advise if I still need the prescription sprays.
I feel amazing! I am actually sleeping through the night for the first time in years! I have more energy during the day due to sleeping better. No more waking up stuffy and needing the spray. No more hiding spray bottles everywhere (I threw them all out weeks ago!). I no longer sniffle all day long. It is great!
Freddy, you say it took about a month to get 75% of your breathing back, and a couple months to breathe normally. Like I said, I’m glad it worked for you, but I haven’t even been off the stuff for a month yet, and I am breathing totally clearly. Have been since Day #4 of the meds.
I am not telling people NOT to do it your way (cold turkey), but I just disagreed with your comment that it is the ONLY way. Yes, what I did was very aggressive treatment (steroids are nothing to fool around with!), but WOW those things worked!!!
I still sit here in amazement that the addiction that was overtaking me for over 20 years was able to be broken, fairly painlessly, in only 4 days.
Good luck everyone. It IS possible to break this addiction. Lots of different ways I’ve read about here (using medication from an ENT doctor, going cold turkey, one nostril at a time, etc.). Do whatever you need to do to get off the stuff. It’s worth it.
Valery
01/22/2010 at 1:58 am
No Mark, I’m not gonna charge for this information, lol. As a person who suffered from this addiction I would have given anything for a cure and I would have been pissed if anyone would charge me for the information. I’m just really glad I found a method that worked for me that worked with little discomfort and didnt include surgery or pills because I’m not a big fan of taking medication( with the exception of nasal spray, lol) Anyway I used a nasal wash called Alkalol, which i saw has a website. What made me dare to mix it with my nasal spray was that it said something about being safe enough to gargle with and it had menthol. So i decided to mix it with my own nasal spray. I did have a new nasal spray as backup in case it didnt work but when i used it it worked just fine. I think this is a good method because going cold turkey is great if you can but depending on the severity of your case you could suffer severe congestion which would especially suck if you work. You don’t want to be at work all congested and miserable. Anyway, as i said, i would just be thrilled if it worked and helped someone out like it did me. Its great to know i can go somewhere without needing to bring my purse or something so i can bring it with me.
Jack
01/25/2010 at 5:48 pm
I’ve had allergies all of my life, and have spent months at a time completely stuffed up. I just breathe through my mouth when my nose is stuffed up. I’d prefer to breathe through my nose, but it’s not like I can’t breathe. Is it that difficult to do this for a few days?
Phil
01/27/2010 at 5:40 am
Great web site, I’m glad I stumbled accross it. I’ve been on the spray for nearly a year but only in recent weeks did it get bad – I mean the rebound congestion. Reading most of the posts is encouraging as I felt that I was the only person that had an issue with having a blacked nose when trying to sleep (I almost feel like I get a panic attack).
Can anyone tell me if it normal that you constantly blow your nose when you have rebound congestion as well as have inexplicable nose dripping (almost like water)?
I’ve tried weaning off of the spray but cannot see how this method will work given that you just end up using more of the diluted spray.
Valery
01/27/2010 at 7:55 am
Hi Phil,
I’m sure everyone here knows what you’re talking about with the rebound congestion and drippy nose. Its the worst. I think the reason diluting the spray worked for me was because it allowed me to slowly use less and less of the nose spray (which was bad and causes rebound congestion) and instead I was replacing it with a nasal wash. It wasn’t exactly a fast process but since i had been using it for 10 years and was not only addicted to using something for my nose when it got stuffy but was in a way addicted to having a clear, stuffy-free nose. Thats why I think this worked for me because for a while i still had a “nose spray” to use and it still worked but at the same time since it was less and less actually spray it stopped giving the rebound congestion which meant every day my nose felt a little better and i needed the placebo spray less until i only used it 1 or twice a day until nothing. I hope that helped explain it, i know its kind confusing because i just kinda winged it and it ended up working. Good luck and by the way, once you quit, you only get the runny nose when your sick and its easier to stand.
Phil
01/27/2010 at 2:22 pm
Valery
Thank you, your reply was helpful and supportive. I am actually sitting at a doctor’s office right now (you see in canada we need to wait in line to see a doctor after a few hours) (sigh – universal medicare).
