Over 25 years ago I was getting a flight physical when the physician noticed a bottle of nasal spray in my shirt pocket. He asked me about my use of it and I told him I used it many times daily. I one t ime had to leave a theatre to go to a nearby drug store to purchase some because I left my bottle home. I quickly returned to the theatre. My physician said I was addicted to it. He sent me the same day to a neighboring ENT doctor. This doctor gave me a shot in each nostril of my nose. He asked me to promise to resist the urge to use my spray for 36 hours. He promised me that if I did I would be OK and not be addicted anymore. To my surprise it worked. I have never used it again. I don’t know what he had in the shot but I am grateful to him.

ban nasal sprays now! think about the children!

I started using the 24-hour Afrin in south-east Texas, where the local allergens are severe all year long and I could not breathe at all through the nose. The spray became less and less effective, I was using it numerous times a day, my nose would bleed easily, and, years later, I discovered a hole in the septum, obviously caused by the constant vasoconstriction over a year.

I was dependent on Afrin nasal spray for nine years. My uncle, an M.D., advised me to stop using the Afrin and flush my nose with warm salt water several times a day (I used one of those little rubber ear bulbs). The first week without Afrin was absolutely miserable–and the warm salt water made me gag–but within two weeks my stuffy nose and dependency on Afrin were history. For those who suffer terrible rebound nasal congestion from overuse of nasal sprays PLEASE try this. It definitely works!

The funny thing is why is it that the dangerous addictive substance is freely buyable over the counter and the less dangerous, non addictive one is by prescription only? I am sick of the pharmaceutical market monopole the medicine market. Why does a doctor have to prescribe medicines like there? Half the time a person can make a more precise diagnosis than a doctor from research on the internet. I really am just disgusted with the medical community.

I am a retired allergist. When in practice, I would see several nasal spray rebound problems weekly who thought that they had allergies. Treating this problem is difficult. First, I had the patient pick one side of his nose to spray and not spray the other side. I would also so use cortisone nose spray. It would take about a week for the patient to get off of the spray. Should the person use the spray again, he will be hooked on the first spary.

I had used over the counter nasal spray off and on for about 20 years. I found myself using it more and more as the years went on. The last 5 years or so I was hooked on it. The cheap stuff wasnt good enough after awhile, I went to the worst of the worst, 4-way. It got so bad i was using it about every 30 min. or so. It was by my bed at night, was with me everywhere I went. I thought it was the only way to breathe. If I didnt have it with me…look out. I felt like there was no air, and in a way there was not. I was so addicted to it, I was having a reverse effect. The 4 way would open you up, and then shut you down even tighter. I finally went to a Ear, nose, throat doctor and got fixed, the right way. I had my septum redone, and also turbonate reduction surgery, twice, and it helped. now i take a oral allergy med, and also use a steroid spray. I am happy I am off the other spray now. I believe one of the biggest problems now days why people get hooked on it is the cost, its cheaper than a doctor and surgery. When I was self employed I couldnt afford the surgery costs. Now that I work for my local county, I have the insurance to cover it. I feel like a addict, you cant have just one sniff of the Afrin or 4 way. Its been 9 months off of it now, and its not perfect, but its good enough to breathe on my own.

I too was “hooked” on nasal sprays for 10 years. This is a simple way to break the habit. Just use the spray on one side. That will give you some relief and you will be able to breathe on that side. After about a month, the other nostril will open up and you can quit. The side that you had been using the spray will plug up for about a month; but after that you’re FREE!

Haven’t used the sprays now for 25 years!

I’ve been trying for 40 years to rid myself of this addiction. Doctors have been unable to help. Steroid sprays do not give the same relief.

I have allergies and sleep apnea and I have to sleep with a CPAP breathing machine at night, so my nose HAS to be clear at night. I’ve used the generic version of Afrin for over 6 years with absolutely NO side effects. Every day morning and night and sometimes in between too. Absolutely zero side effects.

This is simply one more attempt at fear mongering in the media. Re-inforcing urban legends and attempting to create controversy out of nothing.

Read the last line of the article…”contains no ingredients that are habit forming”. So please…spare me the phony “horror” stories.

I was addicted for about ten years. All of it should be banned. A smart attorney should start a class action law suit against all of the makers/retailers that profit from the addiction. I have know several people addicted and they feel the same way. With a doctor’s help I am now off of it and will never go near it again.

