Vicks vapor Run In front of Air Intake for congestion relief

[Jersey Girl]

Dear Friends,

When I was very congested, I put some Vics on a cotton ball and placed the cottonball on a bit of aluminum foil just near the air intake valve. The scent only lasted a few hours but it was enough to help me clear up enough to go to sleep. It worked really well.

Regards to all,

Jersey Girl

[rdfry]

@gumbyct You should never put vicks or any other product that contains petroleum jelly in your nostrils it is for exterior use only. petroleum jelly can cause a chronic form of pneumonia which is very difficult to treat. The oil collects in your lungs and cannot be removed.

[BlackSpinner]

Plain old eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball before the intake works too. Or put it in a container of warm water.

[bearded_two]

Vicks Vapo Rub is not a decongestant and it is sold only as a cough suppressant. Any congestion "relief" is an illusion caused by the irritant/cooling effects of the aromatics.

[billbolton]

Vicks Vapo Rub is not a decongestant and it is sold only as a cough suppressant.

Vicks explicitly says...

Bad Cold? Vicks VapoRub

Vicks VapoRub medicated vapours help to relieve nasal congestion.....

Cheers,

Bill

[billbolton]

Vicks vapor should only be used according to the limited dose that is on the label...

That's not VapoRub.....

... you shouldn't have unlimited amout all night long like that after all it is vasoconstrictor and it will cause rebound stuffiness

Thats sounds like Vicks Sinex, which is an entirely different product.

Cheers,

Bill

[bearded_two]

Perhaps the Australian formula is different from the US formula. vicks.com makes no claim for Vaoprub other than it is "a topical cough medicine with medicated vapors that works quickly to relieve your cough"

http://www.vicks.com/products/vaporub

"Vicks® VapoRub® ointment—the #1-selling product for ages 2 and up in the cold category*—is a topical cough medicine with medicated vapors that works quickly to relieve your cough.

VapoRub is not likely to cause drowsiness or jittery side effects.

Because VapoRub is a topical cough medicine, it may be appropriate for diabetics looking for an alternative to oral cough medicines that may contain sugar. Ask your doctor. "

Also, from Mayo Clinic:

From http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/nasal- ... nt/AN01551

"Vicks VapoRub's aromatic ingredients — camphor, eucalyptus and menthol — may indeed help some stuffy noses to feel more open. But some research suggests that this combination of ingredients may have no effect on nasal congestion. Instead, it produces a cool sensation in the nose, which may give the feeling of improved breathing. "

[DannyPh]

Well, I used the Vicks Vapor Rub ( Placed in a Baby Food Lid ) in front of the Air Intake and it worked wonderfully for my Congestion and still had some in the Lid this Morning. I love the smell of Vicks and I slept good last night---So Good that I will place the Vicks back in front of the Air Intake again tonight. I Guess it is Similiar to the Pur-sleep aroma's that some use. Surely, Vicks can't be that Harmful to breathe at night ? Otherwise , there would be Numerous Lawsuits against the Vicks Vaporizers that many use ?

[billbolton]

Perhaps the Australian formula is different from the US formula.

Not according to Vicks.

[sleepycarol]

I was thinking there was a discussion on here awhile back that said the labeling was different here in the States. I know at one point our jars had that it was a decongestant (I have one of the old jars here), but the new labels do not make that claim. I think it was due to the research and the FDA making them take the decongestant off the label.

[bearded_two]

I remember that my mom used Vaporub all of the time when somebody in the house had a cold, and she would put it in a cup on the vaporizer. I heard people say that they associate the smell of Vaporub with comfort from when their mother used it on them -- and some of the commercials I have seen recently have played that angle up. Now that they can't sell it is a decongestant in the US, they have to find some way to sell it.

I wonder how long they will be able to continue selling it as a decongestant in Australia.

I have read a couple of urban legend type claims that Vaporub can stop a cough if you rub it on your feet, and that it can kill nail fungus.

[Emilia]

We always used Vicks in the vaporizer.... Mom put a cotton ball with Vicks on it in the cup in front of the steam opening, and it made breathing so much easier. I have always used it when I have a bad cold or chest cold. Plaster it on the chest and put some just outside the nares. Makes resting so much easier when you are having a hard time breathing due to congestion. I am almost 60 and guess I've used it my whole life when called for.

[bdiddey]

I just took a very small amount and rubbed it in the plastic elbow that attaches to my mask, it seems to help

[torontoCPAPguy]

I was thinking of Putting some Vicks Vapor rub on one of my Foam filters and Placing it in front of the Air Intake tonight fo Congestion. Has anyone ever tried this method of Vicks in front of the Air Intake for congestion Relief ? I know that the Vicks will harm the mask--hence the Idea of placing it in front of the Air Intake. Thank you

I surely have not tried that as I am sure that Vap O Rub is intended to be taken in at certain concentrations but having said that and having worked in a smelly environment, we used to run the stuff on our nostrils to kill the smell. Sic.

I would suggest to you that a better solution would be to have a humidifier on your APAP unit along with a heated hose; the combination of warmer air (which I hate) and lots of humidity in that air, for me anyway, tends to unclog everything from nose to sinus to lungs. It is just bloody marvelous. I only put the humidifier and heated hose on my S9 Auto when I am congested; primarily in Spring with hayfever and allergies.... more urgently in case of a cold. And it works VERY well.

Highly recommend it over Vap O Rub.

Oh. PS: Make sure you are disinfecting your masks and hoses regularly in cold season and all year round for that matter. Wipe them down with disinfectant CPAP wipes daily and wash them with Control III disinfectant weekly (I have four or five masks that I use in rotation so I only have to do the chore once a month).

[Julie]

This thread is three years old!