I found that in the last couple of days that the congestion is really bad and it takes a lot of spray and some time ( about an hour) before I can get unblocked. Is this common to those afflicted with what we have? As well, is it common that one passage is always more stuffed than the other.
Thanks in advance.
April Hutcheson
01/27/2010 at 7:02 pm
I am sorry. I just wrote a long thing, but It didn’t go through. anyway, I jus replied to everything you said, but I can reply later. this will be the last post I make.
April Hutcheson
01/27/2010 at 6:58 pm
I apoligise, Phil, not Valery
Phil
01/27/2010 at 11:44 pm
So went to the Dr today and he confirmed what I thought – rebound congestion. He gave me 5 tablets of Prednisone, which I am supposed to take one tablet every day for five days and a spray called Avamys. He tells me that it’s going to be a long and difficult week. Ironically, I also get my Rhinostat package in the mail.
Anybody have luck with Rhinostat.
Also, I note that some people take five tablets of Prednisone on the first day – what’s the difference with taking one tablet a day.
Thanks,
PHil
Helene
01/27/2010 at 11:54 pm
Phil,
I took a 12-day dose of Prednisone and yes, on the first few days, I took about 5 pills a day. But I don’t know how many mg. each pill was. Could be that your one pill equals the same mg. as in my 5.
Rhinostat worked for me a few years ago, but not when I tried it again months ago.
With the Prenisone, Omnaris (steroid spray), and Astepro (allergy spray), I was totally off my nasal spray in 4 days…and I was addicted for over 20 years! It was really not difficult at all…but my dr. allowed me to use my regular spray only at night if needed, so that helped. I only used my spray for the first 3 days. On day 4 I no longer needed it.
I had my follow-up appt. with the dr. today (ear, nose & throat dr.). Not only had he given me that medication cocktail to break the nasal spray habit, he also had sent me for allergy testing. I hadn’t been tested since I was a kid. I am HORRIBLY allergic to oak..and he said that season is coming up. I am also allergic to dust mites, so I am going to be buying casings for my pillows and following a whole bunch of other instructions. Also allergic to cats, dogs, dust, mold, and more. I am going to be starting on allergy shots. Oh yes, I am also allergic to….cockroaches???!!!!
Right now I am free of the congestion, but I know oak season is coming up. If I can keep my allergies under control, I think I’ll be fine.
mark
01/28/2010 at 2:35 pm
Valery, phil…
I think that the Rhinostat is an expensive version of Valery’s technique… a weaning off process of less and less of the active ingredient in the nose spray, i could be wrong…
I have beaten the nose spray with Valery’s technique, Im not 100% clear yet but I am however 100% off the spray all together. I took two bottles of spray, poured one half full of spray and finished filling it with the wash, the other i poured about a quarter, maybe a third full of the spray and the rest with the wash. The first few days I used the 50/50 and used it as least amount of times I could stand, the next few days I used the even more diluted concoction and used even less (when i got up and before bed) and just suffered through the day but it wasnt as bad as I had imagined. I think by this point my nasal passages had already began to heal. The next day I used just a saline spray b4 bed. Now its been 3 days and I havent used anything. Sure there have been a few times where I have wanted to use it and having it right there to say no to helped ALOT! No panicing, it was right there for me to say no to but also right there to use if I absolutely had to. Thats important I think. NEXT STEP is getting the rest of the house to try this technique. THANKS VAL… you are my savior lol
Muahhhhhhhhh
Valery
01/29/2010 at 4:26 am
Hi, first off Phil good luck with Rhinostat (sp?). I hope it works well for you. Also, it is very common on some days to be very congested that you use extra spray. For me, those days would lead to a full day or two when i would have a runny nose that felt like a faucet that was on full force. It was the worst. I called out of work or missed great plans because i could not leave the house. Also, having one nostril being more stuffed than the other happens, i dont know why but it does. Mark, congrats on kicking the habit! You did it much faster than me and i am just so glad someone found relief like me. By the way, i just want to mention, i’m just sharing a method i tried from being addicted to nasal spray for at least 10 years. I don’t look down on other methods and any advice or such i may give is me just sharing from personal experience for what worked for me. Just wanted to put that out there. Anywayz…have a goodnight everyone
)
jennifer t
02/01/2010 at 5:49 am
you would think that girl jennifer that got the method from april hutchenson for free would post it for free. She got it free,why not share it. if you relly know what we are going through,then dont be a heartless person. help others as it was done for you. I been on this for 7 years and cant stop. i panic so much i have asthma attacks. now that i’m not working,i cant afford it. i’m on medicaid and the doctors wont help me. she looks at me as if i’m carzy or something when i tell her i cant stop using it.
