2023-06-29 16:29:14
Never leave the house without a bottle of nasal spray. A small puff every few hours. And completely panic if you can’t find the stuff. Does this sound familiar? Then you are probably addicted…
Is all nasal spray addictive?
Luckily not. You really don’t have to kick the habit from a nasal spray with saline. But do you choose the variant with xylometazoline? Then it’s a whole different story. You can use this substance up to three times a day, seven days in a row. Will you continue afterwards? Then you run the risk of not being able to do without it.
And you are not alone…
So a nasal spray addiction occurs. And maybe more often than you think. It is difficult to measure how many Dutch people can no longer do without nasal spray. According to ENT doctors, estimates range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people.
How does such a nasal spray addiction arise?
‘Xylometazoline resembles adrenaline’, explains ENT specialist Jeroen Jansen of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC). ‘It causes vasoconstriction in the nose, which opens up as a result. Normal regulation is disrupted.’ As soon as the xylometazoline has worn off, the blood vessels widen again and the nasal mucosa swells even more. This will make you use more of it. And after a while you can’t do without it anymore.’
The symptoms of a nasal spray addiction
According to the doctor, it is normal that breathing through the nose takes a little effort. This is good for warming and moistening the air you breathe. “But with chronic xylometazoline use, two things happen: you get used to having a very open nose. And you constantly have a stuffy nose when you stop using the substance.’
Is it dangerous?
When you read some sites, you think: yes! You would be risking surgery as a result of a nasal spray addiction. There could even be a hole in the septum of your nose. Jansen puts us somewhat at ease. “You never risk surgery from taking xylometazoline. A hole in the septum is also very rare, unlike with cocaine use and some autoimmune diseases.’
According to Jansen, there is no real danger with an addiction. ‘But having nasal complaints all the time is of course not desirable.’
Help, I want to kick the habit!
If you have nevertheless become dependent on xylometazoline, Jansens advises: gradually reduce the dose or replace your familiar nasal spray with one containing physiological saline. The latter spray does not cause nasal complaints with longer use. ‘You can also use the much lower children’s dose of xylometazoline when tapering off. Or just spray into one nostril at a time.’
Do you have chronic nose complaints due to, for example, hay fever or another allergy? Then Jansen recommends a nasal spray with a corticosteroid. Your doctor can prescribe this.
Free sale
In the Netherlands you can buy a new bottle at the drugstore every day. In many other countries, nasal sprays containing xylometazoline are not available over the counter. Should we also ban free sales? If it’s up to ENT doctor Jansen, not. ‘In case of a cold, it is a fantastic medicine against a completely blocked nose. I don’t think it’s necessary to ban free sales.’
He believes it is important that people are well informed. ‘In case of a stuffy nose, try spray with physiological saline first. Does that not work enough? Then use short-term xylometazoline.’
Be nice to your nose
Do you want to be nice to your nose? In that case, never use a spray with xylometazoline for longer than seven days in a row and a maximum of three times a day. As you can also read on the box.
Also interesting: does steaming help with a cold? And can you have a cold in one nostril?
#nasal #spray #addictive