Sudafed questions

[garyland]

I have written here over the years about my nasal congestion while trying to comply with my cpap. I have found over the last few months I have been getting worse. My sleep has been greatly affected. Last night I tried to go to sleep at 10pm and only got about an hour before getting stuffy. I went downstairs to try to clear naturally. I almost had a panic attack over my worsening problem. It was then 1am and I happen to find a pack of sudafeds that a friend had left at the house a while ago. I had not used them before due to my HBP and my ENLARGED PROSTATE. Out of desparation, I took just one 30mg pill. Much to my surprise, within a 1/2 hour I was 100% clear. I remained clear for about 5 hours. I cannot remember when I was able to breath like that. So....here are my questions.

1. How many of you rely on Sudafed each night to sleep?
2. Does it have a rebound effect like afrin?
3. Do you have to take increasing amounts over time to get the same effect from Sudafed?
4. Is the extended release pill better for allowing me to get 8 hours?

Any other info would be helpful.

[lazer]

All I can add is the doctor warns against using Sudafed if your BP is at all borderline high as this will make it skyrocket usually. Be careful.

My doc also told me that 1 squirt of Afrin per Nostril each night won't get me into the "rebound" effect as in using it throughout the day - Just use it at night before hosing up.

-I've used it this way sporadically and only as needed (probably like 4x a month) without issue.

YMMV

[greatunclebill]

i have high bp that is controlled with meds. at one point my ear was popping when my cpap came up to pressure. my doctor did tell me to use sudafed and it worked in one day. i also was prescribed zrytec in the morning and mucinex dm morning and night by my doctor and use it every day for congestion.

[chunkyfrog]

I used to take generic loratadin-D every night for my allergies. It was amazing--then the drug doofuses made it impossible
to get more than 5 days at a time and the cost skyrocketed as only Claritin made it;
so I changed to the regular generic loratadine. It took weeks before my 'withdrawal' from pseudoephedrine was complete.
Now I keep some 30 mg tablets handy in case I have too much congestion for my heated humidifier to clear.
My current supply may have expired--I don't need it very much at all now.

[TheUglyTruth]

1. How many of you rely on Sudafed each night to sleep? I rely on it at times to keep my nasal passages open.
2. Does it have a rebound effect like afrin? No.
3. Do you have to take increasing amounts over time to get the same effect from Sudafed? No.
4. Is the extended release pill better for allowing me to get 8 hours? I use the 12-hour pill (generic to save money).

Keep a very close eye on how it affects your blood pressure.

Here is a doctor who prefers an antihistamine, "Loratidine (Claritin) 10mg tablet, taken at bedtime" over Sudafed - http://www.uarsrelief.com/sales.html

You may want to experiment with it. I don't think it affects blood pressure but please do your own check.

[johnthomasmacdonald]

be careful, sudafed has Insomnia as a side effect in THIRTY percent of people using - that's not insignificant

[ChicagoGranny]

be careful, sudafed has Insomnia as a side effect in THIRTY percent of people using - that's not insignificant

Yes. I cannot take it at night for that reason.

I do sometimes take a 12-hour pill first thing in the morning and it wears off by bedtime.

[BlackSpinner]

For me it works for the first couple of days then the effect wears out.

It also affects my sleep, I wake up continually.

[MrStein]

I have hypertension and I take 3 med every day for it. I also have the dreaded deviated septum, and suffer from a stuffed nose frequently.
I take Clortabs http://www.walmart.com/ip/Chlortabs-Tab ... e/14053323
They are cheap, work very well (for me at least), and don't spike your BP. I take one right before bedtime, and have pretty good results.

[RandyJ]

As lazer said, Sudafed is contraindicated if you have high blood pressure. My doctor doesn't like Sudafed at all, but I take it if I am really stuffed up. I don't suffer from high blood pressure and don't have any insomnia issues with Sudafed.

You might find that a nose spray like Nasonex or Flonase will help; they are safe for daily use and don't cause rebound congestion, but you need a prescription.

If you already take a daily antihistamine, you might want to try taking it 1-2 hours before bed (instead of in the morning), to get the maximum benefit.

NeilMed saline rinses also help with congestion for a lot of people.

[Janknitz]

Sudafed makes me very agitated. It's not pleasant.

Maybe it might be worthwhile to treat the source of the problem, instead of the symptoms. An elimination diet may help. I'd start by eliminating wheat and dairy, as those are the common culprits. You may find better blood pressure control from eliminating these as well. Worth a try!

[cosmo]

I've had constant congestion in one nose for a few weeks now. A lot of people posted tips in a thread I created and it has helped. Saline solution in the nose seems to help. I have Sudafed but I only take them when I desperately need to take it.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=84770&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=nostril

I'm also going to experiment with peppers
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=85074&p=773487&hili ... rs#p773487

[Vader]

I can't take sudafed because it makes me jittery and restless.
Instead I use generic Afrin when needed. I use ONLY at night and spray ONLY one nostril. Rarely do I have to use it more than 3-4 days, and I have never had any addiction to using it or had rebound effect.
Simply Saline or Neilmed can be helpful too. My Doctor tells me that this is probably preferable to Sudafed use for me.

YMMV

[MaxDarkside]

1. How many of you rely on Sudafed each night to sleep?

I would say ill advised. It is Pseudoephedrine, a stimulant and will likely interfere with sleep substantially.

Wiki: "Pseudoephedrine ... is a sympathomimetic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine chemical classes."
"the principal mechanism is to cause the release of endogenous norepinephrine (noradrenaline) from storage vesicles in presynaptic neurons."

Zippity doo dah, baby ! If you need to clean house at 3 AM, it'll help.

Your mileage may vary. I use it at times (not so much now) when I wake up and during the day to help treat my brain fog (mild narcoleptic tendencies) cuz it gets me rollin'. !