April Hutcheson
02/01/2010 at 9:22 pm
Yes. she got it for free from me and she can not post it beucase my method is copyrighted and anyone that post anything that is exactly my method can go to jail. and anyone that is in a finiancial bind can always email me and talk to me. she is not the only person who has emailed me and I have given it to them for free. but I have chosen to give it to them for free becuase of them emailing me with their situation, not beucae they have asked me to give it for free. I am not a heartless person. If you had emailed me to talk to me and give me your situation, you might have the method now for free, but beucase yo chose instead to critisize me on this site, you will not have my method, free or paid for. I have reasons for what I do and how I do it, but some of you wouldn’t understand no matter what I say. IT is your personality and like talking to a brick wall. I know what is going on, I went through it. I was on it for 8 years and I panicked too. but I don’t fee like I should have to explain why I charge 8 dollars for a method and give help that works and have this stuff said to me, but no one says anything to rhinostat who charges 30 + dollars and sinus buster and neti pot who charges more. IF I wanted to help, I would do it for free, people say. a nurse wants to help people, a doctor wants to help people, do they work for free? I am not claiming to be those and for your info, I really don’t make hardly anything on this. I have my website, which I have to pay for every month. I have to spend time and advertizing, which cost. paypal has fees for using it. and I don’t have mountains of people paying for this. I give some away for free and some are skeptical and some want to try other things before coming back for me. I have a full time job. I don’t have play time on the computer. anyway, I am done explaining and I am done posting on this site. peopel are cruel and rude. peopel can contact me thorugh this site. just click on any of my names. I also have a new blog where I can start a new post of my own. not one to advertise, but one that peopel can talk as they have here about what they are going through. and one I can respond to with my own experience and help. but not one where people can cuss at me and critisize. my blog can be reached throuh my website on my contact page.
Helene
02/01/2010 at 9:54 pm
April,
I barely know where to start in responding to your e-mail because there is so much to say!
First of all, this is not the first time you’ve stated that this will be your last post…yet you keep coming back to try to get the last word in. Then you end it by saying you won’t post anymore. With any luck, you are truly done posting on this site.
Second…you state in your very long message that people don’t say anything about Rhinostat or Sinus Buster. Let me try to fill you in on why people question you and not them. BECAUSE THOSE PRODUCTS CLEARLY STATE WHAT THE METHOD ENTAILS!! The Rhinostat website clearly states what the product is about and what the person will be doing. A person can read it and make a decision if that’s something they wish to do. The Sinus Buster website tells what the product is about, what you do with the product, and how & why it will help. If I’m not mistaken, you won’t tell anyone what your method entails. We don’t know whether it will entail squirting soap up our noses or inserting long tubes in our nostrils! OF COURSE WE’RE GOING TO QUESTION YOU! Plus, I may add, that many of the other products have guarantees associated with them. Not all, but some. Yet, you want to sell us a “mystery” product or method, no guarantee, just send the money. Ummm….no! I’m not questioning whether or not your method works. I’m just saying that without giving the consumer an idea of what the person will have to do, you have to be insane to expect we wouldn’t question you. I took steroids to break my addiction, yet some people aren’t willing to do that. Some people took Sinus Buster to help, yet *I* wouldn’t do that! People are going to choose what they think will work for them, but you give us no idea on what we can expect with your product. But you get mad & defensive when people question you or think you’re ridiculous.
