How to cure addiction to vasoconstrictors. Dependence on nasal drops. Getting used to nasal drops: how to get rid of the habit, what to do

How to wean yourself off nasal drops

If you use nasal drops for a long and frequent time, then not only does this threaten addiction, but also worse consequences: pressure constantly fluctuates, then rises to 160, then drops to 90, it is difficult to breathe, especially at night due to swelling of the mucous membrane, which causes frequent using drops, a lot of money spent on expensive drugs.

Let's first look at the causes of a runny nose:

Allergy. In 90% of people with rhinitis, allergic rhinitis is detected. It manifests itself especially in summer, when poplar and ambrosia bloom, when there is a lot of dust and light.
So, before buying nasal drops, go to an ENT specialist and find out what kind of runny nose you have. Self-medication usually has serious consequences.
Infection. During hypothermia, ARVI, influenza and other viral or bacterial diseases, infectious rhinitis occurs.
Reflex irritations. They appear when exposed to cold, strong odors, sudden changes in temperature (when you leave a warm house into frosty air in winter).

How to get rid of the dependence of drops?

At first, reduce the number of drops you instill and take longer breaks between instillations.
Swap the drops for a spray, they are better distributed throughout the mucous membrane, they don’t dry out so much and excess flows out of the nostrils.
It's even better to use ointment instead of spray or drops. A good old proven remedy is “Zvezdochka”, it is not expensive and helps well with colds, due to the content of essential oils it strengthens the immune system. It should be applied not to the mucous membrane itself, as you can get a burn, but around the nose. The truth is that it smells specific, not everyone likes this smell.
Try dripping vasoconstrictor drops, first into ONE nostril, and after a long time into the other: for example, today you dripped into the left nostril, and tomorrow into the right nostril. One nostril will rest from the drops and gradually wean itself off them.
You can do a CT scan of the paranasal sinuses. A CT scan will show whether the septum is deviated.
If the septum is deviated, then most likely it can be cured only by surgery.
If you have a runny nose due to reflex irritations, then the best way to overcome it is to exercise.

In the fight for easy breathing, you can use folk remedies. They are not so harmful and do not cause addiction.

1. Fresh beet juice

Helps well with infectious rhinitis. Extract the juice from the beets and squeeze through cheesecloth. Twist cotton wool, moisten it with beet juice and stick it in two, or first in one nostril for about twenty minutes, and then in the other.

2. Salt water

Rinsing the nostrils with warm salt water, of course it is better to use sea salt. Take half a glass of water and add a spoon of salt. First you need to empty your nostrils by blowing your nose thoroughly, then draw in water first through one nostril and then the other, the water will come out through the mouth - not the best feeling, but very effective. This needs to be done 3 times a day.

3. Fresh onion juice

It is also an equally effective remedy for rhinitis. Squeeze the juice from fresh onions and soak cotton wool in the juice into your EARS. You can also put onion juice in your nose, but warming up your ears, and since the ear, throat and nose are connected, it will help both the ears and nose. It is advisable to use at night.

4. Warming up with salt

Heat 100 - 200 grams of salt in a frying pan, pour it into a linen bag or just a cloth bag, tie it and apply it on the nose and near the nose, you can also put it on the neck, after lubricating the skin with cream so as not to dry it out.

5. Juniper oil

With the help of juniper essential oil, you can not only get rid of rhinitis, but also improve your well-being during colds, lift your mood and kill bacteria. Dilute a couple of drops of oil with four olive oils. Heat in a tablespoon over a candle or lighter, roll turundas from cotton wool, dip in warm oil, insert into one nostril, then into the other. Repeat after 6 hours.

According to statistical studies, vasoconstrictor sprays and nasal drops (adrenergic agonists) are the most popular medications used by patients when they develop rhinitis (runny nose). If you have an addiction to alcohol and drugs that negatively affect your health and the condition of your nose, we recommend that you contact a drug treatment center.

A standard situation: a person has a runny nose, he goes to the pharmacy, buys the vasoconstrictor nasal drops he likes, and begins active “treatment” of the disease.

The tragicomic nature of the situation lies in the fact that vasoconstricting drops in the nose have nothing to do with the treatment of a runny nose.

Similar nasal drops are produced in order to relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa that occurs with rhinitis. That is, in other words, such drugs for intranasal use eliminate only one symptom of the disease. And even then for a short time.

