I'm addicted to decongestant nasal spray......?

Question

Sounds silly but feel like I can't live without it. I have bottles all over the house, panic if I find myself without it. Can't sleep longer than an hour or so before I wake up to take more. I'm a nose breather and tend to choke in my sleep rather than open my mouth to breathe. Have allergies now, presumably to the spray, sneeze lots. Been taking them for about 10 years, now it's worse than ever, using about every hour or less, everyday. The thought of 'cold turkey' makes me cold, I can't imagine how awful that would be, not being able to breathe through my nose and the stuffyness is unbearable. I need to get off this stuff and I've no idea where to start. GP's referring me to E,N&T unit but this is NHS, months before I even get on the waiting list? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I have always known the '3 day' rule on the medication but my need for comfort made me abuse. I do have access to an American medical facility here as my husband's in the US airforce, I'm British and we're posted to the UK right now. Not sure if my military doc will be too bothered to really think about it. I prefer my UK GP so haven't been to the base Dr yet. Perhaps I should. Thanks everyone!

Answer 1

I had a friend in highschool who was addicted to it also, same as you she would wake every hour to use it and had one on her all the time. Try weaning yourself during the day to begin with. Nights are going to be harder. You cant quit cold turkey, It would be like holding your breath. Just remember it took 10 years to get where you are. It will take some time to get off of it, so take your time and only do what you can handle. But stay strong and dont give up.

Answer 2

Ask your GP for an nasal steroid spray.
After you've been using it for a week or so, try to back down off the spray you've been using by diluting it, very slowly (maybe 10% water first week, 20% second week, 30% third week, etc.) That will make the "rebound" you get from the store bought stuff diminish with time. It sounds like a slow process, but what's a few weeks when you've been abusing the stuff for 10 yrs?
(And I know what you mean about NHS. Although I'm and American doc, I did 5 weeks of training in London as part of medical school. You folks can wait 18 months for a surgery that would be done within a week over here! I could call and ENT friend who would see you the same day! Of course, it would cost you, either for the appointment or for your insurance. We have quality, but for a price...)

Answer 3

Any addiction is tough to break...thats why its called an addiction. My best advice is to slowly cut down on it. Set realistic weekly goals for yourself and DO NOT break your limit that you set. Example lets just say you use it 50 times a day...cut yourself down to 30 during the first week, 20 the next...etc..etc.....until your off completely. That will keep your sinuses from going into withdrawels as well. Its gonna be rough for a while, but you've got to have the willpower to do it. An ENT will only tell you to get off the nose spray. So either way, you've gotta give the spray the boot. Good luck. For the first few nights, try taking a benadryl so that you can rest better.

Answer 4

not silly at all, im a pharmacy student and i know a lot of people have this problem. you can get dependant on those sprays pretty fast, that's why is says dont use for more than 3 days on the box.

one thing you you could try using a sinus rinse, like Neil Med sinus rinse ( http://www.unimedprod.com ) which is just saline that rinses the junk out without using a drug, and slowly try to use the decongestant spray less and less until you are no longer dependant. your body will gradually get use to not relying on the drug to prevent congestion.

im not a doctor, and you should probably consult your doctor to make sure its ok before doing this though if youre having problems choking in your sleep and stuff, i dont want to be responsible for something bad happening to you.

Answer 5

try tapering it slowly. The problem is its nearly impossible for you to stop now because once you've used it this long...it actually causes a "rebound" effect so your congestion gets worse the more you use the decongestant...and then you feel like you need to use it again to get rid of the congestion it is a vicious cycle that is why the bottle says "do not use more than 3 days!" Try using the actual decongestant once then the next time you need something use plain old SALINE nasal spray until eventually all you are using is saline to clear your sinuses...and try another ENT..you need to see one ASAP

Answer 6

i'm probably too late for this considering this was 10 years ago, but I found a really relaxing and easy way to wean myself off of it. just using one nose until the other one heals and then stop all together. my addiction has literally only been for like 2 days, so it'll probably only take a day and a half for me, but I swear this is the easiest way

Answer 7

I had the same problem myself but then discovered I had a condition called seasonal allergic rhinitis as my problems were typically worse during periods when plants were shedding pollen. Of course you could have house dust or other types of allergy. I suggest you seek medical attention as these conditions are treatable.

Answer 8

well theres a warning on the label saying why you should only do this so many hours...but youre not going to be able to just cut yourself off completely without having a panic attack...youre going to have to slowly ween yourself off of it...instead of waking up every hour to take it try setting your alarm to take it every 2 hours...the next week every 3...the next week every 4 hours and so on eventually youll find yourself not needing it...itll be hard at first and you might relapse into it but just start the process over again...think of it as trying to quit smoking...youve been doing it for 10 years falling off the horse a few times while trying wont kill you but try to stick to it

Answer 9

I am an alternative medicinal therapist(not homoeopathy) If you have a real nasal problem the best person to help you would be an ear candling expert. It works, i know because i am one. They charge between £20 to £35 per session but it's worth it.

Gloria(BSYA)
gloriashealth@btinternet

Answer 10

have you tried ocean nasal spray? which is normal saline.
you may be allergic to the meds in the ones you are using. you can get this over the counter, ask your pharmacist, if you cant find it , get on the 'net and see if you can find it.
whatever, you DO need to get off of the other ones.