I received a bottle of this to product test and spread the word about. Have you tried it? I tried some last night. I'm in the early stage of a cold, so I get clogged up at night. I must say, it didn't have any aftertaste or drainage. I didn't have any trouble breathing last night.
However, I did have some bad dreams. I don't know if they are related or not. I'll try it again tonight and compare.
Just make sure you don't use it for more than 2-3 days. Your nasal passages will get addicted to the spray after that. Then you'll be more stuffy than before you started to use it.
Yes - nasal sprays ARE addictive if used more often than specified or for too many days in a row. If you're still stuffy after your 2-3 days are up, you might try some saline drops. They aren't going to be AS effective, but they'll help while your body adjusts to the lack of Afrin.
Let me tell ya a little story about the devil from ****.....er I mean Afrin.
PLEASE don't use it.
7 years ago, I had a horrible case of the flu, and a terrible sinus infection, bc of the flu and getting sick every 15 minutes, it made it incredibly hard to breath since I couldn't breath through my nose, and couldn't breath through my mouth bc of getting sick. ( yes, it was really that horrible ) I go to the doctor and she tells me to use afrin along with a plethora of other meds. Instint relief to my nasal passages was the result, I thought it was wonderful. I used it all the time, bc I was always plugged up, before I knew it, I was using it more often that I was not using it. I would use it up to 8-10 times a day. As soon as I'd wake up I was using it, lying on my back with my head arched so it slid into my sinus cavity as quickly as possible, I'd have to spray it up to 5, 6,7 times each nostil just to get the airways open. I'd use it 3 or 4 times throughout the day just at work, bc the more you use it the quicker the relief goes away. another 2 or 3 times before bed, and even would wake up once or twice in the middle of the night and use it bc I couldn't sleep without it. I was full blown addicted to this stuff. I knew it was bad once it got to this degree of usage. I FINALLY made an appt once I knew I couldnt' quit on my own, I"d usually get to day 2 and finally have to give in bc without it I would have awful dreams about being buried alive bc I couldn't breath.
So, I go to the doctor, and she can't believe how far progessed my addiction was, and hoped I didn't do perminant damage to my nose. She prescribed a non addicting nose spray and zyrtek, along with a steroid ( which caused some weight gain ) to shrink my sinus's bc they had gotten so swollen. Took about another 3 days to get out of my system, worst few days of my life, but am now so glad I stuck to it bc I am not using it anymore. I still have nasel congestion from time to time, but I will take a claritin and know it is just temporary, or clean my sinus's out with a nettie pot, instead of snorting that horrible product called Afrin. In all honesty, it needs to be taken off the shelves bc of how easy it is to become addicted to it.
Sorry for the long rant, I just wanted to share my story with you and everyone else who reads it and has used Afrin or is considering using afrin and beg you not to. It's not worth the awful side effects it causes.
OMG! Born! How horrible! I used 1 squirt per nostril last night. I again had bad dreams. They weren't as bad as the night before. The night before I was yelling and thrashing around. Poor boobalah had to grab me and start patting my back. Last night he asked what I was dreaming because I scared him. This morning he said I only thrashed around a little. I wasn't yelling or trying to yell.
He is getting over a lung infection and it has helped him sleep with little to no snoring.
However, after reading what you lovely ladies have written and my bad dreams, it's over for me.
I have to give a product feedback to them. They want the good with the bad. They are going to find out that I have incredibly bad dreams, my SnIL got a racing heart and my grandson got nose bleeds.
BornToFly - your story is an EXCELLENT example of why medications should only be used according to their directions labels, except at the direction of a doctor. While Afrin CAN be addicting if used off-label (ie, more than 2x per day for more than 3 days, as specified on the product packaging), it is a safe product when used as directed. Doesn't speak to the bad dreams, and it can cause nosebleeds if you're sensitive to them, but it isn't a demon product. It is a product that is easy to use off-label and therefore causes some problems for people.
When I'm too stuffy to sleep at night I use those breathing strips. You have to make sure your skin is extra clean so they'll stick, but they help quite a bit. It may look silly, but it's a nice alternative to medication.
Also, if you are an OTC medication phob like me, Yogi teas make a cold season tea that helps clear you up for a couple hours.
BornToFly - your story is an EXCELLENT example of why medications should only be used according to their directions labels, except at the direction of a doctor. While Afrin CAN be addicting if used off-label (ie, more than 2x per day for more than 3 days, as specified on the product packaging), it is a safe product when used as directed. Doesn't speak to the bad dreams, and it can cause nosebleeds if you're sensitive to them, but it isn't a demon product. It is a product that is easy to use off-label and therefore causes some problems for people.
It was hard to not use it at first bc I knew instant releif was a spray away. So, I would think to myself, what's one more spray. One more day, etc. Before I knew it I was using it all the time just in order to breath correctly. I knew what the label read, but it was readily available and to hard to not use it when I knew the effect was clear air.
It was hard to not use it at first bc I knew instant releif was a spray away. So, I would think to myself, what's one more spray. One more day, etc. Before I knew it I was using it all the time just in order to breath correctly. I knew what the label read, but it was readily available and to hard to not use it when I knew the effect was clear air.
That is what happened to my dad....except combine it with early stage alzheimers...he couldnt remember if he had used it already or not.
Afrin Night Time Spray