After a certain period of time, a person taking such nasal drops may become addicted or dependent on a particular drug.

The medical name for emerging dependence on sprays or nasal drops is.

Causes of addiction

The main reason why addiction to nasal drops appears is non-compliance with the instructions for use of the medicine.

A large number of people, in principle, do not bother reading the instructions for the purchased nasal medication. Such frivolity stems from the belief that a runny nose is such a trivial phenomenon that you can’t even call it a disease. In addition, numerous advertisements insistently claim that for rhinitis, all you have to do is drop certain drops into your nose, and all problems will immediately disappear.

Meanwhile, the use of vasoconstrictor drugs requires increased caution and attention. Ignoring the recommendations of the instructions for use will certainly cause drug dependence.

The maximum period for taking adrenergic agonists, depending on the specific drug, is from 3 to 7 days.

Symptoms of addiction to drops

The main symptom of the resulting addiction is the complete inability of the blood vessels located in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity to independently regulate their own tone. That is, to narrow and expand without medications.

In other words, the feeling of nasal congestion only goes away when you take nasal drops. The patient in the full sense of the word becomes a hostage to this or that medicine.

Dependence on vasoconstrictor sprays and drops is in many ways similar to narcotic addiction.

Other symptoms of rhinitis medicamentosa include:

itching and burning in the nasal passages;
complete or partial loss of smell;
feeling of constant congestion;
difficulty breathing through the nose;
the presence of clear mucous discharge.

At the first signs of a drug-induced runny nose, treatment should begin.

How to get rid of addiction at home?

First of all, you should completely stop using the nasal spray. If the situation is not advanced, then after experiencing a certain feeling of discomfort, after a while the mucous membrane will recover and free nasal breathing will return.

The recovery period is purely individual and depends on the characteristics of each person’s body, as well as on the degree of development of medicinal rhinitis. On average it ranges from 1 to 4 weeks.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to get rid of the medication you are using. What to do in such cases?

Try these methods:

increase the time intervals between doses of the pharmacological agent;
in order to reduce the concentration of the active treatment substance, dilute the medicine with clean water;
try to bury it first in one nostril, and after a sufficiently long time in the other;
spend more time in the fresh air;
carry out wet cleaning and ventilate the apartment;
When sleeping, take a position in which your shoulders and head are elevated;
Take warm foot baths daily;
eat more fruits containing vitamin C.

Also, to get rid of a medicinal runny nose 3-5 times a day, you need to rinse the nasal cavity with saline or its countless analogues - medicinal solutions created on the basis of sea water.

In addition, you can use traditional medicine.

Recipe 1. Mix three-year-old (or older) aloe juice with clean water in a ratio of 1:2, respectively. Instill the medicine into each nasal passage 3-4 times daily, 4-5 drops.

Recipe 2. Mix liquid bee honey with clean water in a 1:1 ratio. The schedule for instilling the drug is the same as in the previous recipe.

Remember that you won’t be able to get rid of medicinal rhinitis in a few days. The condition of the nasal mucosa will improve gradually.

Treatment of addiction in a medical facility

In especially advanced and severe cases, no home treatment will save you. With very long-term use of adrenergic agonists, atrophy of the nasal mucosa may begin to develop.

In such situations, various physiotherapeutic techniques are used, as well as surgical interventions.

Physiotherapeutic methods include:

mineral therapy;
phytotherapy;
capillary therapy;
laser therapy.

Operative surgical interventions include:

surgical laser intervention;
cryotherapy;
conchotomy;
turbinoplasty;
Septoplasty.

The necessary treatment and therapeutic methods are selected in each specific case by the attending physician. Various types are used quite often.

Which nasal drops are harmless?

All such medications should be taken only after thoroughly reading the accompanying instructions.

What you should pay special attention to when reading the annotation:

deadline for uninterrupted reception;
recommended dosages;
intervals between doses.

Remember once and for all, harmless, non-addictive nasal drops and sprays that constrict blood vessels simply do not exist.

Friends, hello. This is how I wished you health. But when it comes to health, there are no trifles, and I realized this after I once became addicted to such a seemingly ordinary thing as nasal drops. What is vasoconstrictor addiction and how I got rid of my addiction to nasal drops is the topic of today’s post.