In addition, no one will go to JAIL if they talk about your method. I don’t know where you’re getting your facts from, but it’s laughable. It would be perfectly legal for me to buy your product and then tell others how it works. I cannot SELL your product or method, or claim it as my own, but I most certainly can speak about it and tell others how it works. Hmmm…gives me an idea. Maybe I’ll spend $8 to buy it and then let everyone know what they’re missing out on! Don’t worry, I’d let them know it was YOUR product, I wouldn’t claim it as my own! And I wouldn’t use my name as posted here, so you wouldn’t know it was me to deny your wonderful product to.
Plus…and I hate to be blunt but there’s no other way….it is really hard to trust someone who cannot spell and doesn’t seem to have the basic skills of punctuation and capitalization. Does your lack of spelling and grammar skills have anything to do with how well your nasal product works? Probably not. But again, it’s just hard to trust someone with hard-earned money when they cannot spell “people” or “because” or “through” (and countless other words) and don’t know where to use periods and capital letters. And then the immaturity of saying something like “I WAS going to help you but now I’m NOT!” I feel like I’m dealing with one of the 4th graders that I teach (who, by the way, DO know how to spell those basic words and use proper punctuation).
Of course, you’re FINISHED posting on this board so I guess my post here is going unread by you (HA! Yeah, right).
raymond nantz
03/18/2010 at 11:47 am
im not to good with my spelling .but it was nice to see you tell them off like that .
Phil
02/03/2010 at 3:14 am
Ok All Sorry to break the Amicable trail of emails but I wanted o give an update.
So as mentioned before I was on the spray for about a year and only recenly developed the rebound congestion. In the days leading up to my doctor’s appoitnment I started to dilute the spray by about 50%. In reality, I was using a crapload of spray and it was not as effective as pure spray but I figured that this cycle had to stop. I suspect I had all the bad symptoms of the rebound congestion – major bloackage (I mean major) when the spary wore off which made me anxious and miserable – the exterior of my nose and above my lip were very sensitive due to blowing my nore repeatedly through the day – as well the inside of my nose was painful almost as if someone had scraped all of he skin off (this was particulary annoying as the chemicals in the spray would touch certain portions of the inside of my nore and make me sneeze non-stop. I can honestly say this was about as miserbale as I felt since having a leg cast for three months.
So after reading posts on here I went to see the DR informd. I told himabout my problem and he basically prescrbed a cortisteroid spray. I mentioned Presdnisone oral steriods and he gladly prescribed them for me. However, where I read that people would take several tablets in the first few days the DR only gave me one tablet for each day. I was very skeptical and waited a couple of days. During the wait I tried Rhinostat. I did not find that it was particularly effective or at least more effective than doing the dilution myself. I do not recommend buying it if you arecapable of diluting the spray yourself – it`s just a matter of increasing the slainex portion by 10-15% each day. the problem with Rhinostat is that it assumes that you will not take more than X amount every 4-6 hours. To the extent you do – their 30 day program becomes a shorter program.
So I finally try the Oral and spray steroid – not much of an effect half way through the day – so I combine this with diluted spray. I found that I only used the diluted spray the first day twice – once at the end of the afternoon and once before sleeping. The second day got better and I only used the spray once. Now on the third day – I used it twice again – but a very short spray. If you have medicare – try the steroids they do work. As to whether you should use it in combination with diluted spray – you should ask your doctor and do so at your own risk. I don’t think they recommend using spray wth steroids so be careful.
