VASOMOTOR RHINITIS...

HI ALL:

THIS TOPIC HAS PROBABLY BEEN TREATED BEOFRE HERE, BUT ANYWAYS...

I HAVE BOTH SLEEP APNEA AND VASOMOTOR RHINITIS.

HAS ANYONE TREATED THEIR PROBLEM SUCCESFULLY? I MEAN, ARE YOU COMPLIANT WITH YOUR CPAP TREATMENT HAVING BOTH SLEEP APNEA AND VASOMOTOR RHINITIS?

I´M HAVING A HARD TIME WITH THIS. I´M USING NASAL SPRAYS BOTH WITH SALINE SOLUTION AND CORTICOSTEROIDS AND STILL HAVE THE RHINITIS. MY THROAT IS TIGHT AND WITH MUCUS ALL THE TIME (POST NASAL DRIP). NO WONDER IT COLLAPSES AT NIGHT. PLUS I FEEL THE CPAP MAKES MY NOSE AND RHINITIS WORSE, EVEN IF I SET THE HUMIDIFIER AT ITS MAXIMUM. I DONT SLEEP BETTER, STILL HAVE MY THROAT COLLAPSED FROM THE MUCUS, I THINK, AND REMAIN THE WHOLE NEXT DAY WITH MY NOSE RED/NOSTRILS IRRITATED.

WHAT TYPE OF CPAP MACHINE OR MASK, OR MEASSURE, IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS? THANKS,

JOHN.

I have the vasomotor rhinitis diagnosis and have sleep apnea too.

Most mornings I try and start with a nasal saline rinse.(Neilmed)

Early evening I take two shots(each nostril,using the opposite hand for application,so the nozzle tip is pointing to the outside of the sinus wall) of a prescription corticosteroid spray.(Nasonex or Avamys)

I apply a film of Lansinoh lanolin around the nostrils and will also use "Breathe Right" nasal strips if I have pre-bedtime symptoms.

Currently,I use two masks in rotation:a nasal pillow Swift LT and a nasal Activa LT with the softgel cushion,topped off with a PapCap to prevent mouth leaks.

Also,I have the ResMed Elite II cpap with EPR set to '1' and always use the integrated humidifier,along with the "Aussie Heated Hose"

Under my mattress is a"Mattress Genie" airlift,to slightly elevate the head of the mattress and I have a collection of specialty pillows to rest my head that I use in rotation.

Does this stop the rhinitis? NO IT DOES NOT-always there is some residual post cpap swelling and it is a virtual nightmare,you are not alone here.

But hey,I still try...maybe one day it will settle down and leave me alone!

Until then,I have logged almost 2,900 hours since September,2008-never missed too many nights.Good Luck.

30+ yrs allergy-chronic sinsusitis-vasomotor rhinitis here. I also have gustatory rhinitis, in my case, I eat too much wheat (amt varies) & my nose gets completely blocked, so a bite or 2 is my limit...besides I eat very low carb and grains are out. Currently, I use 1 spray Nasonex 15 mins before maskup, it's cool here at night (mid 30s, house is set to 68) so my humidifier is set midway (passover in summer) and I use the humidifier warming feature so I'm not breathing cold air which congests my nose. This mostly works. If I'm congested early in the day, I use another spray of Nasonex. I was taking Claritin nightly but it can cause sleep disturbances so I switched to using the Astepro antihistamine spray with pretty good results...sometimes it congested my nose, go figure, I got so frustrated with that I stopped using it and found I haven't needed an antihistamine. I also have the Grossan nasal irrigator which usually helps reduce congestion but it too sometimes causes more congestion. I love Afrin 'cause it works magically and consistently BUT it bites! Rebound congestion is ugly...my friend used it daily for most of last June-July and is still battling rebound congestion sounding like she's got a permanent cold. Like 5Aces, I sleep propped up. My sleep apnea is classified as severe, so congestion management is a huge thing for me. Since I stopped the grains, it's better. I also was extremely low in vitamin D and have been taking supplements since Sept '08 to reach optimal levels. I also supplement with DHA and Coromega fish oils, Quercetin+vitamin C, grape seed extract, Ubiquinol, 3 horse-sized multis, Iodoral (iodine) amongst others including large amts of magnesium citrate. I eat a lot of garlic, onions, ginger, bell peppers, the brassica family (broccoli, etc). All of these are known to help inflammation and my nose-sinuses are easily inflamed. Dawn cleans my Hybrid's pillows best but it irritates my skin and causes congestion, so I hafta wash it off with an eco-friendly soap, rinse everything with vinegar to get rid of the soap residues and to disinfect. This is just another challenge to successful CPAP therapy...some have mask issues, mine is congestion.

I also have vasomotor rhinitis and OSA. I find the combination of flonase and astelin help along with the heated humidifier

I just read the book sound sleep sound mind: 7 steps to sleeping through the night, and they recommend Nasalcrom among other things. The book is cheap and a good read. You should check it out if your problem persists -just my $0.02.

Curious for those that have congestion associated with VR, did anyone consider nasal surgery to help.

mi:
> Dawn cleans my Hybrid's pillows best but it irritates my skin and causes congestion, so I hafta wash it off with an eco-friendly soap

Try Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid _Free and Clear_. It's a liquid dish soap.

In general, allergy sufferers should choose "Free and Clear" type products whenever available. They're a whole lot easier on us.

I second the vote for Free and Clear products. They are what my allergist recommends for everything from soap to hairspray. Good stuff.

Have you tried a nasal antihistamine for the congestion? I suffered miserable with congestion for years and started using Astepro about 4 months ago. It has helped a great deal and doesn't have any of the drowsy side effects that the pills do. (for me even the non drowsy claritin made me drop dead tired)

I suffered with VR all my life. Researched and tried everything I could find. Had a surgery too.
Everything was hopeless. I have been VR free last 2 weeks without any medication. What
helped was a special Yoga called Anulom Vilom. I persisted with 15 mins morn and 15 mins evening
for a week before I saw results. There is a technique to it. After finishing I used few drops of
almond oil. Pl consult your Dr. before you start it. I am sharing it so people can benefit.

Has anyone tried Atrovent? My doctor just gave me a prescription for that.

KimberlyM wrote:Has anyone tried Atrovent? My doctor just gave me a prescription for that.

My sleep doc did too. Got it filled but my horrible congestion magically reduced itself, so I've never used it.