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Severe Otrivin Addiction
Imty






Posted: July 10, 2013, 8:59 PM
Hi guys! I've been hooked on otrivin for 2 years. I've been off it for about a week and the way I did it is by replacing it with a nasal spray called "xynosine". I'm not sure how easily available it is (sorry about that kicker,but good luck anyway). I've tried other sprays but none of them worked except xynosine. It opens you up as good as otrivin and if you don't use it when your nose is blocked all you get is a blocked nose, unlike otrivin which gives you an insane headache and ruins your mood. My wife did the same; went from otrivin to xynosine and quit xynosine in about 3 weeks. She's spray free for months now. I'm still on xynosine but I think it's much easier to get off of than otrivin. It's a much better alternative for sure. Good luck,guys. People don't understand how annoying and serious this weird addiction is.
alsoonotrivin






Posted: August 8, 2013, 2:30 AM
My 2 eurocents worth:

My nose passages are very narrow and I have been on and off, mostly on xylometazoline (the active ingredient in Otrivin) and, if not available, Oxymetazoline (Vicks Sinex) for more than 10 years.

I have found the following helps:

1. use the spray, not the drops
2. use the child spray (0.5mg) instead of the adult one (1.0mg)
3. wean yourself with baby nose spray (pure salt water)
4. use it only in one nostril to give the other one a rest.

Following the above I am now only using the actual stuff when I have a real cold. At the moment I just use the baby spray and only before I go to bed and if I wake up with a clogged nose.
R.J.






Posted: August 8, 2013, 4:18 AM

Hey Guys,, I am also suffering from this problem but try to not to use any kind of spray and recently I have started 10 min. yoga since last 6 days to get rid of this n feel better,,here is link,,,hope it will helpful...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgs4YosrVe4

Daz






Posted: August 11, 2013, 12:56 PM
You are meant to spray this up your nose? I've been squirting up my arse for the last 7 years!
marco






Posted: September 6, 2013, 4:20 AM
i have the same problem...any of you got even chronic halitosis.. i mean bad odors from the mouth its really killing me
Eric V.






Posted: September 8, 2013, 2:20 PM
I've got another solution for you. It's very difficult to find (I'm in Canada) but it's a great solution.

There is a company called Hydrosense that makes a completely natural decongestant. It's saline and eucalyptus. It comes in one of those pump bottles like some of the "snootier" (no pun intended) nose sprays come in. (Drixoral comes to mind.) The product you want is their "travel size". They also make one that is about the size of a small Thermos. That's a little too big to carry around with you. Haven't tried that one.

Since the product is pretty much all-natural you can take as much as you need whenever you need it. And since it has no adverse effects on your sinuses, they will heal from the Otrivan/Dristan usage at the same time.

One or two bottles of Hydrosense and you should be off the hook.

I've been tempted to go to a health food store and see if I can buy eucalyptus oil and just make my own in a reusable spray bottle. Probably tons cheaper.

P.S. I agree with the earlier poster on the Walmart nose spray advice. I can't always get the Hydrosense and when it's an emergency (allergies and cold at the same time, for example) I use the Walmart stuff (orange label) with no addictive effects.

P.P.S. Although I admit I was addicted to Dristan for over a decade, I will also voice my opinion that Otrivin (from my family experience) is much worse. I have a bottle on my desk of generic nose spray and only a few moments ago realized I'd purchased generic Otrivin instead of generic Dristan. The scene looked like me finding a cobra under my desk. lol.
Karthik






Posted: September 14, 2013, 1:33 AM
I did have to use Otrivin because of severe common cold.
The best thing to get rid of nasal congestion is a simple yogic practice called JALA NETHI .
And the next best thing is boosting immunity, Jala Nethi help me get rid of usage of medications and I never fell sick again,
I hope it will help you.
Jo






Posted: September 16, 2013, 6:31 AM
In the UK you can now get Otrivine Natural with eucalyptus...just saline and eucalyptus.... and I am off normal OTC nasal sprays in less than 24 hours, in fact more like 8 hours. I had bad sinus pain for about 5 hours and the ping my nose started to clear. I am already feeling less reliance on the Otrivine natural so I reckon in a day or so I will be off nasal spray completely
jack






Posted: September 16, 2013, 11:18 PM
hello guys

Please try classical yoga nasal cleansing routines I.e Neti ,,easy to learn once done ..will help you for life ..but it is good to learn from a teacher otherwise they look very hard .
FZS






Posted: October 4, 2013, 3:30 AM
Hello, i also suffered from this addiction for a long time and went to many doctors spent money but all invain the thing seemed to be untreatable. recently i went to a seasoned doctor and the results were that many of my problems arised from otrivin drug. he suggested that i stop it instantly and i did exactly the same. for three days my nose was fullly stuffed and painful but now i dont need it whilst i required to squirt it on hourly basis before.
i suggest that 3 days of pain is far more better than a long term dependancy.
Lynn






Posted: November 13, 2013, 8:29 PM
I have been addicted to Otrvine for almost 3 years now. I used the metred dose bottle and have to buy one a week. At £3.89 in Boots, it's becoming an expensive habit. I'm lucky in that I don't suffer from rebound effect, but at the same time being addicted is really pulling me down. I'm 22 and in my final year at university. I always have multiple bottles in my bag. I require a spray every 2-3 hours. I'm too embarrassed to do it in front of other people so I always have to make excuses to go to the bathroom etc. and at night is the absolute worst - I would give anything to go to my bed and be able to sleep for more than 3-4 hours at a time without waking up in a panic feeling like I'm being suffocated. I've been to the doctors and had multiple different sprays - none of which help. They all just tell me the best way is "to just stop" but it's not that easy. I'm so tired of all this. Can anyone help?
abigail






