decongestant ?

[cynthia]

can anyone recommend a good nasal decongestant that we HCMers can take? My doctor said I should stay away from anything containing pseudophenedrine (sp?)--that can get your heart racing

[Sarah]

c

please read this post: http://www.4hcm.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2436&highlight=decongestant+neti (medications, miserable cold)

you can only take anithistamines, but now they have non-drowsy ones like clariten.

decongestants, by definition, have a stimulant in them. antihistamines don't.

take care,

s

see also the post "for sarah" about the LA times article on sinus irrigation

[Lisa Salberg]

Claritin and Clarinex are fine.

Lisa

[cynthia]

thank you everyone!

[BigHeart]

Clarinex is sold OTC (No Presciption) in Canada as Aerius. It costs $1.00 Canadian per tablet. While it is classified as an anti-histamine, it also has anti-inflamatory properties which work s a decongestant on the nasal passages.

[cynthia]

thanks. Here too. It was cheaper when I had to have a prescription! I used to pay a co-pay of $5 or $10 for prescriptions. CVS pharmacy makes their own version of Claritin . It has exactly the same ingredients as Claritan and MUCH cheaper. My doctor told me that I can't take Claritan D

[cynthia]

Sarah,
I just read your thread regarding the neti pot, etc. Maybe I'll give it a try. I remembered I had a saline nasal spray I bought a while back. A nurse had told me that she does this every day and swears by it. Ingredients: sodium chloride .65%, benzalkonium chloride, benzyl alcohol, purified water, sodium bicarbonate. On the front of the spray bottle it says "buffered isotonic solution"...would this help?

[Sarah]

c

there are sprays that just hit the inside of the nose and then there inhaling the solution through the sinuses, and then the neti pot (you pour the solution into each nostril). i use the first to keep moist at work and on planes (keeps me from getting travel colds) and the last for deep cleaning (if you are already stuffed up, you need 2 or 3).

i'm not sure if yours is the first or second, but either way it will help. you are looking at salt-baking soda mix, which is fine. if you don't like it, you can try salt-only.

take care,

s