# Nasal Congestion



## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Do any of you guys suffer from chronic nasal congestion? I mean the kind that happens daily, year round, for a lifetime?

I've been using Flonase daily for the last 5 years or more. I guess it helps marginally, though it's hardly impressive. I've tried other steroid nasal sprays and they all have the same unimpressive results as Flonase.

My GP was a huge fan of Astelin (an antihistamine spray) that drug reps throughly convinced him would work wonders. He must really eat up their sales pitch as he thinks it's magic in a spray bottle. I use it only because I have several more bottles left and want to use them up before they expire. As far as I can tell it doesn't do anything at all. I don't believe my problems to be allergies, which I think is why Astelin, an antihistamine, fails me even though their marketing materials claim that it works regardless of cause.

Both Flonase & Astelin claim to stop a runny nose as well. That claim is 100% false in my case. I have to use Atrovent (iprotropium) nasal spray a few times every day to stop my nose that is basically a snot faucet. It runs like mad when I eat and you can imagine how blowing out big globs of snot during a meal will not endear you to anyone you happen to be dining with. I'm satisfied with Atrovent. It only claims to reduce the secretions of mucus membranes to treat a runny nose and it does exactly that and it does so rapidly without any side effects.

When congestion gets too bad I take psudoephedrine, you know the stuff that you have to pick up at the pharmacy counter and swear upon a PDR that "I shall not use this stuff in my meth lab, so help me DEA."

Anyone else with these endless problems or any suggestions? I guess I'm mainly looking to see that I'm not the only one and rant. I'd love suggestions, but doubt there is anything out there I have yet to try.


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## nameless1 (Aug 23, 2009)

a neti pot


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Yeah I also suffer from chronic nasal congestion every day and it's really anoying. Apparently phenylephrine (in spray or tablet form) is decent though, as it basically works like pseudoephedrine, but it's more selective and hence doesnt come with the meth-suspision baggage, and is slightly less likely to cause anxiety like symptoms.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

jim_morrison said:


> Yeah I also suffer from chronic nasal congestion every day and it's really anoying. Apparently phenylephrine (in spray or tablet form) is decent though, as it basically works like pseudoephedrine, but it's more selective and hence doesnt come with the meth-suspision baggage, and is slightly less likely to cause anxiety like symptoms.


OK, now that's something I have never tried. Problem is that it's not likely to be effective from every article I've read on it. Here's one:

http://news.ufl.edu/2006/07/19/decongensant/

And PSE doesn't cause me anxiety anyhow, so that's not an issue. Nor does PSE cause me insomnia. PSE just gets the DEA's panties in a bunch.


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## starlita (Sep 13, 2006)

Is it possible that you are unknowingly consuming or inhaling some substance you are allergic to or intolerant of? If your house is dusty clean up! According to the internet dairy, wheat and soy can cause chronic rhinitis or runny noses in many people. If you haven't already, you could try eliminating any of those substances for a few weeks and see what happens.

My story is that when I consume dairy products I get a sniffly nose. Sometimes I wake up with a dry mouth from mouth breathing since my nose is congested. Now I'm not saying I am allergic or intolerant of dairy products and I'm not saying I'm not. But when I consume dairy, my health suffers.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

UltraShy said:


> OK, now that's something I have never tried. Problem is that it's not likely to be effective from every article I've read on it. Here's one:
> 
> http://news.ufl.edu/2006/07/19/decongensant/
> 
> And PSE doesn't cause me anxiety anyhow, so that's not an issue. Nor does PSE cause me insomnia. PSE just gets the DEA's panties in a bunch.


Interesting article, "When it is ingested, it becomes inactivated somewhere between the gut and the liver" that being the case, perhaps the spray version would still be effective.


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## TheGMan (Jun 10, 2004)

nose bidet


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

starlita said:


> Is it possible that you are unknowingly consuming or inhaling some substance you are allergic to or intolerant of?


Unlikely, given that this happens any time, any place, any situation, any season. If it was the result of a dusty home then the problem would go away when away from home, but it doesn't. If it was pollen then it would surely go away in January, but it doesn't.



> If your house is dusty clean up!


Only airborne dust matters, and vacuum cleaning would pretty much be the ultimate way to stir up dust, but that doesn't seem to make symptoms any worse.



