Addicted to Afrin and cant even breathe through my mouth

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SkyGreen

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Hello all,

I woke up today in the middle of the night a few times unable to breathe and gasping for air. I didn't really know what was going on, but looking at google, I see that I have addiction problem.

I started using Afrin 4 weeks ago due to a terrible cold that was growing into otitis for my ears. When I bought Afrin, it worked like an angel and my ears started to hurt less and less. After 2 weeks I noticed that when the spray effect wore off, I couldn't breathe at all - I felt like I was going to faint if I didn't get more Afrin. I had a lot of trouble breathing through my mouth even. Last Sunday I decided to go off Afrin and bought Sudafed, but it doesn't seem to work. I also took a claritin tablet once. My nose started to clear up little by little.
Yesterday I had 4 wisdom teeth removed under local anesthesia, so I needed my nose to breathe 100%. It was going fine until about 18 hours later from nightmares and gasping for air again. I realized that Afrin was definitely responsible for this, so I researched it.

I'm afraid to use the 1 side method, because I feel like it'll still affect my lungs and not let me breathe even through my mouth. Does anyone know if Sudafed and Claritin work together to alleviate these symptoms?

Thanks,
Sky
 
Afrin is incredibly addictive if you take it for more than a few days. It sounRAB like you've got a nasty case of rebound congestion caused by overuse of Afrin.


All the "1 side" method is doing is postponing the inevitable.

It is possible to taper off of Afrin but it takes time and patience. Sudafed should help some (though be sure it's the Sudafed you have to get from behind the Pharmacy counter - no prescription needed, not Sudafed PE). Saline irrigation with a NeilMed SinusRinse kit will also help some.

The best solution (given your recent surgery) would be to call your doctor and get a prescription for a steroid nasal spray (and maybe even a course of oral steroiRAB) and quit the Afrin cold turkey. The steroid spray will reduce the swelling caused by the Afrin and you should notice an improvement over the next few days.

If you want to try to wean yourself off Afrin, the best approach is to buy a large new bottle of Afrin and a bottle of saline nasal spray. Wash your hanRAB well, use a tissue to remove the spray top from the Afrin, pour out about 1/3 of the Afrin and replace it with the saline so you have a diluted mix of 2/3 Afrin and 1/3 saline. Use that mix for a few days, then repeat the procedure, diluting it further. Repeat that process every 2-3 days for 10-12 days until you have diluted the Afrin down to nothing.

While you're working through this process take Sudafed daily and use the SinusRinse bottle a couple of times a day to soothe the swollen nasal merabranes.
 
Thanks for the advice. I bought Saline and taking the Sudafed (the one that isn't over the counter).
I hope it'll easy up soon.
 
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