Sudafed Nasal Spray is an addictive DRUG!!! (Park Davis Sudafed nasal spray)

Member Name: Hanzy123

Product:	Park Davis Sudafed nasal spray
Date:	29/06/09 (127 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It does what it is supposed to

Disadvantages: It is very easy to get addicted to and then this can lead to major health problems

I had quite a bad experience with this and I shall tell you about it to try to stop the same thing happening to other people.

I had a cold (as you do), and my nose was all blocked up so I used the Vicks stuff for a while but it stopped working really, so I moved on to this Sudafed one. It was brilliant at unblocking my nose and I continued to use it throughout my cold. Now, on the back of the box in small print it says "Do not use for longer than 7 days", it does not tell you why you should follow this piece of advice though. Well, my cold lasted longer than a week, so I continued to use it. When it got to 2 months later and I hadn't stopped using it, I wondered what was going on but didn't really take any notice. At that time I was perhaps using one spray a day.

Three years later and I was still using it, I had got a tolerance to it so I was using it up to 10 times a day. Without it I couldn't breathe, I felt like I needed it to live. I had got a physical dependence to it, I was addicted.

I was buying a new bottle every week and a half from Boots at £2.59 a bottle and as I was only 16/17 at the time, it was leaving me quite pennyless as I was trying to lead a normal life as well.

In October 2008, I was researching to see if anyone else had the same problem, to my amazement, there were many people who had the same problem, which I found out was called Rhinitis Medicamentosa and that the addiction people felt to nasal spray was as strong as an addiction to heroin. I read of horror stories where people had lost the middle of their nose, or had to have their nostrils cauterised because they had blocked so severely. Some of these people had only been using it for 10 months, I was at 3 years and it really really scared me that I may have damaged myself permanently. I also found out that it contained carcinogens (can cause cancer) so I was petrified I had some form of lung or throat cancer. This is when I decided to try to get off it as it were.

I had read about a technique that had worked for quite a few people and involved weaning yourself off it one nostril at a time. This is what I tried. It was like living hell and I couldn't sleep properly for about a week because of it, yet I managed it. I've now not been using it for 8 months and I am so proud of myself for finally kicking the habit.

This is a word of warning for everybody buying over the counter decongestant nasal spray. I know most people will not go through what I went through, but now you know what that little statement on the back of the box and bottle is for. I am disgusted they sell such an addictive drug as an OTC medicine. I think it should be prescribed. Yes this product does what it says on the bottle and it does it very well but I would not recommend it to anyone.

If you want a decongestant, use Olbas, it is natural and much safer.

Summary: If you are going to us it, only use for a few days at a time, do not let yourself get addicted to it