Colds and Sinus Infections, Relief for (But not a cure)

Just One Man's Recipe to Keep the Air Passages Open When Suffering With a Cold


(Due to several e-mail requests, I am reposting this.)

Here’s a tried and true procedure that has worked well for me for many years. Hopefully it will work well for many of you.

A “cold” in this document is defined as the common cold which is a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. If you have a sinus “problem” or a sinus infection, see a doctor because a bacterial infection of the sinuses usually requires antibiotics for effective treatment. Nonetheless, I believe the treatment below will work well as an adjunct to antibiotic treatments your doctor may prescribe for sinus infections.

Upon Arising In the Morning

1. Clear the nostrils with a warm salt water rinse using a neti pot. If you don’t already own a neti pot, the neti system I prefer is SinuCleanse® (http://www.sinucleanse.com/ - print the $2 off coupon) which is available from several large pharmacy chains listed on the SinuCleanse web site. I like the SinuCleanse system because it is simple and cheap. I prefer to use their prepackaged salt as I am more likely to get the right ratio of salt and water compared to measuring out my own salt. The ratio of salt to water seems important, because too much salt feels uncomfortable and too little is probably not as effective.

2. Take a twelve-hour capsule of Pseudoephedrine HCL (Sudafed is one brand but there are much cheaper generics carried in most pharmacies). Pseudoephedrine HCL is a behind-the-counter oral nasal decongestant. It does not require a prescription but you will have to sign for it.* It is important to use exactly this drug and not a decongestant with antihistamine properties (such as Phenylephrine HCL). Most antihistamines will dry out your nasal passages and make a cold more uncomfortable. Please read the cautions on Pseudoephedrine HCL and if you have hypertension consult your doctor before taking.

3. After you have finished showering, eating breakfast, and brushing your teeth, use a prescription steroid nasal spray such as Flonase, Rhinocort, Nasonex or Nasacort following your doctor’s directions. This product can take up to two weeks to be effective. Generally my colds are gone in 4 to 5 days but the irritation can hang around for weeks. The steroid spray helps get rid of the irritation.

Evening

4. About one hour before retiring, repeat the neti pot rinse.

5. After your passages have been sufficiently rinsed, use an over-the-counter nasal decongestant spray containing Oxymetazoline (Afrin Original 12 Hour Nasal Spray, Nasal Relief 12 Hour Nasal Spray, Neo-Synephrine 12 Hour Spray, Vicks Sinex 12-Hour Nasal Spray or others). Very important: You should only use this product once a day for four consecutive nights. If you use it any longer you will experience a type of dependence on the product that will become very unpleasant. You should discontinue use of the product after four nights and not use again for at least seven nights.

I used this procedure for many years before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and so did my friend. Since I started cpap therapy I have not had a cold. My friend has had one cold and reports that the procedure worked even better with cpap therapy. He uses the Swift nasal pillow.

I once mentioned this procedure to my general practitioner and he said it sounds like a good approach. If you try it please let us have your comments.

Notes: I do not use the steroid nasal spray or the Pseudoephedrine HCL decongestant in the evening because each of them interferes with my sleep. The neti pot rinse is perfectly safe to use additional times during the day as you like.

Thanks for the advice, Rooster! I, too, rinse my sinuses out with saline when I have a cold. Since I've been doing this for years, before SinuCleanse became available, I found that mixing the saline in an empty nasal saline sprayer (like "Ocean" or generic equivalent) works just as well. Now I buy the SinuCleanse packets and mix 1/2 of one with warm water in the saline sprayer. Saves money and works just as well. Like you, I get the proportions wrong if I "eyeball" it, and that can be unpleasant.

"Nose Hoser" and "Hose Head", Cathy

Last time I was at the Dr. he have me something called Astelin. This is a nasal spray that has the same effect as Afrin (and the like) without the dependency issues. Active ingredient is azelastine hydrochloride.

Steve-o wrote:Last time I was at the Dr. he have me something called Astelin. This is a nasal spray that has the same effect as Afrin (and the like) without the dependency issues. Active ingredient is azelastine hydrochloride.

Astelin does not have the same effect as Afrin. Afrin and Astelin are very different drugs and act very differently on the human body. Afrin is a decongestant and Astelin is an antihistamine.

Decongestants work by reducing swelling of the mucous membranes in the nasal passages. Antihistamines work by reducing or eliminating effects caused by histamine. Histamine is released by the body during allergic reactions.

If your problems are caused exclusively by a cold virus or a bacterial sinus infection, then Afrin, used as described in my post, may provide significant relief.

If you have allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies), then Astelin may provide significant relief.

One comment on Astelin, I was prescribed Astelin about eight years ago as an antihistamine which would not cause drowsiness. My doctor and my pharmacist both assured me it would not cause drowsiness. Guess what, it knocks me flat, literally, every time I use it. If I want a guaranteed three hours of deep sleep, then a shot of Astelin in each nostril will put me out in a few minutes.

Astelin also has a very good antihistamine effect in my experience.