All in all I learned one thing – you need to deal with the problem quickly – stop wasting time being miserable and looking at posts – go see a doctor. It’s not as painful as you may think
Jon
02/09/2010 at 3:37 am
Man, nasal spray addiction is the worst; it literally controls your life. I had to carry a bottle of the stuff with me everywhere. Mine started during allergy season and I had never used nose spray before. I was using the generic stuff from the dollar store but it worked great….it was SO nice to be able to breathe with no problems whatsoever. I was uneducated about rebound congestion and nasal spray addiction and quickly became an “addict” myself. I rationalized that I was more addicted to being able to breathe! Mine got so bad I was going through a bottle a week, sometimes having to use about 3 sprays every 2 hours. I got to the point where I felt like I had to sneeze all the time and couldn’t and either my nose ran like a faucet or my nostrils felt like they were loaded with concrete…..I had to breathe through my mouth. And since my job requires me to be on the phone all day, I couldn’t stop using the spray. It was pure hell and I didn’t see a way to get out of the situation I was in…I feel so bad for the people who have been addicted for years and years! My addiction lasted just 10 months. I finally ordered the rhinostat system online (just google “rhinostat” for the web address) out of desperation. I was too embarrassed to go to the doctor. It has been a lifesaver. The system basically dilutes nose spray with pure saline more and more each day until you’re at a point where you’re off it completely. Today is day 16 for me and I only use an extremely diluted solution once a day, if that, usually at night before bed. It is SO nice not to be controlled by nasal spray anymore, to breathe freely on my own, not to have any rebound congestion…..I feel like a new person! So if you’ve gotten to the point where I was, give it a try.
matty
02/10/2010 at 3:52 am
just another contributor with a similar story. i’ve been using affrin for about 7 or 8 years now (i’ve stopped counting). i woke up this morning and decided to quit. ha! i didn’t go to bed last night with the intentions of quitting today – i just said to myself enough is enough. i want to be rid of this crap by spring.
couple things: i originally identified with freddy about the ‘cold-turkey’ approach. maybe one of the worst aspects of my dependency on OTC nose spray is that I ALREADY QUIT ONCE BEFORE. oh man.
i basically did this a couple years ago when i decided to just stop. cold turkey. and, after about 1.5 weeks, i was off and done. but the kicker for me was that i’ve suffered from sinus congestion all my life. so when i got off affrin, i was back to my ‘normal’ air passage – which is about 60 to 70 percent clear on a good day. so i rationalized that i would rather use the spray and be 100 percent clear than be off of it and hope for good day where i’d be ‘kinda’ clear.
so i’m going to quit again – and i know it’s going to be the same situation when i’m off. my sinuses will go back to normal and i’ll be semi-clear and semi-frustrated at my chronic blockage. however, this time i’m going to take some natural precautions and see if i can’t change what’s causing me to be blocked up when i’m clean (i.e. saline solutions, humidifier, less dairy). if anyone has any other suggestions, i’d appreciate the tips.
which reminds me… did anyone ever pay for spray-free-4-me and see if it worked?
abby
02/14/2010 at 3:29 pm
I’ve been addicted for about 3 years ( I use otrivin ) I’m trying to quit, see if things get better, I’m not sure but I think maybe it got worse I can’t use the spray anymore because it doesn’t help:( and one side of my nose every time I blow it, blood comes out ( every day ) and above all this I need to breath normally!…
Ann
02/17/2010 at 3:51 am
I came across this website and found it quite interesting…nice to know I’m not alone.
I was initially addicted to nasal spray from about the age of 20 – 38…yeah, a long time. It’s safe to say that, in some ways, it pretty much controlled my life.
Three years ago I broke that addiction for the first time. I had no choice but to go cold turkey. I was admitted to the hospital after having a stroke (not related). Needless to say, my neurologist was not going to let me keep using it. He gave me a saline spray but that was that. The three days I was in the hospital was hell. I don’t think I slept at all. However, it took just about those three days before I was free of using the nasal spray.
Things went along good for about 6 months then I got a cold. I was toughing it out not wanting to touch the stuff but someone told me it would be ok for a day or two and I, stupidly, believed it. That started me on another slightly over 2 years period of using nasal spray. Once again I was back to making sure I had it with me (but hiding it from others).
Well, last week I decided enough was enough. I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I decided that with the long President’s Day weekend, I’d have the time from work to just do it. At 3:30 pm Friday I sprayed my last spray.
I was expecting it to be as bad as it was that first time but, I was pleasantly surprised. Friday I slept without any problem. Oh, I had some stuffiness and at one point couldn’t breathe at all but I slept. All through Friday night and Saturday I was using a bottle of Saline.