I don’t even remember how this whole story began, but only one day I began to notice that I couldn’t sleep without using drops (vasoconstrictors) in my nose. You put it in your nose and sleep until the morning; if you don’t put it in, you can’t breathe. Of course, I understood that such dependence was harmful and even went to Laura twice, but at first I could not defeat the “xylene monster”.

What are the dangers of dependence on long-term use of vasoconstrictors?

Such drops act on the body as follows: when they fall on the nasal mucosa, the vasoconstrictor causes the blood capillaries to narrow, causing the swelling of the nasal mucosa to decrease, and the person begins to breathe calmly. Everything would be fine, but such drops cause addiction, dryness and degeneration of the mucous membrane, tissue hypoxia, and with prolonged use they cause a drug-induced runny nose and even poisoning by the components of the drug. It is especially harmful to use vasoconstrictor drugs for pregnant women, since the fetus literally suffers from hypoxia because of this.

In short, if you become addicted to vasoconstrictors, then without them your nose can no longer breathe, and it is very difficult to get rid of such an addiction. To be honest, I’ll tell you a secret that I suffered from this for about three years.

How I cured addiction to vasoconstrictor drops

I started struggling with addiction by visiting a doctor. He told me that everything was fine with me, but I was dependent on vasoconstrictors. To get rid of it, I should completely abandon vasoconstrictor drops, and instead prescribed me Nasonex hormonal drops. The drops are expensive, but whatever you can’t do for your health, I bought it. Perhaps the drops are good, but the whole point is that the drops help after quite a long time, and at the same time you cannot use vasoconstrictors. How can I sleep and breathe before Nasonex starts working? In short, I suffered with these miracle drops, but I still got up in the middle of the night to drip Naphthyzin. I realized that addiction is better than insomnia.

Having failed, I decided to fight my addiction to nasal drops by rinsing my nose with saline solutions like Aquamaris. But either my dependence on the drops was very high at that time, or my nose doesn’t like “salty foods,” but this water didn’t really help me either.

The third stage of the fight against naphthyzine addiction began after I began to experience frequent headaches. I thought: “Are my headaches related to the use of nasal drops? It's time to do something, and right now!

100% recipe for getting rid of addiction with vasoconstrictor nasal drops

We don’t drip our nose during the day, and if it’s not a cold, but a drug addiction, then it’s quite possible to withstand it. At night we drip into only one nostril, for example, the left. I lay down on my left side and sometimes it turned out that both nostrils were breathing at once for a long time, but in any case at least one nostril was breathing all night - the left one. After three days, I realized that my right nostril was no longer blocked tightly. But still, I continued to drip into my left nostril for another four days, so that the mucous membrane of my right nostril was completely restored. After a week of such clever use of the drops, I completely stopped dripping the drops, trying to fall asleep on my right side. Now the healthy right nostril was breathing, and the left one began to breathe better every day. I soon realized that my naphthyzine addiction had come to an end.

As you can see, everything is simple, cheap and without much stress. If you are addicted to nose drops, get rid of it urgently, because if you have this “bondage” for a long time, then there is a high probability that the previous purity of breathing will never return. It's a pity that I didn't know about this earlier.

Getting used to nose drops is not uncommon today, because no one wants to put up with a runny nose.

But unfortunately, few people strictly adhere to the duration and frequency of use recommended by the manufacturers and use the selected drug for more than 3–7 days (determined by the type of active substance included in the specific medication). Video on the topic: consultation with a doctor

Causes of addiction and drip addiction

Such neglect of the rules for taking vasoconstrictors leads to addiction to them or, even worse, to drug-induced rhinitis.

The problem is typical for adults and is rarely diagnosed in a child, since parents usually strictly control the treatment of children.

The mechanism for this is quite simple. Normally, the tone of the vessels passing through the nasal mucosa is regulated independently. But with the development of inflammation, blood plasma sweats into the intercellular space, which leads to swelling of the mucous membrane, that is

Vasoconstrictor drops contain special substances that cause a narrowing of blood lines, eliminating swelling and, therefore, normalizing nasal breathing.

At the same time, with prolonged use, the natural mechanisms for controlling vascular tone are switched off, so without new doses of the drug they return to an expanded state.

This leads to a desire to instill the medicine again. In this way, a habit is formed, and it becomes difficult to jump off the drops.

