# Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)



## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

Hey everyone,

Does anyone have this condition? I have it all the time, 365 days a year, 24-7, and it annoys the *(@#$ out of me. I am constantly snifling and having to go to the bathroom to blow my nose out. I get really self-conscious about it when I'm around people because I feel that they can hear my "cold-sufferer's" voice, my snifling, and my loud nose-blowing. I kind of feel a bit physically "dirty" because of all this.

Anyone have this? What do you do to cope and lead a normal life? The doctors have been no help.


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## nothing_to_say (Nov 21, 2006)

I have EXACTLY the same condition, and again, the docs are hopeless, they don't take it seriously at all. 
One of the worst things is it dries out, and crusts around my nostrals (sorry if this is grossing anyone) and it's often visible. I have to keep wiping and checking it's not too bad looking, which doesn't help my confidence :sigh 
My sense of smell and taste also suffers, i've had this for about 5 years now.

I've tried sprays, including a perscribed spray, but nothing works.


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## copper (Nov 10, 2003)

I constantly suffer from sinus problems since Junior Highschool. It is worse sleeping at night. I always get stuffed up. I also gag a lot in the morning from all the post nasal drip I have. It is a good thing I never picked up smoking, it would kill me. I also get sinus headaches. I tried nasal sprays and it made it worse esp in the morning.


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## overthetop23 (Jan 8, 2007)

I have had this problem 12 years. My nose is never clear. I have been to a lot of MDs for this condidtion, they all said something different. One of them suggested that nothing was wrong, because he didnt find anything, so it had to be in my mind. Another one said i was allergic to citrus fruits, but couldnt explain why i had chronic rhinitis even if i abstained from eating citrus fruits.
It can really be nerve wrecking, especially when
smelling and tasting are severely restricted. 

Sometimes i wonder if the rhinitis is somehow connected to my sa. I actually think it is quite likely that the inability to smell properly makes navigating in social situations difficult, because i believe that smelling is important for your intuition.


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## Mayflower 2000 (Nov 11, 2003)

What causes this? I always thought it was just either infection or allergies. If it's infection, it can be treated, and if it's allergies, it certainly can be treated. It's just a matter of going through the process of treating it.
I used to have regular rhinitis but my current anti-histamine dries my sinuses up to the point that it doesn't happen. Sometimes it's overly dry and prone to bleeding even, but it's far less of a concern than a constant drip.


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## leppardess (Nov 8, 2003)

I've had this most of my adult life. Mostly, stress and damp weather get it cranked up. When I lived in New Mexico, I hardly ever had to take sinus meds unless it was monsoon season when it rained just about every day. Too, I'm susceptible to ear infections.


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## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

*Re: re: Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)*



Mayflower 2000 said:


> What causes this? I always thought it was just either infection or allergies. If it's infection, it can be treated, and if it's allergies, it certainly can be treated. It's just a matter of going through the process of treating it.
> I used to have regular rhinitis but my current anti-histamine dries my sinuses up to the point that it doesn't happen. Sometimes it's overly dry and prone to bleeding even, but it's far less of a concern than a constant drip.


it depends on the person. For some people, it's allergies. For some people, their nose is just extra sensitive and always produces mucus.

I think mine is the second type. Doctors have told me that I have allergies but I've taken allergy shots for months and there has not been any change so I doubt it's that.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

I have a deviated septum and can only breath out of one nostril  Thats kind of like what you are talking about but not really. I still need to see a specialist and see if i need surgery but like everything else i been putting that off :hug


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

I used to have this all the time exactly like you described. I switched all my diary (I love milk) to organic and like magic it cleared up, like 95%. So of course I'm annoyingly organic/natural with food I eat.


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## Mayflower 2000 (Nov 11, 2003)

*Re: re: Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)*



vicente said:


> I think mine is the second type. Doctors have told me that I have allergies but I've taken allergy shots for months and there has not been any change so I doubt it's that.


You're taking allergy shots but you don't know if you have allergies? Or you don't know whether or not the allergies may be causing the rhinitis despite having reached the severity of needing allergy shots? It sounds really strange either way. :con


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## FairleighCalm (May 20, 2007)

I also wanted to say that drinking lots of water helped me too.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I'm an expert on nasal problems because I've had them 24/7/365 myself for a lifetime.

You mention your problem of a runny nose. If you want to stop snot you need Atrovent nasal spray (available as generic ipratropium bromide). It will definitely stop the snot and it will stop it fast. It's a great drug for those who suffer from an endlessly runny nose like me. I use it a few times every day. It's not a steroid spray like most of the Rx sprays you more commonly find. It's only action is to dry up mucus membranes, so it will do nothing for a stuffed up nose.

