Sniff With Vicks (Vicks Vapor Inhaler)

Member Name: memphisto_chick

Product:	Vicks Vapor Inhaler
Date:	15/07/08 (206 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Cheerful, Effective On Minor Ills

Disadvantages: Can't Face Tough Colds, Won't Cure Your Snuffles

It's hay fever season again for me, living near lots of grassy areas and being a dog walker, I am quite affected by the grass pollen particularly.

It affects my nose primarily, blocking it up and making my nose feel a bit 'heavy' I normally reach for the Piriton but due to issues with my kidneys, my GP advised me to take it this year. Instead, he recommended, strangely I thought, a Vicks Vapour Inhaler.

Surely, this is only used when you have a cold? No, he said it was the best thing he had found and was a lot cheaper than a lot of alternatives, so off I went to my local pharmacy and bought one for the very respectable price of £1.99.

The inhaler was mounted on a cardboard backing but the main packaging is a simple, 2 and a half inch tube, which a screw cap, I am sure that most people are well aware what this product looks like though!

Coming to use the inhaler, I did pause to read the instructions this time, as it must have been a good 5 or 6 years since I last used one. The instructions are for adults and children over 6 years old, the inhaler isn't recommended for children under 6 however. Very simply, the instructions advise the user to stick the inhaler up their nose, close the other nostril with a finger and breathe in deeply. The inhaler claims it will make your breathing feel clear and cool.

The active ingredients in the inhaler are Siberian Pine Needle Oil, Camphor and Menthol, so expect this to be very fresh when using this inhaler.

So, following the instructions, I stuck this up my nose and inhaled.

Oh my word....I was completely blown away by the inhaler, it was much, much stronger than I had imagined it to be and I almost felt as if my nasal passages and eye were on fire. I cannot possibly describe this as a pleasant experience; certainly a stuffy nose was slightly more preferable to this initial feeling. However, I soon realised I was probably at fault with this feeling. I had stupidly used this whilst my nose was fairly clear, not fairly blocked and I am sure that this contributed to the horrible feeling!

Undeterred, I decided I would carry on using this but in the proper way, not just some made up way that I had decided to implement and suffer the consequences of.

Using this first thing in the morning before going out was an altogether a more pleasant experience. Following the same instructions, I managed to inhale the vapour without burning my nostrils and the result was very good. My nasal stuffiness cleared quite quickly and left quite a pleasant, cool feeling, as the blurb promised.

The effects last a good 2 or 3 hours before I felt I needed to use it again, which seemed to be the amount of time of relief that I got from this inhaler.

My one issue with this that I had on more than one occasion and I do feel it was caused by this. I felt as though the back of my throat was burning after inhaling, this feeling was quite unpleasant and when I stopped using this recently, that feeling went immediately.

That aside, it did work on my congestion and it gave me a nice, clean, cool feeling in my nasal passages but I don't feel it is the best product I could be using for hay fever, so I have now changed to Beconase. It is relatively short acting and because it is effectively a herbal product, it is likely to be suitable for most people.

I recently had a heavy cold whilst in Las Vegas, yes, a cold in the dessert, and I had taken this with me as part of my travel medicines and I have to admit it really didn't touch my blockages, though my companion had a slight cold and used their own with good effect.

I've had my one inhaler for about 3 months now and it is still quite 'smelly', the vapour hasn't died off yet and it is OK to use on minor sniffles but for anything tougher than that, I've move on to one of the more advanced nasal sprays such as Sinex.

That aside, it's great value and small enough to slip discreetly in the pocket or in a bag for use throughout the day.

I would recommend this as a product for very minor sniffs and snuffles.

Bless you for reading xx

Summary: Cheap and cheerful for minor colds and irritations