Sunday got a little bit better and Monday was the best. Today I went to work and the big step was to leave the bottle at home. I couldn’t quite bring myself to throw it out so, instead, I tossed it in the bottom of a very messy closet. If I wanted it, I’d have to clean that closet to find it. *LOL*
At work things were a little uncomfortable since it gets so hot in the office but I didn’t break down and buy a new bottle – didn’t even think of it. I also haven’t used the saline spray since yesterday afternoon.
I’m actually surprised at how much better it is this time than it was that first time. I think the major difference is being home and comfortable with my own bed and night and not in a hospital. Who knew that could make the difference.
Anyway, I expect I’ll still feel some effects for the next couple of days but I’m almost willing to say that I’ve managed to kick it again. I’ll be more willing to say that a week from now and a month from now.
I expect at some point I’ll clean out that closet and find that bottle. When I do, it’s getting dumped down the drain and there is no way I intend to do this to myself again.
I know the cold turkey method doesn’t work for everyone but take heart, it can work. It takes a bit of perseverence and being willing to be uncomfortable for a time but, the payoff is worth it.
matty
02/17/2010 at 7:24 am
an update here in case anyone is interested. i had the same experience as you did ann. i fully expected a nightmare-ish week or so of misery when quitting cold turkey (for the second time) but, to my surprise – i was back to ‘normal’ almost the very next day. i slept ok the first night… had some minor discomfort all day that next day… but come night time my symptoms were manageable.
let’s see – i’m on day six and i’m off forever. i’ve been sucking on halls menthol drop like they’re candy, but whatevs. i like them anyway.
so hang in there comrades. there is light at the end of the tunnel. you just have to commit and be strong for a week. yeah it’s tough, but you’ll be happy you did.
good luck.
Ann
02/18/2010 at 3:52 am
Hmmm…maybe it gets easier the second time, Matty. The only thing I’ve really be able to come up that’s making it easier, especially at night, this time than the first time is not being in the hospital. There’s so much other stuff I was dealing with that first time that just dealing with a little stuffiness at night right now hasn’t been that big of a deal. It’ll be a week Friday and so far, it’s still been good.
TulsaTom
02/17/2010 at 12:59 pm
a few months ago i used the “spray one nostril” method to get off afrin and it worked. a few days ago i was tempted to use when i got really stuffy and uncomfortable, when i finally broke down and sprayed, i used my previous experience and only sprayed one side and now, a day and two sprays later, i can breathe out of my unsprayed nostril and my afrin side is blocked, so today i’m planning to go off the spray and it looks like i’ll still be relatively comfortable.
if you are tempted to use again and give in, only spray one side.
Brian
02/20/2010 at 3:45 pm
I was hooked on nasal spray for about 2 years. My main cause was a softball to the nose which caused blockage. My solution, SURGERY. Septoplasty and Turbinectomy. Of course the Septoplasty corrected the broken Septum and opened up the nasal passage. The Turbinectomy is this. We all have 3 sets of Turbinits in our nose. They warm and humidify the air we breath before it enters the lungs. This is what you are shrinking when using the nasal sprays. Over use of the nasal sprays can cause the 1st turbinit to expand after the effects ware off. This can also lead to a perminant enlargement of the 1st turbinit. A turbinate reduction or turbinectomy is the only solution. They don’t accually cut off the turbinit they remove the inner tissue using a microdebinder tool to shave off inner tissue and shrink the turbiniate. About 6 to 8 weeks is required for complete healing. I’m in my 3rd week and am still having periods of congestion but is getting better each day. Talk with an ENT doctor and they can explain things much better then I. Hope this helps
chris
02/26/2010 at 7:00 pm
Ok, I’m 26 years old and have been hooked on nasal spray since I was 12 years old crazy right? But sometimes I can get off of it for a couple days but than I fall off the wagon again this is my story. I have to have a bottle of nasal spray in my car a bottle in my book bag and a bottle at my house at all times on case I run out. I use a bottle about every 3 weeks depending on what brand I’ m using. I have tried everything to get off my doctor even tried to help but nothing. I can’t focus in class without my nose drops I can’t even have a good time when I’m with my friends if I don’t have a bottle with me. It’s weird if I’m out sometimes and I’m breathing ok and than I relize I don’t have my nasal spray I all the sudden can’t breath and then I freak out. I don’t know what to do I feel so stupid that I’m addicted but I have been using them for about 14 years no joke. I guess one day I will need surgrey to to fix the damage I have caused.
