Panicked about nose getting stuffed up

September 11, 2015 4:51 AM

I don't know what's going on with me but in the last couple of months I've been developing a fear of not being able to breathe. Now I'm getting a cold. I am desperate not to get congested and I can't handle extensive googling. Please just tell me what to take or do.
posted by HotToddy to Health & Fitness (25 answers total)

Take a Sudafed, the good stuff you have to ask the pharmacist and show your ID for.
Make yourself a nice cup of hot tea with honey.
Burrito yourself in a big fluffy blanket.
Watch Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.

The last three are just because they're the best things to do when you're feeling crummy and it sounds like you need to relax a bit for your own sake.

The Sudafed will kill your congestion dead, Mira Sorvino or no.
posted by phunniemee at 5:02 AM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

An instant decongestant like Otrivine (xylometazoline) helps a lot, unfortunately just for a couple of hours, and prolonged use (5+days) is discouraged. Here's a well-written and interesting short read that also covers other decongestants.
posted by hat_eater at 5:02 AM on September 11, 2015

I get nuts when I can't breathe through my nose. I rely on Afrin or similar nasal spray for a few days. You have to watch your usage as you can become dependent on it to breathe, but I've gone up to a week on it and be able to stop the next day when the congestion finally eases.
posted by archimago at 5:05 AM on September 11, 2015

Sudafed. It's magic.
posted by J. Wilson at 5:10 AM on September 11, 2015

None of those decongestants work for me. Hot curry, now there's a different story. As spicy as you can take it - job done.

Also, a tablespoonful of apple vinegar, with boiling water poured on top. Drink while it's still as hot as you can take. That stuff will clear things right out.
posted by greenish at 5:18 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

Flonase, a nasal steroid spray, used to be prescription only but is now over the counter. It works really well. BUY IT NOW.
posted by raisindebt at 5:20 AM on September 11, 2015 [5 favorites]

(Note that Flonase can be used for an extended period of time and won't cause rebound congestion, unlike Afrin)
posted by raisindebt at 5:21 AM on September 11, 2015

Sinus rinse, or a neti pot. The first time you do it is gross, hilarious, spluttery fun. Make sure you've completely drained any excess water from your sinuses before bed, though, or you'll wake with the mystery soaked pillow sneeze.
posted by scruss at 5:23 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

I think you need anxiety medication and/or therapy, not a decongestant. You've been worrying about breathing for a couple of months--take the anxiety as seriously as you're taking the cold, and go to the doctor. While you're there, the doctor can take a look at your throat and reassure you that you can safely breathe.
posted by three_red_balloons at 5:40 AM on September 11, 2015 [8 favorites]

Response by poster: Will taking an antihistamine makes things better or worse? I was thinking to stop the production of mucus in the first place.

I unfortunately took a Xanax when I first started feeling panicky, before I realized it was a cold. So now I guess I have to wait that out before taking anything else? And yes I totally need therapy, this is the weirdest thing that just came out of the blue. I've never had anything like it before. the Xanax is not even my prescription.
posted by HotToddy at 5:44 AM on September 11, 2015

As the previous posters have alluded, if you start getting congested you're probably best off rethinking mucus (or at least its expulsion) as productive, as best you can. I know that's hard - I too get very anxious about my airways or sinuses being blocked with colds, and I feel really socially anxious about being a big walking ball of sick and drippiness. But I do a lot better when I try to acknowledge and manage the anxiety as opposed to just trying to control the cold symptoms.

I will warn you that sudafed works great for drying out your sinuses but exceeding the recommended dose (or for me, less than half that) can cause more anxiety. Restlessness, anxious racing thoughts, insomnia are all common side effects of psuedophedrine. As a teenager I once took enough to get all those side effects plus paranoia and auditory hallucinations. If your anxiety is already shooting through the roof, I urge you to proceed very carefully with sudafed, and please, see somebody about the mental health side of things.

Get well soon.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:08 AM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

Do be careful with products like Otrivine. It's easy to get addicted to them due to rebound congestion. They work incredibly well but are an irritant so once the amazing decongestant wears off, the mucus membranes of your nose swell up in response to the irritant and you have to use it again, otherwise you're going to suffer badly. Lots of people at work have been using it for years, but it is possible to wean yourself off it, one nostril at a time. Just stop using it in one nostril, which will suffer from rebound congestion for a while and then eventually unclog naturally. Then stop altogether.

I was caught in the Otravine trap but now use Sinutab. Drink lots of water to keep mucus more fluid and avoid dairy which seems to make you produce more mucus.

Good luck
posted by guy72277 at 6:22 AM on September 11, 2015

Yes, do be careful with the pseudophedrine if you're already feeling anxious. It works great to clear up congestion but can increase anxiety. Might want to try the Afrin-type nasal sprays instead--they burn like hell but dry out your nostrils so you can breathe.
posted by Jemstar at 6:25 AM on September 11, 2015

Please don't try a neti pot if you're nursing a fear of not being able to breathe. Trust me. Nasal spray for a day or two is much less natural, but works in a pinch.
posted by kimberussell at 6:44 AM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

Antihistamine reduces the production of histamines, which are provoked by an allergic reaction (which is only useful if you're having an allergic reaction) and some of them do dry out the mucous membranes as a side effect, but that doesn't stop mucous production. Decongestant reduces the swelling in those membranes, making a clearer pathway and reducing production some. But as others have said, they tend to be unhelpful for anxiety.