I was the same way. I would leave bottles of nose spray everywhere. this went on for years. I tried over the counter Zytec D and it works wonderfully. I have totally given up sprays. I have not felt this good in years. Check it out.

Really, people, the label on the back of the bottle clearly states that overuse of the product will actually cause your symptoms to return and get worse. Instead of blaming doctors or trying to ban the product, just pay attention. All things have the ability to cause dependency if they’re overused and/or abused. Take responsibility.

I found I was addicted to 4-Way Nasal spray when I was 22 years old. I had been using it for year for my severe nasal allergy symptoms.

I too was like the others….I had to have it with me at all times or I couldn’t breath. Not only my nose would stuff up worse that before but my lungs felt like they could not take in enough air. The company nurse finally suggested an ENT for me.

He proceeded to tell me about the ingredients in the nasal spray that had me addicted! What a shock! Something like over-the-counter medications that can get you addicted! And now, reading this I am seeing that nothing has happened to resolve this since the early 70’s! What happened to reports of adverse events to the producting drug companies?

Needless to say, it took many months to wean myself off the nasal sprays. I had to do it cold turkey. Spray one nostril and let the other one go. I could only breath out of one side for months until the nostil finally started working correctly. Then, let the other nostril go and work another few months to be totally free of it!

Now, the only nasal spray I use is the one prescribed by my doctor….Flonaase.

What an experience!

I was addicted to Afrin in the early 70’s when it was a prescription drug. I could never go anywhere without the little bottle. I finally had a doctor tell me I had an addiction problem and it took about two weeks to get through not using it. After that, I was back to normal.

I was around 20 yrs. old when a doctor told me to try afrin, i did and it worked great, it made my simptoms of being plugged up go away for an hr. or so but i found i could not live without it. i never left home with out it being in my pocket,or beside my bed at nite i was very dependent on it. like i read inyour article i would freak out without it,i got where i was using two or three bottles a week. Finally i went to my ear nose and throat doctor and he told me i was harming my heart by shrinking the blood vessels to my heart, i finallaly had sinus surgery and never used it again but i was hardcore hooked for about 10 to 15 yrs.

I to have been depended on nasal sprays since I was 6 yrs. I am now 39 yrs so you can say and I do believe I to am addicted to nasal sprays. If I don’t have it near me I start to panky and who ever is near me feels the rage of my madness, which I don’t mean to do. I wish I could stop using but its so hard for me to just stop, and yes it does hurt and my nose does bleed from time to time. My doctors have tried to wean me off with saline sprays but there not the same in my eyes, I seem to get cloged up even more.

Every effective medication is accompanied by potential toxicities and side effects. That is reality. Now, I happen to think that nasal decongestants (which have been available for many decades) are valuable medications when used properly. All members of my family (children and adults) have benefited from the use of nasal decongestants and have done so without significant problems. One simply has to remember not to use these medications for too many consecutive days. They are especially valuable when used only at night. Having open nasal passages at night can mean the difference between a good and a bad nights sleep! I have found that use at NIGHT ONLY does not lead to dependance (which is not the same as addiction anyway). Also, since these preparations are basically “topical” they often can be safely used by individuals who are on blood pressure medication and are advised to avoid oral decongestants. The negative reports we see here are from medication abusers and carry the risk of causing us to no longer have over the counter availability. If you are having problems with nasal decongestants, don’t blame the drug, blame yourself for being stupid.

“Hardocore addicted”, “dependent”, since you were 6? Habit forming?

What a shame stupidity isn’t illegal or at least taxable.

Addicted to nasal spray? Addicted to not taking responsibilty for yourself is more like it. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS, it clearly states a few key points:
1) Do not position the spray nozzle as far up your nose as you can get it.
2) Do not use for more than 3 days.

Rebound congestion only results from abuse of these sprays. One preservative in particular -benzakonuim chloride is what kills all the little hairs making it impossible to sweep particles from your nasal cavity. This preservative is banned in some european countries, of course FDA has other issues at the moment. The bottom line is you must be responsible for your constant use of these sprays.

Doug K is the only entry that has any foundation in reality.

Oh, and as for those Rx nasal srpays - do you realize they are corticosteroids? Good choice - yeah that’s MUCh better.

Igornace nose no bounds.