The Dangers of Long-Term Nasal Decongestant Spray Use

People with impaired nasal breathing often rely on nasal decongestant sprays to sleep or function properly. However, they often don't realise the harm that long-term usage of these sprays can cause. Topical decongestants are typically used to relieve nasal congestion due to allergic rhinitis, acute or chronic rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, or upper respiratory tract infections.

However, long-term use of these nasal decongestants can cause rebound swelling of the nasal mucosa. This is called Rhinitis medicamentosa. And is classified as a subset of drug-induced rhinitis. The earliest nasal decongestants mainly derived from ephedrine showed rhinitis medicamentosa developing as early as 3 days after use and up to 4 to 6 weeks after use. All pharmacists therefore advise patients not to use decongestant sprays for more than 2 weeks.

A paper on 'The Indispensable Nasal Decongestant: Patients’ Views and Perspectives on Nasal Decongestant Overuse' was published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Read here!

To better understand the dangers involving the overuse of nasal decongestant sprays, join Sophie Scheire, Pharmacist and PhD fellow at Ghent University in Belgium, and Prof. Philippe Gevaert, Professor of Rhinology & Allergy at Ghent University in Belgium and EUFOREA Rhinitis Panel Member.