A double edged sword to clear your nose (Vicks Sinex Nasal Spray)

Member Name: cabletow

Product:	Vicks Sinex Nasal Spray
Date:	03/01/02 (594 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: clear nose, clear head, sound sleep

Disadvantages: rebound congestion

Vicks was originally a trusted company dealing with common cold symptomatic relief. Their best-known product is Vapo-rub, a greasy ointment that contains oils of menthol and eucalyptus that gave off a characteristic smell. That smell penetrated even stuffed up noses and gave the impression of clearing the nose, as these smells were often the first smells smelt by that nostril for days. Get the clue here, the product was one that sold a smell.

Sinex is different. It is a decongestant. This means it decongests the nose, it clears a blocked nose. It does this by means of its active ingredient Oxymetazolone hydrochloride. This is a long acting ephedrine compound. This works by constricting the blood vessels in the mucous membranes of the nose, therefore, the volume of the mucous membranes is reduced so the hole that these membranes line enlarges. In this respect you get more air up your nose and you can breathe freer. Does Sinex do this? Oh yes and what a relief. Everyone who has had a cold knows the misery that blocked noses and congested sinuses can bring. Everyone who uses Sinex knows the ultimate relief that it can bring, allowing sleep, relieving headaches, and allowing taste and smell to return.

At around 2 pounds this may seem like money well spent.

Seem? Well yes. There is a dark side to the force that is Sinex. You see those little blood vessels that Sinex constricts start to dilate after the Sinex wears off. Not only do they dilate to their original size, but also as they have been constricted and the membrane that they supply has had a relative reduction in its blood supply, so they compensate by dilating to a larger diameter that they started from. What happens then is there is rebound congestion. The volume of the mucous membrane increases and the hole you breathe through is even further reduced. The nose is blocked more. Oh no. But wait I got tremendous relief when I used Sinex eight hours ago, I will use it again, ahh yes ohh th
at is better. Another eight hours passes and the cycle begins again. Believe it or not there are unfortunate individuals out there that are addicted to Sinex. I know people who have to but 3 Sinex a week. The only cure is Cold Turkey. Every year at common cold time and in hay fever season Vicks recruits several thousand Sinex junkies a year. I told you there was a dark side to that seemingly benign caring company that we have all grown up with.

So does Sinex have a role? Well yes I believe it does. It is effective, it works quickly, less than ten minutes usually, and it is cheap. It relieves much misery from colds and can allow people to continue working and sleeping as close to normal as they can with a cold.

I recommend people do use it with blocked noses and sinusitis. I warn people of its dark side though. I suggest people only use it for two or three days at most, and only use it at night. I suggest people use it in conjunction with other medicines such as paracetamol, but never to combine it with other topical decongestants such as Otrivine. I also recommend people use it with vaporub so that it is easier to wean off it. But if people are prone to hay fever or more than ten colds a year, I suggest you keep well clear of Sinex.

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