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Constant Blocked Nose!

Clean_Cut

Clean_Cut

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 23, 2009
Messages
657
It feels like my nose has been blocked for at least a year. Its not always 100% blocked, but I definetly have to blow my nose every day and never have a full day where I can just freely breathe.

Ive been to the doctor (fucking waste of time) and all she did was prescribe me demazin (psuedo ephidrine and antihistamine combo)..which did fuck all except make me drowsy. Despite this drug not working, I agree with the doctor that it is probably allergy related..although Im not sneezing..just have a blocked nose!

Does anyone have any advice or tips for me? Im really not interested in anything that provides temporary relief..im more interested in looking to do something that can get rid of this problem which is plaguing my life!!!


Thanks guys!
 
Well the first thing you could do is try one of those non-sedating anti-histamine + nasal decongestant combos. While I haven't tried Demazin like you had, I have had Claritin-D and Zyrtec-D and they have worked significantly. This is coming from someone who has had allergies most of their life and could spend an hour in the restroom sneezing(not anymore tho).

There's some other meds you can do but blah blah its only temporary and I can't remember them anyway lol. But if that doesn't work you can go to an allergy specialist and get tested. From there on you and your doc can determine if you can get the weekly allergy shots. It'll be awhile for it to take effect but should help.

If neither of those work then shit IDK. I've had it pretty bad and that worked. And then eventually I grew out of it so maybe it'll eventually go away for you to.
 
+1 for nasal irrigation. You don't need to buy a special pot; a washing-up liquid bottle will do. To make it painless the water should be at body temperature and you add salt until it's about as saline as your tears.

I read somewhere that it's important to breath through your mouth as you're doing this to prevent water running into your ears - I don't know why this is undesirable or whether it's even true, but I'd sooner not run the risk.
 
have you tried an anti-inflammatory?

you should ask your doc about a quick IM prednisone injection, this would give you a quick accurate answer, as to if if this is an inflammatory problem; it isnt anything drastic at all to ask to have this done.
go in when its at its worst.

i took the stuff for poison ivy/oak all through my child hood, and into my early 30's.
its pretty much harmless stuff.
 
Hi. I've had this trouble for as long as i can remember; i always have at least 1 of my nostrils blocked. Right now the left is totally bunged-up & the right totally clear.

I find some exercise seems to 'dilate' my passages. Apparently some nasal spray with oxymetazoline, i believe, is very effective but very addictive suprisingly.

Also as sombody mentioned above those 'neti' pot things are supposed to be very good. I cant confirm this however. Good luck.
 
You may have sinusitis (the same as rhinitsis mentioned by the poster above), which I also suffer from. I have a steroid spray which helps, but ultimately surgery may be my best hope of clearing my nasal passage.
 
Use saline nasal spray. I've found that using that and taking Claratin or some type of allergy pill can help. See a doctor if you want to.
 
vitamin c three times daily at least 500mg, for a foundation.
if possible, get yourself tested for food allergies.

or pay attention to what you eat, to perhaps self-diagnose.. though less expensive, perhaps.. more difficult... but still sometimes the only way. tests don't always catch everything. perhaps if you are suspicious of one type of food don't eat that for a day or two and see if symptoms improve... or just cycle through things. maybe for two days eat a very simple non-allergenic diet. beans, hemp seed... meat (unless you're allergic to that, of course) with no seasoning.. no cheese/milk, no wheat.. for some example. then slowly add different foods. get back to the basics, and start again, consciously.

i'm not sure if that will help, but it might. .. and might save you and your body from having to take multiple medicines to combat symptoms in the long run.

personally, i suffered chronic ear infections and rhinitus symptoms my entire life until i made the connection suddenly that i was suffering from a milk allergy. after stopping intake of that, so many things improved. that was just the first step, though... but a big one, for me.

try ceasing use of any nsaid anti-inflammatory as well to see if symptoms improve, as some can have a reaction to these that can cause, among other things, a blocked-feeling in the nose.
 
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Ugh! Can't STAND nasal congestion!

Sounds like you definitely have some allergies to address. Is it worse in the mornings when you wake up? If so, it could be your bedding. Allergy covers are great for peeps who are allergic to dust mites.

In any case, try to keep track of when symptoms are better or worse to determine the cause. Natural decongestants like cayenne pepper and other hot/spicy foods are great and work almost instantly. I always use nasal decongestant sprays like Afrin, even though they're not great for you in the long run. Neti pots are another option, as are oral decongestants like pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. Breathing steam and menthol-containing substances like peppermint are helpful too.

