clearing up congestion

Melinoe

I am in the early stages of a head cold and have incredibly blocked up congestion, to the point where I can't really blow my nose. It makes it impossible to sleep, I have gotten about 4 hours of sleep tonight, most of it interrupted by waking up a it to try and blow my nose. Usually I can just sniffle in my sleep and deal with everything being in my chest in the morning but that is not so this time. I can't remember the last time I had a cold that made it this hard for me to sleep.

I got up just now and inhaled steam off of a boiling pot of water, I am drinking water and I have vitamin c supplements, how else van I make myself less congested, preferably at night so I can sleep? I don't really have money to spend on fancy nasal cleaners so free would be better, unless there is something that's worked flawlessly for everyone.

Sorry if this is somewhat difficult to understand, like I said I'm running off of 4 hours of poor sleep.

Ego

A netti pot sounds ridiculous but I've found they work wonders for me. Might want to have a look-see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

bowen

Have you tried a nasal decongestant like sudafed?

Usagi

Pseudoephedrine decongestant, Mucinex, neti pot/saline nasal spray, and an Afrin-type nasal spray in very limited quantities

Thanatos

bowen wrote: »

Have you tried a nasal decongestant like sudafed?

Make sure you get pseudoephedrine (which you'll have to get from the pharmacist behind the counter) and not phenylephrine (which is what is sold off the shelf).

bowen

What Thanatos said.

There's speculation that the new decongestant they use for sudafed (phenylephrine) doesn't do anything at the OTC doses. Make sure you bring a state ID, as they'll probably need to record it when you get pseudoephedrine, most likely.

DoctorArch

Also try using saline nasal spray. It produces a concentration gradient in your nose that effectively drains the sinuses.

amateurhour

3rding going behind the counter for your congestion medicine. It sucks that you have to do that and show ID and all that garbage, but it's really the best stuff to take care of the job.

Essee

Yeah, my suggestion would have been guaifenesin. You'll see it as Mucinex (already mentioned), most varieties of Robitussin, etc. The one that's for "chest congestion" ONLY is what you're looking for, nothing with Dextromethorphan (DM) in it. It's always called "cough syrup" but it works for congestion in your nose as well. It's basically all I use for the same purposes (getting mucus out of my lungs and sinuses). Especially avoid that cough suppressant stuff with DM in it if you have asthma, since it may cause an increased risk of pneumonia (which I can't actually find the info on at the moment for some reason, but it's definitely out there and I was told about it by my allergist and another doctor seperately). Guaifenesin is actually recommended for coughs if you're asthmatic though, since it brings up the mucus and makes it easy to cough out (again, same stuff with the nose).

Edit: Oh yeah, my mom just reminded me that Altoids nuke your sinuses pretty well, haha. Any sort of strong mint should help clear them.

bowen

I didn't know guaifenesin worked on sinus congestion, this is good to know.

I think they sell combination guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine, entex is the brand I think.

Usagi

bowen wrote: »

I didn't know guaifenesin worked on sinus congestion, this is good to know.

I think they sell combination guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine, entex is the brand I think.

Yeah, Mucinex is my standard treatment regimen for chronic sinus/ear infections, it keeps your sinuses and eustachain tubes clear so the cold/infection doesn't sit around and get worse

I would suggest the standalone Mucinex, as it has a higher but longer-lasting dose of guaifenesin. Dries you out something fierce though, so keep a water bottle handy

Melinoe

Thanks for all of the suggestions guys, I will go get some Mucinex later today or maybe the Enex if I can find it. Will think about a neti pot as well, boyfriend has lots of sinus issues as well so it could be good for that.

bowen

Yeah if you can't get entex, ask the pharmacist if you can get some real sudafed. You may not want to use "real" and air quote or wink at them though.

sacreandprofane

Sounds like all you need is a nasal spray, like Flonase.
My ENT concluded this solution in my case.

Sudafed, clariton, and other big ones were just not working for me. Turns out that, and this may sound gross, some of us get what's called post-nasal drip - it's congestion, plus tiny bits of whatever is congested in your nose slip back down your throat and make things worse, though you may not know it and we recognize it all together as nasal/sinus congestion. A nasal spray will help all of it, so that you don't congested in the first place.

You should see an ENT before an allergist recommends that you pay big bucks for several years worth of allergy shots per week, many of which are unnecessary and drain you of hard earned money. That's just one opinion.

Melinoe

I do get post nasal drip but I had no idea that nasal sprays helped with that, that's really good to know.

Mad Jazz

The other possibility is that you don't have much mucus left in there at all, and your sinuses are all swollen from repeated blowing. In addition to the med recommendations above (especially seconding the mucinex, that shit is gold), try laying off blowing your nose as much as you can and see if that helps.