{"id":397636,"date":"2026-01-09T05:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/397636\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T05:00:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T05:00:13","slug":"pharmacy-chiefs-warn-overuse-of-decongestant-nasal-sprays-can-cause-irreversible-damage-to-airways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/397636\/","title":{"rendered":"Pharmacy chiefs warn overuse of decongestant nasal sprays can cause irreversible damage to airways"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health chiefs have warned of rising numbers of people becoming addicted to nasal decongestant sprays, which can cause irreversible damage to the airways.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sprays, available for less than \u00a34 at high street chemists, are a go-to remedy for relieving a blocked nose, especially during cold and flu<\/a>\u00a0season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But concerning new research has revealed that nearly 60 per cent of people are unaware that these sprays shouldn’t be used long-term, putting them at serious risk of rebound-congestion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Experts at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) say that using them for longer than this can irritate the sensitive blood vessels in the nose, causing swelling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This makes congestion worse, resulting in a vicious cycle that leaves patients dependent on the medication to help them breathe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Medically known as rhinitis medicamentosa, it can affect anyone who overuses nasal sprays, triggering irritation, runny nose, sneezing and congestion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some patients who have a history of the condition are even forced to have surgery to address damage caused by chronic swelling, which can lead to breathing problems and facial disfigurements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Research conducted by ITV<\/a> and Ipsos found more than a fifth of adults who have used the sprays have done so for longer than a week- meaning around 5.5million people in the UK have risked becoming addicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Patients <\/p>\n

Patients are becoming increasingly reliant on nasal decongestant sprays which can cause irreversible damage to the airways, experts have warned\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, the RPS are calling for the risks of overusing these medications, such as Sudafed and Vicks, to be clearly labelled on packaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Professor Amira\u00a0Guirguis, chief scientist at the RPS, said: ‘Our research shows that many people are unaware of this risk, which means they may continue using these sprays without realising they could be prolonging their symptoms.<\/p>\n

‘We\u2019d like to see clearer warnings on the packaging which you can\u2019t miss and greater awareness of the seven-day limit.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

She added: ‘The response needs to be proportionate to the risk, and at the moment, the immediate, important step to take is to clarify the message and the health advice with a waning on the front of the packing that this product should not be used beyond the seven-day limit.’\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Others, who have been affected by the problem, have previously called for the medications to be made available by prescription only<\/a>, so GPs can monitor and limit the supply.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One patient trapped in a cycle of what she calls ‘addiction’ is\u00a0Charlotte Johnstone, 30, who first started using the nasal sprays at just seven-year-old.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She recently told ITV that at the height of her 23 year health battle, she was reaching for the decongestant eight times a day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I can’t sleep without having it, I wake up and the first thing I do is have my nasal spray,’ she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte <\/p>\n

Charlotte Johnstone featured on Good Morning Britain talking about her ongoing battle with nasal decongestant sprays<\/p>\n

Now, her addiction-related anxiety is so bad that she dreams about not being able to breathe and will not go anywhere which would restrict her access to the spray.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After decades of using the spray, a habit that costs her around \u00a330 a month, Ms Johnstone is worried that it has a permanent effect on her health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She said: ‘I go through stages of losing my sense of smell. I know it’s doing something but I don’t know what.<\/p>\n

‘But for the sake of having a clear nose, and avoiding feeling claustrophobic, I’ll just take it.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, according to Ms Johnstone, even some GPs are not aware of the extent of the problem, with some allegedly googling her symptoms in front of her.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most patients hooked in nasal sprays will be able to successfully wean themselves off the drug and suffer no long-term nasal damage, experts say.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But others suffering from the condition will have to use a stronger, steroid-based spray before symptoms improve.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many, starting this rehabilitation process can be daunting.<\/p>\n

Ms Johnstone told ITV: ‘Going cold turkey is very scary to think about. You’ve got to be really brave for that and I’d have to book a lot of time off work.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ms Johnstone said she has been shocked by the numbers of people in similar situations and now wants to raise better awareness of the risks of overuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rebound congestion is only caused by excessive use of decongestant nasal sprays containing oxymetazoline and xylometazoline, rather than saline or steroid sprays.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PAGB, the consumer healthcare association representing the manufacturers of branded over-the-counter medicines in the UK said: ‘As an over-the-counter medicine, nasal decongestants are indicated for short-term relief of symptoms and the products state on the packaging and patient information leaflet that they should not be used continuously for more than seven days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The patient information leaflet, which accompanies all nasal decongestant sprays, outlines the risks of taking the medication for longer than it’s indicated use.’\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Health chiefs have warned of rising numbers of people becoming addicted to nasal decongestant sprays, which can cause…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":397637,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[49,48,2093,84,2835,377],"class_list":{"0":"post-397636","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-itv","13":"tag-medication"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397636"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397636\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/397637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}