Nasal drop addiction: symptoms and signs

Suspecting addiction to vasoconstrictors is sometimes difficult.

After all, initially a person may not even notice that he is exceeding the recommended dosage and frequency of use.

Automatically, the patient introduces 1-3 drops more than prescribed or does this, involuntarily shortening the intervals between doses.

Thus, the main signs of developing dependence on nasal spray are:

the single dose prescribed in the annotation does not relieve congestion;
the medicine is used for much longer than a week;
a person always has a bottle of medication with him, often a bottle at his workplace, at home, in his bag, etc.;
severe anxiety if you don’t have the drug with you (forgot to buy it or left it at home);
automatic instillation at the slightest manifestation of difficulty breathing.

Many people are able to sit on nasal medications for years and even decades and not seek qualified medical help.

Although any independent attempts to get off nasal drops practically do not yield results. The consequences of such negligence can be disastrous.
Source: website In especially advanced cases, drug-induced rhinitis manifests itself:

swelling and
the presence of local hemorrhages;
regular headaches;
the presence of a feeling of tingling and itching in the nasal cavity;
increased lacrimation and sneezing;
partial (hyposmia) or complete (anosmia) loss of smell.

How to wean yourself off vasoconstrictor nasal drops at home?

You can get rid of naphthyzine addiction at home only in the initial stages of its development. Moreover, this is achieved only through volitional efforts.

There are 3 main ways to jump off vasoconstrictors:

A sharp refusal. Requires great self-control and willpower, so it is most effective in mild cases. Then the patient only needs to endure a few days to cure the addiction to nasal drops.

But to completely restore the normal functioning of the nose, it usually takes 10–15 days, and improvements are noticeable after just a few days.

Gradual withdrawal. The method is based on deliberately increasing the intervals between administration of the drug and reducing the dosage. The most common practice is to switch to medications intended for children or dilute the usual drug with saline solution.

In especially difficult moments, for example, at night, it is sometimes possible to administer the drug outside the planned time. This will make breathing easier and at the same time allow the mucous membrane of the second nasal passage to recover.

Replacing the drug. It is planned to switch to a medication with a completely different active ingredient. For example, if you are dependent on xylometazoline, you can choose naphazoline-based products and soon completely abandon it.

But at the same time you should carry out inhalations, take homeopathic medicines, etc. This therapy has many nuances, so it should be carried out under the supervision of an otolaryngologist.

The choice of method should be based on the personal qualities of a particular patient. Moreover, he must independently come to the conclusion that he needs to look for an effective way to get rid of dependence on nasal drops.

However, regardless of the choice of control method, the following rules must be observed:

regularly ventilate living and working areas;
use saline solutions to moisturize the mucous membrane;
install a household humidifier and aroma lamp at home;
walk daily for at least 2–3 hours;
enrich your diet with fresh fruits and vegetables;
try to sleep with your head and shoulders elevated, but only if there are no spinal diseases.

Folk remedies for treating “naphthyzine addiction”

It is impossible to remove dependence on Tizin or any other vasoconstrictor drug using only traditional methods.

They can only somewhat alleviate the patient’s condition and thereby soften the transition from daily use of drops to normal life.

From an aloe leaf that is older than 3–5 years, squeeze the juice and dilute it with twice as much water. The resulting composition is instilled 3-4 times a day, 4-5 drops.
Liquid natural honey is mixed with an equal volume of water and 4-5 drops are administered into the nose every 6-8 hours.

Treatment of addiction to nasal drops in a medical facility

If you are unable to wean yourself off the drops within 2–4 weeks, you should immediately contact an ENT specialist so as not to worsen the situation. Depending on the severity of the situation, the doctor may prescribe:

Local corticosteroids. These are drugs that have the opposite vasoconstrictor effect. These include Nasonex, Avamys, Flixonase, Beconase, etc. At the same time, the usual vasoconstrictors are usually continued for a while, but only strictly following the regimen individually drawn up by the doctor. Physiotherapeutic procedures. Used to improve blood circulation in the affected area of the mucous membrane. Most often, patients are prescribed electrophoresis, although many consider acupuncture to be an effective remedy against drug-induced rhinitis. Surgery (vasotomy). Surgery is the last resort on the path to free breathing. Depending on the situation, it can be carried out with a scalpel and involve removing part of the atrophied mucous membrane or using minimally invasive methods.
Which include:

laser vaporization
radiocoagulation
vacuum resection
ultrasonic disintegration

The latter methods are preferable, since the recovery period and its severity are much less than with traditional surgery.