Posted: November 23, 2013, 2:38 PM
I started of using sudafed and my nose started to get worse i went to the doctors and the hospital to see what the problem was and then my doctor suggested that i use otrivine and i have been using nasal spray for about 4 years plus and if i dont use it i get angry, upset and i cant sleep, my partner and my parents want me to give it up, i also want to give it up but i dont no what the best way is, can someone please help me
Nat






Posted: December 2, 2013, 9:14 AM

Hello fellow otrivin users,

I have been using otriven for the last 8years due to a horrible flu and sadly i haven't been able to get off it. I tried going cold turkey, tried spraying in the one nostril and allowing the other to wean off but wasn't successful. This was particularly difficult when you have exams and assessment and now a hectic work life running meetings and putting reports and assessments together. You need a clear mind. i don't want to be congested during important meetings. So yes this has carried on.

i read a post somewhere and i'm trialling this as of today. I am using 9mls of Otrivin and 3mls FESS saline spay (which is a natural spray and safe). i will slowly wean myself off by reducing my next otrivin bottle, depending on how i go, so 7mls otrivin and 5mls saline and so on. So far i'm ok.

i will put up another post to let you all know how i go in a week or two.
Nat






Posted: December 7, 2013, 9:28 AM
Hi All,

Me again with an update. As noted in my previous post i've started weaning myself off Otrivin. It's going well. Just today i placed 8mls of Otrivin and 4mls FESS Saline in a reusable spray bottle. I'm traveling well with this reduction. My nose did block up at the begin of the trial with the 9Mls Otrivin and 3mls Saline. However, it settled down throughout the trial.

I hope to gradually reduce the amount of Otrivin and i did read a post on another site that particular person was successful with this similar trial. I'm excited to stop using Otrivin.
Majella






Posted: January 1, 2014, 12:51 PM
I'm addicted to Otrivine too. Anybody any experience of using the Rhinostat system to wean off Otrivine.

Majella
Majella






Posted: January 2, 2014, 1:52 PM
Hey Nat,

Just wondering how you got on with diluting Otrivin on a weekly basis and weaning off it? Were you successful? I'm considering using the Rhinostat system which basically weans in the same way but would like to try your method. How did you manage to dilute the Otrivin with saline and suck it back up into the bottle? Did you use a different bottle? Any help much appreciated.

Bit of background, am suffering with allergies (dust, pollen, alternaia,dog and cat) for 3 years since moving to the country. Tried antihistamines, sprays ect to no avail. Dr. actually prescribed Otrivin for my allergies and I can't now breath without it. Suffered anaphylaxis and adrenal failure in August from allegies and short course of steroids and Cushings Syndrome from the oral steroids I was given after the anaphylaxis, so I am still recovering. Have to see immunologist but need to kick Otrivin before considering immunotherapy. Tried Nasofan (got more congested and had nasal sores and nasal bleeding), Sudafed (ended up jittery, couldn't eat and completed congested after 10 days), cold turkey (more congested after 4 days) and cant take oral steroids. I also have GERD from the steroids I was given. Using nasal rinse helps but not a cure. Problem is that with this withdrawal congestion from Otrivin it feels like I'm having an allergic reaction (congestion is my trigger for allergy) and I don't know the difference. Nightmare. Any advice?

Majella
Dizer






Posted: March 25, 2014, 1:56 AM
Try Entex LA, pills at Cost-co. and stop otrivan cold turkey. . . nose will be clear in a day or so.


Posts: 1
Joined: July 14, 2014


Posted: July 14, 2014, 4:29 AM
Dear All,

I have been an otrivin addict for the last 10 years like others.I have tried the above technique and would require more suggestion to help me.I live in india on a coastal side where the humidity is quite high also the dust level.I try travelling my car mostly but still I have a complete blocked nose.

Please advise.

Regards,

nikhil
legless






Posted: July 24, 2014, 6:29 AM
I only used simple dilution to get off it after my pregnancy. I started with 80 otrivin and 20% ish salt water for 2 days then just kept on topping it up with salt water after use. Dont be discouraged if it does not work as fast as 100% otrivin. It might take a few more minutes but it will work.

It also helps to rinse your nose with warm salt water before spraying the diluted solution to initially open up your sinuses a bit. Or steam.

If I ever have to use the spray again, I never ever use 100% otrivin. I always use around 20-30% otrivin mixed with salt water. I could use that mixture for a week or 2 and never have a rebound.

Hope that helps.
charmy






Posted: August 11, 2014, 12:12 AM
Use of otrivin for a long period, is not addiction. The more one uses otrivin, the more they need it as it has a rebound effect on your nose which causes it to swell up and block your breadthing passage. Therefore you use it again and again to try to breadth. But if you've been using it for a very long period su h as 10 years( even lesser), it must have created polyps kind of things inside your nose which is blocking the area of breadthing. Therefore you need surgery.

Consult an understanding doctor. It's mostly surgery and it is NOT addiction. Nothing else will help you.
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