Unblock That Snot! (Park Davis Sudafed nasal spray)

Member Name: memphisto_chick

Product:	Park Davis Sudafed nasal spray
Date:	03/02/08 (881 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast acting relief, long lasting effect, cheaper than Sinex!

Disadvantages: Won't cure you but it will help

It is the season for coughs, colds and general sniffles and with those, many of us gets a blocked nose, which may or may not be sinusitis. For me, a blocked nose is probably THE worst symptoms of a cold and I hate it, which is why I have always used Sinex in the past.

During my last cold, Sinex disappeared off the shelves and I was greatly distressed by this. However, in Tesco, for £2.48, they had Sudafed spray. I wasn't sure but then realised Sudafed made decongestant tablets, which were always good, so why not give it a try.

The packaging is a simple white and green box, not overly appealing but when you have a cold, nothing does. Inside there is a 15ml brown bottle with a white pump and long white nozzle for popping up your nose. The nozzle has a clear cap covering it for hygiene purposes, so if you do perchance to carry this in your bag, there are no worries about bits getting into the spray. A satisfying click also ensures you have the cap on securely.

The active ingredient in Sudafed nasal spray is Xylometazoline with a concentration on 0.1%. I have never heard of this ingredient and it added to my little niggle of doubt about the effectiveness of the spray, which I had somehow made up in my mind, though I found this on the internet about Xylometazoline:


'Xylometazoline works by acting on alpha receptors found in the walls of blood vessels in the lining of the nasal passages. It causes the blood vessels in the nasal lining to narrow, restricting the amount of blood that passes through these blood vessels. This in turn decreases the amount of fluid pushed out of the blood vessels into the nose. This reduces the production of mucus and feeling of congestion in the nose.'


During my colds, I really do suffer from a bunged up nose, blowing my nose, sniffing, never helps, so once I had got into the car, I decided to try this as I felt I was almost suffocating from my blocked nose and I had a horrible ache in my sinuses.

It is worth noting that Sudafed nasal spray is not suitable for children under 12 years and the instructions on the bottle make this clear. Also, it advises not using this spray if you are pregnant or breast feeding.

The instructions for use are:

Remove plastic cap, insert nozzle into nostril and depress pump by placing fingers on the flat surfaces either side of the nozzle. At the same time breathe in deeply. Repeat for other nostril.

1 Spray into each nostril 2 or 3 times a day and do not use more than 3 doses in 24 hours

I followed these instructions to the tee and sprayed the spray up my nose.

The spray felt slightly tingly when it was sprayed up my nose but this wasn't an unpleasant feeling and I was also surprised that, unlike Sinex, this spray did not smell of menthol or other decongestant ingredient and again, I was somewhat dubious as to the effectiveness of the spray. Also worth nothing that as the spray was so fine, I didn't have any of the spray dripping down the back of my throat, which is really unpleasant if you have ever experienced it. I also found that spray did not drip back down my nose, although I did dab my nose, there wasn't any amount of dripping from my nostrils!

So, I set off home, about a 20 minute journey, hoping that my nose would clear and I may begin to feel slightly normal once again.

About 10 minutes later, I could really begin to feel the difference and one nostril was completely clear and the other was pretty unblocked too.

Upon reaching home, I was breathing normally with no trace of a blocked nose whatsoever. Although I was pleased, I wondered how long it would last. However, I needn't have been worried, I used this spray at 10am, and I didn't even need to think about using it again until about 6pm in the evening and even then, it wasn't as bad as it had been, I just noticed I was beginning to sniff a bit more.

So, I was pleased with the daytime result of Sudafed spray, but would it stand up to the test of a blocked nose in the night?

I normally am one to use Night Nurse at night, because it does work for me as a decongestant and of course it has a slightly sedative effective, it helps me get a good nights sleep. I decided to refrain from Night Nurse in order to get a genuine effect from the Sudafed spray.

Off I trotted to bed at 10pm, feeling thoroughly miserable and sorry for myself. I decided to take 2 sprays of the nasal spray to last me through the night. Within minutes I was sleeping and didn't wake until 7am.

Sniffing the air when I woke up, I did have a fairly clear nose, I did, admittedly have a little bit of blockage, but nothing on the scale of being completely bunged up as I had been.

I continued to use Sudafed over the next few days of my cold and I really only needed to use 1 spray up each nostril 3 times a day, morning, early evening and night. I found that at night, 1 spray worked just as well as 2 sprays.

The only snag I did find with this was that I think I did actually have sinusitis and it didn't get rid of the sinus pain on it's own, I did need to use the tablets too and then a visit to the GP for antibiotics, so although it did unblock my nose, it didn't treat any of the causes of my cold/sinusitis, but then, it never promised to, so maybe I was being a bit optimistic with hoping that this would happen.

I recommended Sudafed nasal spray to a university friend and they thought it was the best spray they had ever used.

When my husband also had a nasty cold, he used this; he's not one to use anything for a cold, so I knew it must have been quite bad for him to use it. He thought it was great and he actually needed it less than me, he sprayed it before work (2 sprays in each nostril) and just before he went to bed and he didn't have any blocked nostrils for a whole day at a time.

Despite the two of us using the bottle quite frequently over the period we had our colds, we used the spray a lot but we still have over half a bottle left now and we recommend it to anyone who has a cold.

My only, slight and admittedly, it is very slight, drawback, is that if, you are unfortunate enough to sniff or breathe in a little too heavily, you may find some of the spray, going to the back of your throat. This leaves you with a nasty taste in your mouth, so, if this does happen, make sure you get a glass of water into your mouth to get rid of the taste. This has happend to me and although it is a horrible taste, there is no burning or horrible sensations to go with it, which I did encounter with Sinex.

In my opinion, Sudafed Decongestant Nasal Spray is THE best decongestant product I have used and I have no hesitation in recommending it on Ciao. I think it offers exceptional value for money and even more so I have seen it in my local chemist for £1.50 on a special offer. I would also want to have one of the sprays in my medicine cabinet. I have completely converted to Sudafed from my normal Sinex and I won't go back to using Sinex at all.

Definitely one to keep in the house over this season of colds.

Thanks for reading.


Boring But Essential Info:

Manufacturer: Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

Avoid prolonged use.

The effect of this medicine will decrease if used repeatedly over a period of time. In addition, nasal congestion may come back (rebound congestion) after stopping treatment if the medicine is used for too long. It is recommended that you don't use the spray for more than seven days in a row.

Use with caution if you have:

Heart disease
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
Diabetes

Potential Side Effects:

Irritation of the tissues in the nose
Burning, stinging or dryness of nasal lining
Sneezing
Headache
Nausea

Prices:
Tesco: £2.48
Wilkinsons: £2.48
Local Chemist £1.50

*~*Please note: This review was originally posted by me on Ciao on 31st Jan 2008*~*

Summary: A Sinex alternative at a cheaper price and more effective to boot.