If you have a chronic nasal rhinitis problem, then your allergy doctor may advise you to start using a prescription nasal spray. Steroidal nasal sprays are common, and they reduce the swelling across the nasal passages. If you have never used a nasal spray before, then you may end up using it wrong. This can make it difficult for the medicine to absorb into your body like it should. Keep reading to learn about some common nasal spray use mistakes and how they can be avoided.

Mistake - Not Clearing Your Nose Ahead Of Time

Steroidal nasal sprays help to reduce swelling and mucous in the nose. They do this by mimicking the natural hormones in the body that control inflammation. Specifically, the medications tell the body to stop causing swelling along the nasal passages. This allows the mucus in the nose to run more freely, and your nose feels less stuffy in the process. If your nasal passages are already swollen and congested with mucus, then you will need to blow your nose. This helps to reveal the tissues on the side of the nose. Since steroidal nasal sprays work locally to reduce swelling, they need to absorb into the tissues, and mucous can keep this from happening. 

Using A Decongestant Spray

If you are extremely stuffy, then blowing your nose may not be enough to get rid of the mucus. The medicine will then get stuck in the mucus and run out of your nose. You can keep this from happening by clearing your nose with a decongestant nasal spray first. This type of spray forces the blood vessels in the nose to shrink. This temporarily reduces swelling so mucus can drain and the steroidal medication can absorb into the tissues. 

Rinsing With A Neti Pot

If your nose is so stuffed up that you cannot spray the decongestant successfully, then you should use a neti pot with a saline rinse first. Purchase a neti pot from your local pharmacy. Also buy some sea salt and baking soda. You will need to fill the neti pot with lukewarm water, a teaspoon of baking soda, and a teaspoon or two of sea salt. You can use regular salt if you choose. However, find the iodine free table salt. Iodine can irritate the nose. 

Create your solution in a small container and pour it into the neti pot. When you are ready, lean your head over your sink in the bathroom. Do this gently so your head is tipped at a 45 degree angle to the sink. Angle your head slightly to the right and place the neti pot in the left nostril. Start pouring water into the nostril. The water will mix with the mucous and thin it out. It may take a few minutes, but water will begin coming out of your right nostril. When this happens, tilt your head to the left and pour the fluid into the right nostril.

Once your nasal passages have been rinsed, gently blow your nose for about 10 minutes until all the water and mucus drains. Use your nasal spray at that time.

Mistake - Spraying Straight Up Your Nose

When you use your steroidal nasal spray, you want the medicine to hit the soft tissues in your nose so the medicine can absorb into the tissues. If you angle the spray head wrong, then the medicine may miss the tissues entirely. If you spray straight up your nose, then the medicine will go up through the nose and into the upper sinus cavities. The medication will then drop down into the throat. If you use the spray incorrectly, then you will taste the spray at the back of your throat. 

The nasal spray also will not work if you angle it towards the center of your nose. The middle of your nose contains the septum. The septum is comprised almost entirely out of cartilage, so the medication will be unable to absorb into the body. You will instead need to angle the spray towards the fleshy part of the nostril. When you place the spray head in your right nostril, then angle it to the right. Angle the head to the left when placing it in your left nostril, and then press down on the head to release the spray. 

For more information on nasal spray, contact a company like Dymista.

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