Hey ya'll, Just wondering about my addition to Afrin nose spray. I have been using this stuff for the past twenty + years and now that my surgery will be coming up, I am worried about any issues. I haven't gone to my first consult yet, I am waiting to make sure my insurance covers the procedure first. I was just wondering if any of you had the same issue and how did you handle it? :eek:

Hi Dovie,

I too have used nose spray for most of my life. About 10 years ago I discovered that most nose sprays contain Oxymetazaline HCl (sp?) but there are some out there that contain phenlyphrine HCl which works just as well and does not cause the withdrawal symptoms like swelling.

Anyway, I always keep some of that around and I took mine to the hospital with me just in case I needed it.

The funny thing is, since I have lost some weight, I rarely need to use it!

Thank you! I have been worried about this. I really need to get off the the stuff, but you know how that is. Hopefully, like you, I won't need it after the surgery.

I kicked my Afrin habit years ago after about 10 years of use. It's so liberating when you find you no longer need it! I honestly can't remember how it ended, but there's no question it's self-fulfilling. If you can cold-turkey your way off of it, you likely won't need it anymore. If you have allergies that cause nasal swelling, treat the allergies.

Good luck with everything!!

I would talk with your Dr. I was told to not take Afrin more than 2 weeks. It actually makes the condition worse on long term use. It may be a very good thing to get off of it.

I am a former Afrin Addict...It got to the point where I had to have it to breathe and I had to have a brain scan because I was having bad headaches. It was from using the spray. They put me on Flonaise and weened me off of it. It doesn't take long to go back to the habit either, so I try very hard to not use it.