> My story is that when I consume dairy products I get a sniffly nose. Sometimes I wake up with a dry mouth from mouth breathing since my nose is congested. Now I'm not saying I am allergic or intolerant of dairy products and I'm not saying I'm not. But when I consume dairy, my health suffers.


My nose runs when eating anything (if I haven't used enough Atrovent to dry my nose and make that impossible). You appear to have a fairly clear cut case there -- consume dairy and bad things happen. There is no food where I have any reaction that is like that. If I have any food sensitivities, they are vastly more subtle since I've never been able to detect them. I haven't been tested for allergies since 1984 -- and a quarter century ago I was negative for any food allergies, though I was positive for dust, mold, most pollens, and most animals.


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## MaidMarian (Feb 18, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> When congestion gets too bad I take psudoephedrine, you know the stuff that you have to pick up at the pharmacy counter and swear upon a PDR that "I shall not use this stuff in my meth lab, so help me DEA."
> 
> .


:lol You do have a way with words.

Are you on any meds? The Trazodone I take makes my nose stuffy.


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## Madison_Rose (Feb 27, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> OK, now that's something I have never tried. Problem is that it's not likely to be effective from every article I've read on it. Here's one:
> 
> http://news.ufl.edu/2006/07/19/decongensant/
> 
> And PSE doesn't cause me anxiety anyhow, so that's not an issue. Nor does PSE cause me insomnia. PSE just gets the DEA's panties in a bunch.


You might as well try it - what have you got to lose?

My bf has similar symptoms to you, sniffly nose all the time regardless of where he is and what he's doing. He sneezes a lot too. He tried loads of things that didn't work, but now he's found one particular antihistamine that does. It's name? He can't remember, but I'll find out and let you know. (No, he doesn't mind me mentioning it on the internet, I checked )

Edit: it's cetirizine hydrochloride.


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## Sloppy Joe (Feb 25, 2009)

I tried Claritin-D, it kept me up at night. Not sure why? The stuffiness was from allergies, I got tested. I don't have it bad enough to bother trying out all the nose sprays. They taste really lousy.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

I've had chronic nasal congestion (sinitus) for most of my life, and it's not much fun at all, I don't think that mines allergy related though, since antihistamines don't seem to have any effect on it.


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## EagerMinnow84 (Sep 1, 2007)

nameless1 said:


> a neti pot


Someone asked for the when I used to work at CVS and I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Even when they said "it looks like a tea pot, you use it to put water up your nose," still, no clue. 

I have congestion issues. I use Benedryl Allergy if it is really bad but it makes me extremely tired. Claritin works if my allergies are not that bad. I cannot take anything with psudoephedrine in it because it makes my heart rate go alarmingly higher. I used it once, never again.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

I'm allergic to dust and rag weed. I had to go through several antihistamines before I found one that actually worked: Chlorpheniramine a.k.a. "Chortabs by Equate" at Wal-mart. Cheap and effective... and might actually help with depression to boot.



> Chlorphenamine (INN) or chlorpheniramine (USAN, former BAN), commonly marketed as its salt chlorphenamine maleate (CPM; Chlor-Trimeton, Piriton, Chlor-Tripolon), is a first-generation alkylamine antihistamine used in the prevention of the symptoms of allergic conditions such as rhinitis and urticaria. Its sedative effects are relatively weak compared to other first-generation antihistamines. Chlorpheniramine is one of the most commonly-used antihistamines in small-animal veterinary practice as well. Although not generally approved as an antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication, chlorpheniramine appears to have these properties as well (see below).


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorphenamine


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## TheGMan (Jun 10, 2004)

Phoebus said:


> I'm allergic to dust and rag weed. I had to go through several antihistamines before I found one that actually worked: Chlorpheniramine a.k.a. "Chortabs by Equate" at Wal-mart. Cheap and effective... and might actually help with depression to boot.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorphenamine


Any undesirable side effects?

I also have dust and ragweed allergies. I see Wal-mart sells 100 chlortabs for $2.76. Hmm, might be worth trying.


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

TheGMan said:


> Any undesirable side effects?
> 
> I also have dust and ragweed allergies. I see Wal-mart sells 100 chlortabs for $2.76. Hmm, might be worth trying.


