Those who use nasal decongestant sprays such as Otrivine and Iliadin for a long time are exposed to miraculous effects at first, but gradually become unable to breathe without these sprays. ENT specialist Dr. Atilla Şengör said, “Such nasal sprays, which have a similar mechanism to the adrenaline hormone, may damage the cartilage tissue over time, and even the circulatory system may be affected by this.” says. Stating that nasal opening sprays should only be used for short periods under the supervision of a doctor, Dr. Şengör answered the most frequently asked questions on this subject.
How does Otrivine nasal spray addiction occur?
Not everyone becomes addicted to nasal spray. Patients who somehow have problems with their nose and sinuses are more prone to nasal spray addiction. When a person with nasal congestion uses a nasal decongestant, he sees that his nose is opened and he can breathe easily. For a person whose nose is constantly blocked, this situation is almost like a miracle. The sudden opening of the breath is due to the contraction of the conchae with the effect of the spray. If the nasal opening spray is continued to be used, the swelling-stroke cycle of the nasal conchas will be disrupted over time and this person’s nose becomes impossible to open without spraying.
Since breathing is the most important requirement for life, it can be said that nasal spray addiction can compete with other substance addictions. There are patients who use the nasal spray up to 10 times a day, or even finish it all in 1-2 days, and use it for years. As the frequency and amount of spray use increases, it also invites various health problems.
What are the harms/side effects of Otrivine nasal spray addiction?
The effect of nasal sprays mimics the hormone adrenaline; When we get angry, our nose opens, our mouths dry, our pupils dilate, our face turns white. The circulation of the body is directed to the heart and the muscles, that is, the superficial blood circulation is reduced; The harmful effect of the nasal spray in the nose depends on this. You should consider the mucous membrane covering the concha and the entire inside of the nose as an important organ.
The more frequently the spray is used, the more the circulation of this mucous membrane will be impaired, and therefore important functions such as filtering, cleaning, humidifying and warming the air taken from the nose will be disrupted. If the blood supply to the mucosa deteriorates excessively over time, the underlying cartilage tissue may also be affected and damage and perforations may occur in the septum (nasal support cartilage). On the other hand, there are concerns that the use of high amounts of decongestants may lead to diseases such as hypertension through absorption through the mucous membranes.
What happens if Otrivin nasal spray addiction is left untreated?
Nasal congestion itself, which has resulted in nasal spray addiction, is both a fundamental and an important problem. Nasal congestion adversely affects the quality of life; It can cause sleep problems, restlessness, fatigue, low energy and distraction. It also exacerbates throat problems such as dry throat, pharyngitis and lower respiratory tract problems. Sometimes it is also associated with postnasal drip, sinusitis and chronic tickling cough. Nasal congestion and spray addiction must be treated together. If these are not corrected, if the patient’s nasal spray addiction continues, the functioning of the nose and the circulatory system of the body may be adversely affected by the nasal spray, as well as the general body health due to nasal congestion.
How is Otrivine nasal spray addiction treated?
Nasal spray addicts should accept it as a disease and seek help to treat it. It will bring water to their hearts to learn that treatment is often possible with this awareness. The fact that a patient whose breath is easily relieved with a spray leaves this easy path and follows the physician’s recommendations by choosing the difficult path is also directly related to the successful communication established between the patient and the physician. Along with supportive treatment aimed at improving the functioning of the nose, the patient should also make an effort to reduce the use of sprays. To facilitate this, some pills that mimic the effect of nasal spray can be used. If the reason for the spray addiction is the enlargement of the nasal flesh, the patient often recovers with this “cessation therapy”. Despite all these, if the patient cannot give up the spray, nasal concha reduction operation can be performed. When the concha reduction operation is performed with endoscopic laser technique under short-term general anesthesia, the result is quite successful and usually does not recur. As in every field of medicine, it is essential to find all the causes of nasal congestion and spray addiction and treat them simultaneously. With this holistic approach, our patients will be able to get rid of their nasal spray addiction permanently, with treatments applied to all anatomical differences such as smoking, allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, deviation and concha bullosa that accompany the growth of the nasal concha.