Antihistamines don't do sh-t for my congestion and make me tired and depressed. Constant congestion is not normal and should be addressed by a doctor. If your doc isn't giving satisfactory suggestions, it may be time to seek another.
 
I'm interested in this thread because my boyfriend suffers from the same thing. He's tried sinus rinses & antihistamine sprays and medicines, decongestants....been to the doctor many times. I think i'll get him to take a look at some of the suggestions on here.

Um, has anyone tried 'colloidal silver' ?? I was looking online and it says something about spraying it in your nose. I wonder if this really works?
 
Some people with recurrent sinus problems end up getting surgery to alter the shape or size of their cavities for better drainage. Hopefully other stuff proves useful before it ever gets that bad. Also once in a while someone's household has something that is bothering a person and on removal they get much better. Something moldy or cleaning chemicals they can't tolerate would be two examples.

In my area there are two clinics that specialize in sinus problems and do nothing else. Since sinus problems are very common it is very possible to just get antibiotics and flonase-like products many times without getting any referral to someone who might be able to treat the underlying condition. If you keep getting treatment and instructions for acute sinusitis at your general practitioner's office you might need to self-advocate for the situation to be treated as a chronic problem or to get a referral to a specialist.
 
I was recently looking up info about Sinusitis because mine have been playing up again.

I found out that it could be because of wheat intolerance! Does anyone here know anyone who has to live on gluten free diet? That sounds like hell to me. I hope to god I don't need to take it that far.

But so far I've been prescribed with the heavy-duty type nasal spray which didn't do anything. So I'm feeling a little depressed about the whole thing...
 
Enki said:
Nasal Saline Irrigation and Neti Pots seem to really help some people.
Click to expand...

+1 for neti pots. I had extensive allergy problems when I was younger, and combined with pseudoephedrine and NDAIDs really helped with the chronic sinus infections and congestion.

Stay away from the oxymetazoline-based nasal sprays as well (Afrin and other brands) as they will result in chronic rebound congestion if used for more than a couple of days.
 
I was having issues recently, although my allergies seem to go into stealth mode... I don't sneeze, have a runny nose much, etc... I get pain. It can even feel like a toothache. Perhaps inflamed tissue around nerves connecting to teeth?

Yesterday I tried enzymes for allergies (Allerase by Enzymedica, in this case), and experienced relief more than I have in some time.

Claritin for me make me very drowsy. I still don't remember it working as well as this... but as we say, your mileage may vary.
 
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I also have the same problem. I'm 49 and struggling with congested nose, for over 4 years. Mine gets stuffed up when I go to bed. One side - usually the lower one - gets blocked no matter what, the other side sometimes stay clear, on bad days gets stuffed up too, making it very hard to sleep. I often wake up early morning, try to clear at least one side, sometimes it works, sometimes not.
During the day it's not too bad.
I am also exhausted and cranky from lack of sleep.

For me it started about 4 years ago. I used to live in a very hot and humid climate. Just like most of you I have seen countless of doctors and tried everything, even had a turbinate reduction, which did not work.

The only thing which I found helpful is being away from the hot humid climate. When I was away, it got better. So eventually I moved permanently to a much drier climate.

The difference for me is that under the humid climate I had 100% blocked nose 24/7. Now I have stuffed nose during the nights, usually just one side and I got used to that. I noticed that the congestion comes back when the weather is more humid.

I think this is one of the worst condition anyone could have, I would much more prefer arthritis or back pain.

I have to agree with the previous posters that ENTs are useless, they have no idea. The last one I've seen was in a public hospital, he said that there is really nothing wrong with my nose, it's just the physiology of it and there is nothing he could do about it! No surgery would fix it.

I'm also looking for a fix, experimenting with lost of things. I'm trying now to make a cold air inhaler. (steam makes my nose congested too! )


I'm wondering if anybody here got a turbinate reduction?
Some ENT recons that inferior turbinate reduction can help. My surgery was for middle turb., but some doctors would be glad to reduce the inferior one too. But as the last ENT said, might not work either and there is a risk of ENS!
 
If you can rule out a deviated septum or reactivity to your environment, then you should do diet modification. Cut out dairy, wheat and refined sugar to start.
 
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