I also use Flonase daily for congestion -- a steroid spray that's now generic as fluticasone propionate. That combination seems to work OK. I haven't needed to use any pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) in about a year. I used to go through pseudoephedrine like a meth lab.

Flonase & all the other steroid sprays claim to stop a runny nose, though I'd say that's total BS as my nose would still run like a faucet without lots of Atrovent to stop it.

I've tried Astelin -- an antihistamine spray -- that claims to work wonders. All it does is make me wonder how they can sell this crap for over $50 a bottle when it does zip, at least for me.

My nasal problems do not appear to be the result of allergies, so the medical world would call it non-allergic vasomotor rhinitis as they like fancy terms for snot.


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## SilentProphet (Jun 1, 2007)

Thats the same thing that happened to me. Went to my regular doctor about problems breathing through my nose and he gave me scripts for one of those stupid nose inhaler things for sinuses. It Did NOTHING! Then when i went to an ears/nose/throat specialist he said i have a deviated septum. Stupid doctors!


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## archaic (Jan 16, 2006)

Have you tried a saline sinus rinse? I use this with alcolol, and together they help clean out my nasal passage so that I can then use the prescription sprays more effectively.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

i have no idea if i have this... but i usually always have a runny nose, all year round. it's worse in the cold weather but i have it in the summer too. it's embarrassing. i always have to go to the washroom and i hate sniffling around people, especially males. someone made a joke and asked me if i was doing coke once. i never really thought of it as a disorder but now that i think about it i should find something for it, i can't stand it.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

*Re: re: Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)*



UltraShy said:


> I'm an expert on nasal problems because I've had them 24/7/365 myself for a lifetime.
> 
> You mention your problem of a runny nose. If you want to stop snot you need Atrovent nasal spray (available as generic ipratropium bromide). It will definitely stop the snot and it will stop it fast. It's a great drug for those who suffer from an endlessly runny nose like me. I use it a few times every day. It's not a steroid spray like most of the Rx sprays you more commonly find. It's only action is to dry up mucus membranes, so it will do nothing for a stuffed up nose.


my nose is constantly running in the winter. i know it's not allergies or a cold. so that would work for sure? and it's over the counter?


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## Iron Butterfly (Nov 13, 2007)

I got the same problem. I think I'm gonna get a nasal spray b/c it's too much. Also, I sneeze often too. When drying my nose it gets irritated and sometimes I get cuts inside my nose b/c of the friction. There are times where I'm in public and my nose starts dripping (omg, it's so embarassing ops ). I had this problem for so long. Any suggestions on what kind I should use?


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## Laura (Nov 12, 2003)

...


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

*Re: re: Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)*



nothing_to_fear said:


> UltraShy said:
> 
> 
> > I'm an expert on nasal problems because I've had them 24/7/365 myself for a lifetime.
> ...


You're right that blowing out big globs of snots isn't exactly sexy -- and it's the kind of thing I did for decades.

As for Atrovent, it's a prescription drug. Any doc should be willing to give it to you as it's as close to riskless as possible (I don't see any legitimate reason for it not to be OTC). It has no likely nor serious side effects other than the potential to make your nose too dry, which can easily be resolved by using less then.

Atrovent reduces mucus secretions and the more you use the more it works. It doesn't matter if the snot if caused by a cold, allergies, or any other reason. It works pretty fast and you'd see full results in about 30 minutes.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

so i got the nasel spray "nosanex" from the doc. works allright..


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## styler5 (Oct 7, 2006)

*Re: re: Rhinitis (persistent stuffy nose)*



SilentProphet said:


> I have a deviated septum and can only breath out of one nostril  Thats kind of like what you are talking about but not really. I still need to see a specialist and see if i need surgery but like everything else i been putting that off :hug


You do. When I was in high school, I sneezed all day and mucus kept coming out, and I couldn't concentrate in class. Eventually I went through deviated nasal septum surgery last summer. I feel sooo much better!!! All the problems are gone. One drawback is the surgery is just unbearable. When the doctor took out the gauze in my nose, it was beyond gross...blood, mucus, and tears flowed like crazy. And the gauze kept coming out for so long that it was hard to believe my nasal sinus was so huge. and it hurt so freaking badly!! And thick blood clots kept coming out for weeks after surgery. But it's worth it, trust me. Make appointment for surgery NOW!!


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## person2 (Jan 1, 2008)

I think I had this, along with constant allergies. It was worst at night. I couldn't lie flat without clogging up. I started taking the supplement MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) for unrelated reasons and it's gone.


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## vicente (Nov 10, 2003)

Damn, I was hoping my problem would go away seven years after creating this thread. But no, they're still around.

Neti Pot, Qnasl, you name it, I still got this problem.


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## jonny neurotic (Jan 20, 2011)

Used to suffer from this. Since I cut wheat and dairy from my diet it went away. Go figure...


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