Initially, it made me a little drowsy, but that didn't last long. I tried everything - Claritin, Benadryl etc., but Chlortabs have been the best. As they say, everyone reacts differently to different drugs. I also noticed a difference with eyedrops. I seem to be allergic (ironically) to Visine- A -- iritates my eyes beyond belief. However, Opcon-A brand works great -- totally different chemical. Walmart sells an "Equate" version of that too...though, strangly, it seems a little less effective than the brand name. Still works great, but I to have to apply it more. You wouldn't think there'd be a difference, seeing as it's supposedly the same...


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Sloppy Joe said:


> I tried Claritin-D, it kept me up at night. Not sure why?


Claritin-D contains PSE (pseudoephedrine -- the stuff some use in their home meth lab). PSE is the decongestant in it; the "-D" part stands for decongestant to set it apart from Claritin that's just an antihistamine. PSE causes insomnia for some people.


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## proximo20 (Nov 25, 2006)

Food allergies was the cause for me. Avoiding some foods has helped me.


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## locsaf (Sep 3, 2009)

,


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## 1ShyGuy (Jul 1, 2009)

I have this, i'm breathing through one nostril at the mo and going for an operation soon, not sure what I'm really allergic to yet.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

1ShyGuy said:


> I have this, i'm breathing through one nostril at the mo and going for an operation soon, not sure what I'm really allergic to yet.


Is it the same nostril all the time or does it switch? Most people go through the nasal cycle, where the turbinates in one side swell up for a few hours and then it happens on the other side. It's normal.


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## 1ShyGuy (Jul 1, 2009)

Nope no switching, just the same nostril, I'm getting the turbinates on the blocked nostril reduced by 80%


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## Neptunus (Oct 29, 2007)

...


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## 1ShyGuy (Jul 1, 2009)

I've had this before, I have been for a similiar OP but was for both nostrils, now one of them has grown quite large and is blocking air flow even for the normal nasal cycle that Zephyr talked about. I'm also going to be on a high dosage of Butacort 100, which is a nasal spray


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

1ShyGuy said:


> Nope no switching, just the same nostril, I'm getting the turbinates on the blocked nostril reduced by 80%


I've heard turbinate reduction surgery can be bad if the doc cuts them back too much. Turbinates are there to direct airflow properly through the nasal cavity, and if too much is removed it screws up the flow of air and results in something called Empty Nose Syndrome which can severely affect quality of life. You might want to get a second opinion or talk to your doctor about this.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Zephyr said:


> Most people go through the nasal cycle, where the turbinates in one side swell up for a few hours and then it happens on the other side. It's normal.


My congestion is often like that. It randomly switches without rhyme or reason. One hour the right side might be totally plugged and then later it's the left nostril that's plugged and the other side is OK.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

Zephyr said:


> I've heard turbinate reduction surgery can be bad if the doc cuts them back too much. Turbinates are there to direct airflow properly through the nasal cavity, and if too much is removed it screws up the flow of air and results in something called Empty Nose Syndrome which can severely affect quality of life. You might want to get a second opinion or talk to your doctor about this.


I've never looked into surgery, though I knew it was an option for those who failed to get adequate relief with chronic problems with less drastic measure.

I never looked into it because surgery scares the hell out of me and your link makes surgery look even more unattractive than it already was.


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## 1ShyGuy (Jul 1, 2009)

Now I'm getting worried about Empty Nose Syndrome, I never heard of it, sounds serious. To be honest, During surgery you don't feel anything or know anything thats going on, due to general anaesthetic, so if this is your last option like mine then dont worry its painless. 
Just this Empty Nose Syndrome which I have to ask my doc about since he's taking out quite a bit. Eventually the turbinates do grow back but this takes around 6 years or something like that.


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## Zephyr (Nov 8, 2003)

There's a forum where people discuss this kind of surgery..it's not very active but I'll see if I can find it again and post the link. From what I've read, an 80% reduction is pretty severe and could cause problems. 

I would ask the doc who's doing the turbinectomy (I assume it's an ENT doctor) if he's at least heard of empty nose syndrome. It's only become more widely known in recent years.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

My nasal congestion seems to be worse when I lay down or put my head back, compared with standing up, does anyone else notice this? 
It also gives me a really dry mouth and throat which is anoying.


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## jim_morrison (Aug 17, 2008)

Incidentally, I came across this blog the other day, where this guy (joe rogan) goes into detail about his nasal surgery;

http://blog.joerogan.net/archives/1450


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