Sometimes during the manipulation, septoplasty is performed simultaneously, that is, the nasal septum is straightened.

How to restore the mucous membrane after surgery?

The human body is designed in an amazing way, because it has the ability to self-heal. Therefore, after the operation, one week or another is sufficient. rinse the nasal cavity with saline solutions and remove dried crusts, after softening them with oil, for example, sea buckthorn or peach kernels.

But after some time, as in people who did not require surgical intervention to eliminate drug-induced rhinitis, the question arises of how to restore the mucous membrane. For this purpose, you can use oil-based products, in particular:

Pinosol;
Edas-131 Rinitol;
Thuja-GF;
Malavit-Rino;
Delufen;
Euphorbium compositum.

At the same time, we must not forget about natural pure oils. Thus, the sea buckthorn and peach kernels mentioned above will not only help postoperative wounds heal faster, but also stimulate the process of restoration of the mucous membrane.

What to do if your nose is used to drops during pregnancy

Pregnant women are not recommended to use vasoconstrictors. Nevertheless, a clogged nose poses a serious danger for them, or rather for the fetus. After all, this leads to a deficiency of oxygen in the blood and the development of hypoxia in the child, which is fraught with developmental disorders.

Therefore, during pregnancy the situation is ambiguous and requires mandatory intervention from a specialist.

If the addiction has just appeared, most likely, the otolaryngologist will advise getting rid of it by gradually or abruptly stopping the drops.

In more severe cases, it is possible that a decision will be made to continue taking the drug until delivery, but to use it or a similar one in a pediatric dosage. This is necessary to relieve congestion and ensure proper breathing for both mother and fetus.

Non-addictive nasal drops for congestion: list

Absolutely all vasoconstrictor drugs that directly relieve congestion are addictive.

Nevertheless, there are good remedies that help the body quickly cope with the infection, activating local immunity, or facilitating nasal breathing without affecting vascular tone. This:

Spray with interferon(Nazoferon, Ergoferon, Ingaron, Derinat, Grippferon) - helps strengthen local immunity and thereby leads to increased resistance to numerous viruses that provoke ARVI.
Pinosol - herbal remedy based on several essential oils that help relieve congestion. But it can only be used if there is no allergy to any of the components.
(saline solution, Aquamaris, Marimer, Humer, Physiomer, No-sol, Dolphin, etc.). They help clear the nasal passages of dry crusts, thin out thick snot, moisturize the mucous membranes and thereby make breathing easier.

Thus, there are ways to alleviate the condition of a runny nose without getting used to vasoconstrictors. But their complete safety is compensated by the lower severity of the effect produced, so many neglect them and give preference to popular vasoconstrictor drops, risking becoming their hostage.

February 13, 2017

Many people use intranasal vasoconstrictor drugs without following the treatment period indicated in the instructions. As a result, they may develop dependence on nasal drops, which not only provokes swelling of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, but also does not allow them to recover from rhinitis for a long time. Why can the composition of vasoconstrictor drugs (decongestants) cause this phenomenon? How to deal with addiction?

Swelling of the nasal passages with a runny nose or sinusitis appears as a result of an inflammatory reaction. As soon as any pathological process occurs inside the nasopharynx, the body rushes to solve this problem with the help of increased blood circulation at the site of the lesion. Thus, the blood vessels increase in diameter and nasal congestion occurs.

Decongents help very quickly; they constrict blood vessels within a few minutes, which relieves swelling. The patient can breathe freely again during the period of action of the specific active ingredient (from 4 to 12 hours). Dependence on vasoconstrictor nasal drops is a consequence of exceeding the period of their use.

What is tachyphylaxis? This is a decrease in the body's response to repeated doses of the drug. That is, if tachyphylaxis does not occur with proper use of the medicine, then after prolonged instillation into the nose, the blood vessels stop responding to its medicinal effect. In addition, addiction leads to the fact that the active component has to be dripped much more often and at the same time increasing the dosage in order to feel the therapeutic effect.

The following intranasal drugs can cause addiction:

Naphthyzin;
For nose;
Rinazine;
Nazivin;
Naphazoline;
Knoxprey;
Galazolin et al.