Jody
03/05/2010 at 4:00 pm
So I have been hooked on the nasal spray for…ready…20 years. No kidding. 20 years. My blood pressure went up of course, my heart rate is a resting-100 bpm and I freak out when I dont have a full bottle of the stuff. Enough was enough so I went to the doc. He gave me a shot of steroid, gradual decreasing dosage of oral steroid and nasonex. Its been six days since I have used any of the spray at all. It totally sucks. Honestly. There are times when everything is clear and I can breathe, then it swells again. It is slowly getting better and I can actually see a light at the end of the tunnel but seriously-whoever made this crap to begin with needs to be punched in the nose. This is the most God awful junk on the market. I will never use it again. I have tried the sinus buster pepper spray stuff and it doesnt help at all. Just burns like hell. I will do this and be free of this crap forever.
Ken Savage
03/05/2010 at 5:22 pm
Jody, did you trying stopping the nasal spray only in 1 nostril for a while?
Jody
03/10/2010 at 4:23 pm
Actually I tried dilluting the spray and it seemed to help but I always went back to full strength. I have been free of it all for about 11 days now. It gets really good and I think its over then it hits again. Its very strange. Usually the worst of it is when I lay down to sleep. I wont give up but its really a pain.
Sally
03/09/2010 at 7:44 pm
I received a magazine yesterday with an article about “Balloon Sinuplasty.” The procedure sounds promising. I’m going to find out if my insurance covers it and I’ll certainly post again if I get it!
Evelyn J. Kern
03/14/2010 at 3:53 am
Well I’m going to try a netting pot (look it up) and Claratan D, and that will work. I know someone else that tried it and it worked for them.
Ann
03/18/2010 at 2:38 am
Just thought I’d give a follow up if anyone is interested. It’s been 4 1/2 weeks since I last used the spray. It hasn’t been a picnic but I’ve stuck with it (even found where I tossed the bottle in the closet and went with the more permanent of emptying it down the drain this week). The only really…setback, I guess you cold say, is that I now have a cold. At first I just thought it was ’cause of not using the spray but when the rest of the yuckiness set in, I figured it out. Sad that I didn’t immediately realize I had a cold.
Anyway, my point is that if you’re persistent, you can, eventually get rid of the stuff. I’m looking forward to getting rid of this cold now.
raymond nantz
03/18/2010 at 8:46 am
i am a 40 year old male i have been useing nose spray for almost 25 years i am in such pain right now the spray is not working right im up at 215 am because i cant sleep its driveing me crazy i dont know what to do ive tried everything i feel like im haveing a pannic attack because my spray wont work god what am i going to do?
Reply
raymond nantz
03/18/2010 at 8:43 am
i am a 40 year old male i have been useing nose spray for almost 25 years i am in such pain right now the spray is not working right im up at 215 am because i cant sleep its driveing me crazy i dont know what to do ive tried everything i feel like im haveing a pannic attack because my spray wont work god what am i going to do?
Valery
03/19/2010 at 6:21 am
Hi Ray, it seems like you are looking for some quick relief and you may not get it unfortunately. Usually the only thing that provides immediate relief is nasal spray. The only thing i can suggest tonite is a cold medicine that is either an antihistamine or decongestant depending on whether your nose is blocked or runny and make sure it has something in it to help put you to sleep. If you are tired of being addicted to the nose spray (who isnt) than you may want to try what I did and purchase a kind of nasal wash that is natural or saline spray which should be just salt and water and gradually dilute your nasal spray. By your third bottle you should be using all saline spray and at that point your just using it like a placebo. You can stop using it altogether because the rebound congestion is gone and you’ll be used to using the spray less and less. I tried this method myself after being addicted for about 10 years and i haven’t used in about 8 months. I dont think i will ever either because i have lost the need to have a clear nose 24-7. My nose is fine most of the time but when it does get stuffy its not a big deal and that makes me feel great. Good luck.