Combining Sudafed and Afrin

[Upwelling]

My doctor said not to use Afrin spray for more than a couple of days because it can be addictive. But is it considered addictive or unsafe to use sudafed pills for two or three days and then Afrin for a day or two after that? Is sudafed addictive also?

 

[Stone]

I'm not a doctor.

My (30 year?) experience with Afrin is the following:

Nasal congestion is relieved very quickly; however, if Afrin is used for several days, mucus membranes can swell, which makes the user want to continue to use the product even though the underlying cause of the symptoms (a cold) has been resolved.

I use Afrin and Sudafed as required (at the same time), but never while diving.

 

[Norda]

I will occasionally mix them. If I know we are going to be diving for several days I will take sudafed a couple of days before the trip and use Afrin on diving days, but never more the two consecutive days. Oddly, it seems that an OTC antihistamine taken before going to bed works best unless I am having a bad sinus bout.

 

[BethanyW]

I'm not a doctor either, but my one experience with Afrin is that it worked for slightly less than 48 hours after the first dose. The first dose worked amazingly well.... by the end I barely cleared up for an hour or two. Unfortunate, as the whole point was to let me equalize easily on a plane flight...

Bethany W

 

[ssra30]

I generally don't use afrin or sudafed more than 3 days at a time. Both medication can cause significant raise in blood pressure so if you already have hypertension, be careful. With afrin, I think you can also get a rebound phenomena when you stop the medication. I think either medications are ok for a weekend trip but I definitely would not use combination of the two. For a longer trip, if I need to use something, the long acting non drowsy antihistamine such as claritin, zyrtec, allegra type medicaiton would be safer (well, as long as you don't fall asleep underwater). Sudafed and I believe, afrin as well, may also cause reverse block when you ascend if the medication starts to wear off underwater.

 

[HarleyDiver]

Afrin is VERY addictive....

After a while, the 12 hour spray only works a few hours & you feel like a heroin addict looking for that d@mn bottle.

:upset:

 

[the_kuang]

I'm surprised that Afrin didn't work for 48 hours for BethanyW. I love the stuff -- my nose opens up almost immediately after using it. my doctor said to not use it longer than three days at a time, with a week or so in between "sessions".

Everything Stone said is true.

 

[O-ring]

HarleyDiver once bubbled...
Afrin is VERY addictive....

After a while, the 12 hour spray only works a few hours & you feel like a heroin addict looking for that d@mn bottle.

:upset:

All OTC nasal sprays are nasty except the moisturizing ones that just have saline or whatever in them. I was addicted to them for roughly 10 years and what HarleyDiver says is totally true. It was a horrible addiction to break and it took me 2 prescriptions and 3 surgeries to kick the habit for good.

The main problem is rebound congestion and it gets to the point that your nose is absolutely shut...not a wisp of air can come through either nostril (granted I had other problems too - enlarged turbinates and a badly deviated septum) without the spray. I had at least 3-5 of them at a time...one in my briefcase, one in my glovebox, one on my person, one at home, etc. etc. IMHO, they are evil and I would never start using them, but I suppose using them as indicated wouldn't be toooo bad.

However, the problem is it wearing off at depth and you having problems clearing your ears on the way back up (reverse squeeze). Just be careful if you decide to use them...

 

[Wendy]

You may want to check into the effects of using Sudafed and Afrin and using nitrox or higher O2 mixes. The last person I knew that did is now dead. Not sure if that caused his seizures, but it would be something to maybe check into. I believe that DAN has some reports on the subject, or maybe one of the docs here will know.

 

[PaulB]

I never use Afrin for the reasons stated my the other memebers. I don't need to become addicted to something. Sudafed works great for me and it's not addictive..well for me, I don't know about others. I rarely get a stuffy or runny nose, but when I do, Sudafed clears it up with no problem. I've never even needed to consider that legal liquid heroin. ut: