Afrin Nose Spray???????

Its probably my imagination, but.........

 

Can Afrin nose spray make my symptoms worse? Anybody have an opinion?

Skeet,

 

Yes, nose spray makes you hyper which inturn will make symptoms worse. I have been battling a cold for two weeks now, refusing nose spray.

 

Have you used it? What happened?

 

BT

Skeet,

 

Yes, nose spray makes you hyper which inturn will make symptoms worse. I have been battling a cold for two weeks now, refusing nose spray.

 

Have you used it? What happened?

 

BT

 

I used it the last couple of days and today I am jumping out of my skin. You must be right that it makes me hyper.  When I don't use it I breath thru my mouth in my sleep.  This dries out my mouth and I dream I am choking and wake up in a panic. Darned if I do and darned if I don't.  Isn't this great. We decide whether we would rather be burned at the stake or boiled in oil. Sometimes I wish there was somebody to get mad at besides me.

I just looked up Afrin side effects. They are:

Blurred vision

Fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat

Headache, dizziness, drowsiness, or lightheadedness

High blood pressure

Nervousness

Trembling

Trouble in sleeping

Weakness.

 

Not using it seems like a no-brainer because these are all withdrawal side effects also.

 

Think I'll look up Vick's Inhaler. Probably just as bad.

Skeet,

 

Yes, nose spray makes you hyper which inturn will make symptoms worse. I have been battling a cold for two weeks now, refusing nose spray.

 

Have you used it? What happened?

 

BT

 

I used it the last couple of days and today I am jumping out of my skin. You must be right that it makes me hyper.  When I don't use it I breath thru my mouth in my sleep.  This dries out my mouth and I dream I am choking and wake up in a panic. Darned if I do and darned if I don't.  Isn't this great. We decide whether we would rather be burned at the stake or boiled in oil. Sometimes I wish there was somebody to get mad at besides me.

 

I hear you loud and clear! This journey is making us so strong! I think after this is over I will not be afraid of anything!

 

I did something simular this week. Knowing antibiotics will elevate my w/ds and beat me up, I went ahead and took some. You don't even want to know...

 

Hope you are feeling better, drink lots of liquid. Try boiling hot water, put pan on a table, put a towel over your head and breath in the steam. Deep breathes through your nose. No more spray!

 

Sleep well.

BT

I've been especially clogged up during my taper and use nose drops without a problem. If they bother you, though, you might try nasal strips. They never worked for me, but I guess they do for some people. Some people find relief with saline spray, too.

I just went through the mos horrific acute w/d from it and i only used it once. The wave lasted 10 days. But that was of course after i tapered off the Benzo's  My addiction specialist told me afterward that yes that is something i should have asked about and to stay away from. Look up my old posts you will find out more about it. Hang in there.

 

Lexi

Several of us use saline nose spray - it's just salty water. 

I frequently have a stuffy nose and sinus headaches. Not sure what the problem is for you as you didn't give much info. Mine is due to allergies and antihistamines help me, also drinking lots of water. Perhaps try inhaling menthol or natural peppermint oil to open things up. Is the air in your room too dry?

Thanks for all the feedback and advice. I'll try the saline and steam. I never really thought about what was causing my nose to stuff up at night. The air conditioning could dry out the air, but here in the Silicone Valley area of California it usually cools off at night we don't need the air conditioning.  If I have allergies I haven't figured it out yet.

 

If an addiction specialist warned lexi65 that pretty much settles the question.

 

I'm a little afraid to try antihistamine. Wouldn't that have the same problem? I cant tolerate pseudafed, and isn't that the same as an antihistamine?

 

Oh yeah, sometimes when my mouth dries out during sleep I have what I call the "gum dream."  I have a mouth full of sticky chewing gum and can't spit it out so I try to pick it out with my fingers but it sticks. Yuck!  Ruined chewing gum for me forever!

Benadryl is an antihistamine and Sudafed is a decongestant.  Lots of people take Benadryl (or active ingredient) as it can make you drowsy.  Sudafed would probably rev you up.  I've used Mucinex occasionally without a problem. 

Benadryl is an antihistamine and Sudafed is a decongestant.  Lots of people take Benadryl (or active ingredient) as it can make you drowsy.  Sudafed would probably rev you up.  I've used Mucinex occasionally without a problem.

 

Thanks eglong.  This is why I just joined benzo buddies!! :thumbsup:

One of the worst weeks of the past year for me corresponded to using Afrin for several days. In the past I used it without any severe anxiety, but not last time.

Did not use any nose spray last night. Had a good night and felt OK in AM.  A few more days will tell me if stopping the nose spray will give a permanent improvement.