nasal congestion and oxymetazoline hydrochloride

xintian wrote:But some advisable for not more than 3 days and may cause rebound effect and back to congestion again. Anyone have using this and more than three days and have rebound effect?

torontoCPAPguy wrote:I have been using the stuff for fifteen years. It began when my dentist tried to yank a wisdom tooth and poked a hole through the root canal into my sinus. Presto! Permanent infections and sinus issues and congestion. Allergies to top it off. First five doctors I saw wanted to hack off the roof of my mouth and clean things out. No guarantees at all from even one of them. The sixth doctor I saw wanted to do the same thing at first until I asked him what he would do if it were his son. The answer? Use Afrin and take antibiotics when needed - the rebound is the least of your worries. And here I am. The congestion is not so bad as I use it as sparingly as possible and generally never more than twice in a day; once just before bedtime.

It works and his instructions have remained the same for all these years. Use it sparingly.

That's all I can tell you. The rest is your choice.

The answer? Use Afrin and take antibiotics when needed - the rebound is the least of your worries. And here I am. The congestion is not so bad as I use it as sparingly as possible and generally never more than twice in a day; once just before bedtime.

torontoCPAPguy wrote:Well, here we are. It's another beautiful day. No dasal congestion this AM at all and I attribute that to the shot (single) of Afrin in each nostril last night. I did not blow my nose for the longest time but just before retiring with mask. I cranked the humidity up on teh S9 which I find does wonders and with the climae control hose set to 66F I found it quite comfy but I am experimenting still. My head is indeed a bit fuzzy this AM and I took a decongestant for my allergies (first in a long time). My nose is amazingly clear but that can change through the day and when it does I try to stick it out until bedtime to spray again. One shot in each nostril and sit back and wait... with addiction it takes longer.

Unfortunately, in my case, there is little choice. I spray or I wind up with crap and corruption in my sinuses and a pending sinus infection as a result. The lesser of two evils. And now, with APAP therapy, it is even more essental as I am using a nosebag only. I have a full face mask or two coming and will try them to see if I can reduce the Afrin spray even more.... let's see what happens. For sure the higher humidity helps me. I'm just hoping that with the FFM and the high humidity I don't get a 'release' of my sinus contents during the night... they can go for twenty minutes, blowing my nose constantly.

We sinus guys are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Janknitz wrote:I had a rebound problem many years ago on Neosenephrine. It was truly horrible. I'd take it and be clear for 20 or 30 minutes and then so congested I felt awful. So I'd take it again. I ended up taking infant doses (I don't think you can buy this for infants any more) but using it as much as every 10 minutes. I realized I was in an endless cycle like some heroine addict, but it took me THREE FULL WEEKS to wean myself off the stuff. I never touched anything like it again.

I have used saline and prescription nasal steroids, plus oral claritin with good results. I never get quite as clear as I could get with the Neoseneprhine, but that clear breathing lasted only minutes there in the end.

My mom hated to hear me sneeze, sniffle, snorfle, cough, etc. If I had a cold she'd drug me up with stuff that worked in the short term but made me worse overall. Colds lasted weeks and weeks. Now when I have a cold I use only saline. As long as I keep myself hydrated and moving I don't get that awful congestion I used to get on rebound. I have to sleep in the recliner when I have a cold to breathe better, but if I tough it out, it will last only 2 or 3 days, instead of weeks and weeks. I let my body's immune system do the job it is designed to do.

I don't have too many nasal allergies, so I can't speak to that. But after my experience, I think that it's risky to use one of the OTC nasal sprays that can cause rebound congestion.

.... A recommendation for sinus surgery in the early 20th century would easily alarm the patient. In that era, the surgeon would have to perform an invasive procedure, reaching the sinuses by entering through the cheek area, often resulting in scarring and possible disfigurement. Today, these concerns have been eradicated with the latest advances in medicine. A trained surgeon can now treat sinusitis with minimal discomfort, a brief convalescence, and few complications.
....
Full article: http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation ... urgery.cfm

Janknitz wrote:
I don't have too many nasal allergies, so I can't speak to that. But after my experience, I think that it's risky to use one of the OTC nasal sprays that can cause rebound congestion.

Physician wrote:The problem is usually NOT "sinus" trouble, but intense nasal congestion with out without obstruction of the "ostia", or the openings of sinuses into the nasopharynx. Consider using Nasocort, Beconase, Flonase, etc. for weeks to months. They are not addictive and provide benefits through a different mechanism from Afrin®.