It is important to note that the list of active substances that are part of decongents is not so large. The main vasoconstrictor components are oxymetazoline, xylometazoline, naphazoline and phenylephrine. They are aimed at stimulating the vascular walls, reducing overall blood flow and increasing venous return. This effect relieves swelling of the nose.

Dependence on vasoconstrictor drugs

The instructions for all decongestants indicate that the course of treatment with them should be no more than 3-5 days. There is also information about what side effects are caused by active vasoconstrictors. They increase pressure in blood vessels and dry out mucous membranes. Based on these data, it is possible to understand exactly how addiction occurs in patients and what the consequences will be.

Addiction to the drug occurs due to the acceleration of the process of removing the drug from the body, entering the mucous membrane and into the systemic bloodstream. This happens when the activity of liver enzymes increases or the sensitivity of the receptors and mediator norepinephrine decreases after the depletion of their reserves synthesized in the adrenal glands.
Drug addiction appears when a substance interferes with the body's metabolic processes. Vasoconstrictors help to increase the dryness of the mucous epithelium, causing a “boomerang” effect. Since the lining of the nasal cavity must be moist, parasympathetic nerve fibers begin to carry out a compensatory function. As a result of this, the vessels dilate again to restore nutrition to the mucous membrane and the swelling increases.
There is an opinion that decongents disrupt tissue trophism and reduce blood flow to them with prolonged vasoconstrictor action. This promotes cell death and rejection, leading to nasal congestion.

If, after instilling decongestant solutions, the patient ceases to feel the positive drug effect, then they say that he is addicted to nasal drops. This addictive state does not go away on its own. He needs to be treated.

How do you know if you are addicted to drops?

Adrenergic agonists, that is, vasoconstrictor drops, are most used in the treatment of the common cold. They quickly relieve swelling, stop mucous-catarrhal discharge, and restore breathing through the nose.

But the main reason for the development of dependence on drops is not even in the pathogenesis of drugs, but in the attitude of patients towards them. The fact is that decongestants do not treat the root cause of rhinitis, but only temporarily eliminate its symptoms. Therefore, when a patient has a pathology that causes a runny nose or nasal congestion, and he tries to remove it with adrenergic agonists that relieve signs of the inflammatory process, the disease does not go away. You have to violate the instructions in the instructions and use the drops for longer than 3-5 days. This is how addiction or drug-induced rhinitis appears, manifested by the following symptoms:

Prolonged nasal congestion is not relieved by instillation of the drug, since the vessels cease to independently regulate the narrowing and expansion of the walls;
A burning sensation or itching of the mucous membrane appears due to a side effect of the drug - increased dryness of the epithelium;
The sense of smell is lost - completely or partially;
Nasal breathing becomes difficult, even if the main cause of the disease has already been eliminated (ARVI, sinusitis, sinusitis, polyps, etc.);
I am constantly bothered by clear discharge from the nose.

As soon as the first symptoms of drug-induced rhinitis appear, you should definitely stop using the adrenergic agonist and consult a doctor.

Indirect signs of the development of dependence on nasal drops include the patient’s automatic actions that he takes, violating the instructions in the instructions. First of all, the patient exceeds the dosage and reduces the interval between administration of the drug. Then he notices that even an increased amount of solution does not relieve congestion, but continues to use the product often and for longer than a week.

Typically, vasoconstrictor addicts are a bit like people who become addicted to drugs. They carry a bottle of drops with them everywhere, and as soon as they feel difficulty breathing, they immediately inject the solution without analyzing the interval between the previous instillation. If they suddenly experience congestion and the drug is not nearby by chance, this causes panic.

Complications of drug-induced rhinitis

It is very difficult to independently relieve dependence on decongestants, as well as on drugs. Therefore, many addicts use medications for years, causing the development of complications:

Regular swelling of the nasopharynx;
Constant dryness of the mucous membrane, causing tissue atrophy, including cartilage and bones;
Local hemorrhages;
The appearance of headaches;
Watery eyes, sneezing;
Itching in the nasal cavity, burning, tingling;
Loss of smell;
Nasal voice;
Snoring during sleep;
Sore throat due to inability to breathe through the nose;
Perforation of the nasal septum;
Mucosal hyperplasia.

In some complications, it is possible to restore the normal functionality of the ciliated epithelium with the help of medications. But in advanced cases, the problem can only be solved surgically. For example, this applies to septal perforation and tissue hyperplasia.

