Help! Sneezing like mad from nasal dryness

[judyhorowitz]

I started to use the Swift LT nasal pillows 3 days ago. I woke up the first morning feeling somewhat congested, but that went away. Later that day i began sneezing, 5 or 6 times in a row. I used the pillows the second night and yesterday was much worse. I'm continually sneezing and my nose is constantly dripping. Wonderful. Last night i decided to go back to my olf FF Ultra Mask. It was impossible because I would sneeze. I was unable to use the cpap at all. i continued sneezing a lot and blowing my nose all day again today. I know the problem is caused by nasal dryness, but i don't know what to do about it. i used the Neti pot last night and this morning with little effect. I'd really appreciate your help with this problem. I really want the cpap to work, but this is impossible. Thanks.

[Eleena]

AYR gel works great for me.

[Julie]

If your humidity is turned up, turn it down and it may help (often does).

[fidelfs]

In my case the humidity from the machine should be down or up with an inverse relationship where I am.

When I am in Denver, Dry and cold then I set to 4 or 5, when I am in Houston, tX then my set is 2-3.

I have so man problems with sinus all my life, but when I started CPAP 3 months ago, it was unbearable. I tried anything, nasonex, netti pot, Astelin, etc. What it has help a lot is the Ocean Saline spray. Don't buy the generic from Walgreens or others, buy the real one from Ocean.

I used the first bottle like in 2 days. I keep using it and my sneezing has come down to nothing, not longer congested. Use it frequently.

[JoyD.]

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I have recently had the same problem with CONSTANT SNEEZING (often a half dozen in a row) and CONSTANT NASAL DRIPPING (like water). It was a constant struggle all day, and fairly incapacitating! This went on for about 4-5 MONTHS ON A DAILY BASIS!! I was okay during the night. once I had my nasal pillow mask on . . . but daytime was impossible!

I was beginning to think that it was a food allergy, since it happened whether I was in my house or somewhere else, and remained through Autumn into Winter (so it wasn't seasonal). Why I had no problem during the night I don't know.

Then I STOPPED COATING MY NASAL PILLOWS WITH LANSINOH LANOLIN. I also BEGAN USING AYR GEL, applying a thin coat on the membranes inside my nares. Well, in a matter of days the sneezing & nasal dripping went away I don't know if I had become allergic to the Lansinoh or what. But FINALLY the water from my nose & the constant sneezing stopped when I stopped putting Lansinoh on the nasal pillows and started using Ayr Gel to coat inside my nostrils! The discomfort and burning went away when I breathed through my nose also.

Joy

[BlackSpinner]

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I have recently had the same problem with CONSTANT SNEEZING (often a half dozen in a row) and CONSTANT NASAL DRIPPING (like water).
Then I STOPPED COATING MY NASAL PILLOWS WITH LANSINOH LANOLIN. I also BEGAN USING AYR GEL, applying a thin coat on the membranes inside my nares. Well, in a matter of days the sneezing & nasal dripping went away I don't know if I had become allergic to the Lansinoh or what.
Joy

That is why I don't use anything with lanolin in it. I am allergic to wool. (and horses ) And allergies can change for many reasons.

[judyhorowitz]

Thanks for your advice. I bought Ayrs Gel today and Ocean. I'm using the gel in my nose tonight and will take your advice not to use the Lanisoh. Have sprayed a couple times with the Ocean. I'm going to try lowering the humidifier down from 5 and see if that helps. I'm also going to put the hose under the cover to keep the humidified air from getting cold. I used my Comfort Gel nasal mask last night and still woke with a very, very dry mouth even with taping. I'm going to give the pillows another try tonight. Getting ready for bed takes a while. Not like the old days when i just jumped in. Here's hoping for a good night and less sneezing tomorrow.

[JoyD.]

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Just found this from Wikipedia regarding lanolin in the nose:

"Medical grade lanolin is used as a cream to soothe skin, as it is hypoallergenic and bacteriostatic. In this form it is used by some breastfeeding mothers on sore and cracked nipples. Medical grade lanolin can also be used to treat chapped lips, diaper rash, dry skin, itchy skin, calluses, minor incisions, minor burns and abrasions."

Also, this article by Park et al from the Journal of Rhinology 2007 Nov;14(2):110-113. :
Catholic ENT Clinic, Gumi, Korea.
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Korea. hsseung@cu.ac.kr

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Many people experience problems with a dry nasal mucous membrane, often without wondering why. The cause of problem is known as rhinitis sicca, senile rhinitis, and atrophic rhinitis, etc. A common form of treatment for patients who have such symptoms has been to begin by rinsing the inside of the nose with saline solution, to drop peanut oil, to apply antibiotic-ointment and moisturizing agents. Lanolin has been know as a safe skin moisturizing agent and used to treat dry nose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of lanolin on a group of patients seeking treatment for dryness of the nose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients experiencing problems with dry nasal mucosa were selected from the out-patient clinic. Fifty-seven patients, average age 36.3 years old, were treated with 1:2 mixture of lanolin and vaseline ointment. Thirty-six patients, average age 32.0 years, were treated with vaseline ointment. Both ointments were applied three times a day for two weeks. The efficacy of treatment was determined with pre and post-treatment six symptoms on a visual analogue scale: nasal obstruction, crust formation, mucosal dryness, respiratory discomfort, sleep disturbance, and general discomfort. RESULTS: For subjects treated with lanolin, the average VAS value for nasal obstruction was 5.84+/-2.28 and it decreased to 2.89+/-1.29, while the corresponding values for subjects treated with vaseline were 4.39+/-1.77 decreasing to 3.11+/- 1.24 (p<0.05). Crust formation of lanolin treated subjects were 5.67+/-2.39 and it decreased to 2.09+/-1.46, while the vaseline treated subjects were 4.83+/-1.99 decreasing to 2.33+/-1.31 (p<0.05). Average total symptom improvement was 65.7% (from 27.95+/-9.30 to 9.86+/-4.58) in lanolin treated group, while it was 44.8% (from 20.9+/-76.59 to 11.64+/-4.18) in vaseline treated group. CONCLUSION: We found that the efficacy of lanolin was statistically significantly better than that of vaseline. During the study period, there was no local reactions have been reported, nor have any allergic reactions. The present study underlines the fact that the way to treat nasal mucosal dryness is to use lanolin ointment.

So . . . perhaps my anecdotal comments blaming Lansinoh for the problem I had with sneezing and nose watering is not associated with lanolin at all
And . . . I spoke too soon that it disappeared. Today it came back!

Joy

[Scarlet834]

Joy, if you figure this out I'll be waiting for the answer. I seem to be bouncing between congestion and dryness and I can no longer tell the difference between allergies and a rhinovirus. Anyway, that's a very interesting article you came up with.

Maybe I'll start using lanolin during the day. (I already use Ayr Gel at night).