Bookbear wrote:

Physician wrote:The problem is usually NOT "sinus" trouble, but intense nasal congestion with out without obstruction of the "ostia", or the openings of sinuses into the nasopharynx. Consider using Nasocort, Beconase, Flonase, etc. for weeks to months. They are not addictive and provide benefits through a different mechanism from Afrin®.

What if the steroid nasal sprays don't give any relief, even after 5 months of use (I know it takes time for them to take full effect, but surely 5 months is enough time?)

mgrunk wrote:Seriously - if this is long term, consider seeing an ENT. I suffered w/ severe chronic stuffed up nose for over 10 years. I used Afrin, diluted by 3/4, one shot in one nostril only at night and then lived on sudafed. I was rigid w/ the protocol because the rebound was nightmarish. If I used it in both nostrils more than 3 days, my sinuses would swell completely shut.

I had a turbinate reduction and was in absolute heaven about 48 hours after surgery. It was unbelievable how open my sinuses were. FESS is dramatically improved - the goal is to leave as much mucousal lining as possible - the pain is minimal and recovery is pretty easy. It is vastly improved over what the surgeries were like 15 years ago. I just had a revision surgery - really it was just to open the rest of the sinuses that weren't touched in the first surgery wider my allergies cause those openings to swell closed. Supposedly now I shouldn't need a revision again.

My breathing is so much more comfortable after surgery than it ever was w/ afrin. BTW, my surgeon said that ENT's are working to make afrin an Rx only since there is so many problems using it.

torontoCPAPguy wrote:I spray at most twice a day. Once at bedtime for sure to ensure clear sinuses through the night; and again, when I wake up if I am not congested (I was not this morning) I do NOT spray but wait as long as possible as I am only going to give it ONE SINGLE SHOT during the day, come hell or high water. For me it seems to work. Today, it is almost 3 p.m. and I have not sprayed yet but I can feel the sinus pressure starting to build, so I will probably be spraying in the next hour or so. ONE SHOT EACH NOSTRIL. And then I do NOT blow my nose no matter how anxious I am to do so. I will wipe it but not blow the medicine out. I also take Benedryl on occasion as needed for the allergies. And the double whammy - sinus infection. Fortunately, these days they are fewer and fewer, but I have antibiotics in the cupboard that I take for a week at a time and see my GP should I feel a sinus infection coming along. Generally, the week on antibiotics will clear it up before it has a chance to get going really good. I believe that the fistula from my root canal to my sinus cavity has probably sealed up by now but the damage to the sinus is not reversable once done. So I deal with a double whammy here every day and like I said earlier, moderation is my key and although I do get some rebound, perhaps after so many years of taking Afrin like nose spray I have become desensitized to both the spray and the rebound. No idea. All I know is that whenever I see an ENT guy he wants to cut my head and clean out my sinuses. Will it cure my long term problem vis a vis the damage done by the dentist(s)? Nope. Will I feel better? Nope; it's one of the most painful and nasty surgeries on the face of the earth... last I checked your jaw was wired shut for two or three weeks (in bed) then you were in bed for another two or three weeks and were off work and out of service for almost two months. NOT for me. Thanks very much. The nasal spray and Benedryl have done the trick for me and while not the perfect solution by a long stretch, I don't seem to have an alternative at this point. So it works, right?

mgrunk wrote:I get the nasal spray that has the pump - open it and pour out about 2/3 of the liquid. Then I get a new bottle of saline spray and refill the afrin bottle. It only works w/ the pump type bottles - not the squeeze bottles.

Have you had a recent CT scan of your sinuses? I wouldn't think a dentist would be qualified to read a CT.

FESS is the type of modern sinus surgery that is done today - you can google the term - but it is much less invasive - the goal being to leave as much alone as possible but to restore normal function of the sinuses.

I had to have my surgery revised (redone) because the first surgeon didn't open up the rest of the sinuses - only the maxillaries - but really, I wouldn't call it a revision since those areas weren't touched w/ the first surgery since they weren't that bad. My sinuses had a very thick lining and a lot of trapped fluid.

I think you've suffered long enough that it would be very good to meet w/ an ENT. Chronic stuffed noses aren't normal and there are some very effective treatments.