Addiction Treatment: Home Therapy

In the early stages of addiction to a certain vasoconstrictor, you can cope with the problem at home. This requires time (from 1 to 4 weeks) and a serious approach to therapy.

Here are a few rules that will help cure addiction and completely get rid of the symptoms of medicinal rhinitis:

Compliance with the regime. It is necessary to adhere to the specified interval between the administration of the drug and gradually increase it. It is recommended to dilute the drops with water to reduce the concentration of the active component. You can bury instillation in only one nostril at first, and after a long time in the second.
Increasing local immunity . You should walk in the fresh air more often; if this is not possible, regularly carry out wet cleaning and ventilation of the room. Eat fruits with vitamin C. Every day, warm your feet in hot baths with mustard or apply warming ointments (Doctor Mom, Zvezdochka).
Replacing medications with folk drops . Saline solutions are a good substitute; they can be used up to 5 times a day. Many patients use aloe juice in a 1:2 ratio with water. Place 4 drops in each nostril three times a day.

Treating addiction at home requires patience and endurance. Symptoms will not go away before a week of therapy. To make breathing easier at night, it is recommended to sleep on high pillows so as not to provoke even more nasal congestion. Swelling decreases if the person lies on his side. Then the nostril located at the top will breathe freely.

How to treat drug-induced rhinitis?

To gradually relieve symptoms of addiction, topical intranasal agents, oral tablets, and additional physical therapy may be prescribed. Common nasal drops are anti-inflammatory agents.

Fluticasone is a spray with a synthetic glucocorticoid injected twice a day. Trade names: Nazofan Teva, Flixotide nebuls. The drug is contraindicated during pregnancy and is not prescribed to patients with respiratory diseases caused by fungal or viral infection.

Budesonide - a spray with glucocorticosteroids is used in the same way as the previous option. Trade name: Tafen, Rhinocort. The treatment period is quite long, it is injected into the nose for at least a week, then the doctor adjusts the course according to the condition of the patient’s mucous membrane. Contraindications are the same as for Fluticasone.

It must be borne in mind that nasal steroids have side effects. In addition to local changes (bitterness in the mouth, bleeding), systemic disorders of the central nervous system (anxiety, depression, aggression) may occur.

Sinupret is prescribed for oral administration. This is a herbal preparation that helps relieve inflammation in the respiratory tract, improve mucus drainage, and reduce swelling. Taken in drops or tablets. Children under 6 years old - 15 drops, patients under 14 years of age - 25 drops. Adults are prescribed 2 tablets three times a day. Side effects include gastrointestinal reactions - vomiting, nausea, heartburn.

Dependence on nasal drops can be treated with ozone therapy, ultraviolet irradiation, electrophoresis, tube quartzing, herbal medicine, laser therapy, mineral therapy, etc.

When is surgery required?

With the development of serious complications of dependence on vasoconstrictor drops, surgical procedures are resorted to.

Laser vaporization;

Treats hyperplasia of the mucous membrane by evaporating the liquid. This is a painless and bloodless operation that affects only the affected area of tissue and restores nasal breathing, relieving swelling. The patient does not require hospitalization and suffers minimal thermal damage. After surgery, there is a low risk of severe scarring and bleeding.

Radiocoagulation;

Helps with recurrent bleeding if drug-induced rhinitis has caused atrophy of the epithelium and decreased tone of blood vessels. Radio wave surgery stops the process of rupture of vascular walls and prevents recurrent hemorrhages. Coagulation allows you to seal both capillaries and veins. For arterial bleeding, fulguration is used, which creates a plasma beam and a pinpoint burn at the site of the rupture.

Vacuum resection;

Peels off the mucous membrane, restoring nasal breathing blocked by swelling. The operation is carried out using a device with tubes that are connected to a pump that creates a vacuum. First, an incision is made on the mucosa with a scalpel, then a tube with a sharp tip is inserted into the submucosal layer. The instrument cuts off excess tissue, and the pump pulls it out of the nasal cavity.

Ultrasonic disintegration;

Hypertrophied tissues are treated with an ultrasonic waveguide, after which the atrophied vessels are empty and the membrane is reduced in volume. In this place, new vessels with normal tone appear. This eliminates swelling and restores breathing.