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How to get off vasoconstrictor drops
Long-term use of vasoconstrictor drops is not only addictive, but also adds serious health problems.
Most people treat a runny nose at home by experimenting with different nasal drops. Indeed, vasoconstrictor drugs often help with congestion. The effect is immediate. Literally in a couple of minutes you can already breathe freely, which means that you can get back into line again. However, there is one “but”. The doctor will allow you to use such aerosols or sprays on your own only for 5 days (in rare cases – 7 days). Otherwise, addiction will arise, which will definitely not go away by itself. You will be constantly tormented by the question: how to get off the vasoconstrictor nasal drops? The answer is not easy.
Dependence (scientifically, medication rhinitis) from vasoconstrictor drops does not appear immediately. At one point, a person realizes that he cannot imagine life without the coveted bottle, which he constantly keeps with him. Moreover, the dose is increasing every day.
There are basic signs that you urgently need to look for an otorhinolaryngologist and start treatment.
You have been using the drops for more than a week, but there is no improvement.
On the advice of a doctor, you changed the active ingredient, but this did not help either.
People around you constantly make a comment about what you say through the nose.
Drops become the elixir of life for you. Without them, panic begins.
You bury it in your nose every hour.
All vasoconstrictor drops can temporarily relieve the common cold, as they reduce blood flow to the mucosal tissues. Thanks to this, the swelling subsides and the feeling of congestion disappears. Unfortunately, after a few hours, the person again has difficulty breathing. The next time you pick up vasoconstrictor drops, think that you are not treating a runny nose. Moreover, from constant use, the nasal mucosa becomes dry, unpleasant crusts appear. In this case, the body begins to do everything to moisturize the mucous membrane, and for this the blood vessels expand. Then you fumble the doctor in despair: “How to get off the vasoconstrictor drops?”
When we get rid of congestion with drops, we can seriously affect the work of neuroendocrine cells. Our body can no longer fight a cold on its own; like a drug, it needs a dose of xylometazoline or oxymetazoline.
It happens that a person is psychologically not ready to part with nose drops. In medical practice, there are cases when patients used sprays out of habit. People were healthy, but they still started every morning with their favorite procedure.
Usually, vasoconstrictor drops are prescribed at the first sign of a cold. Viral diseases, and with them the runny nose, disappear in a week. But there are other reasons for nasal congestion. For example, curvature of the septum, sinusitis, hay fever (benign growths in the area of the nasal sinuses), allergies.
There should be no self-medication and diagnostics. Only a doctor, after the necessary examination, will be able to determine what kind of disease you have. So, if there is inflammation of the maxillary sinuses, then you will need to do an endoscopy of the nose. Naturally, it is necessary to choose a remedy for the common cold only after understanding the cause of its appearance. For comparison: allergic congestion is usually treated with special drugs for several months, while viral rhinitis usually disappears in a week.
A significant argument that it is time for you to urgently get rid of vasoconstrictor drops is their negative effect on the entire body, especially on the vessels of the brain. Frequent use of nasal drops can provoke heart disease, even lead to a heart attack.
How to get rid of vasoconstrictor drops: treatment options
A prolonged runny nose usually indicates some kind of serious ENT disease (of course, if it is not a psychological dependence on drops).
The first step is to come to the doctor and do an x-ray or computed tomography.
By the way, today there is an alternative to these studies. Sinus scan – an affordable and harmless procedure that has no contraindications and is safe for pregnant women and children. The study is carried out using a special device that allows you to record any changes that occur in the paranasal sinuses.
Further, the actual treatment. True, it will disappoint you: you just need to give up the drops. This can only be done under the supervision of a doctor. In no case should vasoconstrictor drugs be dropped sharply. The fact remains, without them you will not be able to breathe. Weaning will surely happen if you switch to drops with a lower concentration of the active substance. Let’s say for children’s vasoconstrictor drops. Please note that you cannot dilute the sprays yourself. By the way, doctors also recommend rinsing off vasoconstrictor drops with a solution of sea salt.
After getting rid of addiction, always pay attention to the composition of the remedies for the common cold. All vasoconstrictor drugs differ in the active substance.
Drops with xylometazonine are quite effective and allow you to breathe freely for up to 12 hours. They cannot be used for diseases such as glaucoma, atherosclerosis, tachycardia, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. Oxymetazoline products have the same characteristics and contraindications. The only difference is they are not as effective.
Drops, where the active substance is naphazoline, help instantly, but addictive in just 4 days. The patient can refuse such funds if he suffers from cardiovascular diseases or diabetes mellitus.
There is another component that is used in the manufacture of vasoconstrictor drops. This is phenylephrine… Sprays based on it are quite effective, but the drug itself has not yet been sufficiently studied, so it can only be used if other agents cause an allergic reaction.
So, how to get out of the habit of vasoconstrictor drops? Most importantly, you must clearly understand that these drugs can relieve symptoms of the disease only for a short time. Long-term use will lead to chronic rhinitis and add health problems. Addiction treatment is essential.
Personal experience
“I dripped nose drops for 2 years!”, Maria, 32
After another cold, I began to use drops all the time. Without them, the head became heavy, ached, it was even hard to think! This dependence lasted about six months, but the vacation and the sea air did their job, so for a while I forgot about the drops.
Alas, a new cold has become the cause of a new addiction. This time for a year and a half. At some point, I realized that I was recognized at the pharmacy, and I realized how awful it was. I always knew that the story with the drops was unhealthy, but it all seemed that it was too small a problem to go to the doctor. Finally I got to him. The doctor conducted an examination, prescribed pills for congestion, rinsing the nose with sea water. The first three days were tough, especially when the drugs weakened. Sleeping with your mouth open is also unpleasant. Therefore, I thoroughly ventilated the room before going to bed and turned on the humidifier. That, in fact, is all. It turns out that it was possible not to suffer, but just go to the doctor. Which is what I advise you too!