I think you should go to the doctor or urgent care. Be honest about what's going on. There could be treatable physical components to what you are assuming is simply anxiety.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:05 AM on September 11, 2015

As scruss said. I use a NeilMed saline rinse. Much easier than a net pot, and it works. Whenever I feel some congestion coming on -- allergies or cold -- I rinse a few times, and it helps relieve the symptoms and I find that my colds/illnesses are shorter lived.
posted by terrapin at 7:09 AM on September 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

While I myself rarely have two working nostrils (I'm allergic to the world, it seems), I know people who get anxious about not being able to breathe through their noses because they feel like they can't get enough oxygen, so I completely understand where you're coming from with that fear.

Here's my list of pointers for neti pot use:

1. First and foremost - do not try to use a netipot if you cannot breathe through both nostrils. If one nostril is clear, you can drain the water back and spit it out, but don't try to force your other nostril clear with a neti pot, because you'll just get water (and the gunk in your head) going elsewhere. This is not good, I speak from experience.
2. Don't use a neti pot for the first time if you don't have 30 minutes to rinse your nose and drain the water out. Once you get the hang of it and know how to drain your head, you can do this much more quickly. But as scruss mentioned above - make sure you are fully drained before going to bed, so you still want to give yourself at least 30 minutes from neti pot use before going to bed.
3. The process itself is pretty straight-forward - FDA has a good page on safe practices, including water selection (they warn against using plain tap water, but I'm a fool and use it anyway). The trick is finding the right angle to get the water to easily flow into one nostril, through your sinuses, and back out the other nostril, without draining down your throat. The sensation is weird at first, but talking to a fellow neti-potter this morning, it can be habit-forming. My co-worker uses it daily, and she said she hasn't had a sinus infection in years.
4. Once you get the hang of it, the initial rinsing part is fast. The subsequent draining can be tricky. My routine is to alternate leaning forward and tilting my head up, all the while breathing slowly through my nose. Do not try to force the water out, or blow your nose while holding one side, as this can force water into other parts of your sinuses. Even after you feel like you've gotten most of the water out, keep breathing slowly and calmly through your nose, because you'll still find a bit of water coming out for a while, especially after drinking a hot drink or doing anything strenuous.

It might sound weird, uncomfortable, or generally off-putting, but I think nasal rinses are great to help clean the "air filter" in your head, which will help you get over infections and prevent future irritations, including from seasonal allergies. The best part is that once you get a neti pot, you can make your own solution. WebMD and the American Rhinologic Society have slightly different recipes (and the latter has more references to research, if you're interested), but the general idea is to make a saline solution that has similar salinity to your body.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:37 AM on September 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

My last-ditch measure for clearing my sinuses, relieving extreme sinus pressure associated with congestion for example, is to fill a large bowl with very hot water and add in a dollop of Vicks VapoRub - a sort of gel or emulsion made with camphor, eucalyptus oil, and menthol - then I sit with my head over the bowl and spread a towel over my head like a tent, so that I'm exclusively breathing the water vapor.

It usually has a very temporary effect and the congestion re-develops immediately after I stop doing it, but that's long enough to relieve sinus pressure. Though perhaps there's some modern humidifier-and-mask doohickey that would make longer-term use possible.

That Wikipedia page mentions that some people can get irritation and rashes from Vicks VapoRub, though I never have, so you'd probably want to make sure that's not a problem first.
posted by XMLicious at 9:06 AM on September 11, 2015

I have this problem too. I use Afrin. It's the only thing that keeps me from having panic attacks about not being able to breath through my nose. If my nose stuffs up before it's time to use the Afrin again I use a lot saline nasal spray. By the end of the cold, if I discover I'm dependent on the Afrin to breath, I use Nasacort/Flonase to get my nose back to being medication free.
posted by ilovewinter at 10:07 AM on September 11, 2015

When I have nasal and sinus congestion, my first choice is Mucinex or any generic "mucus relief" with guaifenesin as the active ingredient. It actually brings more fluid to the area to thin the mucus and allow you to blow your nose so you're less stuffy. Take it with a full glass of water.

The feeling of stuffiness can be caused by inflammation, not just by mucus. Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) works on reducing both inflammation and mucus.
posted by wryly at 10:27 AM on September 11, 2015

I've had some relief from soaking a washcloth in very hot (but still OK to run over my hand) water, folding it, and holding it on my nose and sinuses. Warming them up seems to help.

Another approach is to take a hot bath and (while holding my breath) to immerse my face so that my nose and sinuses are warmed a lot.
posted by amtho at 10:29 AM on September 11, 2015

Afrin is great but you have to be really careful about getting rebound congestion. Same with Sudafed.

I have recently started taking Flonase for my allergies and it is great.

I think the Neti Pot feels like being drowned so I don't recommend it. But I like the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. It's still a little weird feeling but you don't have to be practically upside-down. It will help get all the gunk out.
posted by radioamy at 10:29 AM on September 11, 2015

And yes, when you feel better you should talk to someone about your anxiety.
posted by radioamy at 10:30 AM on September 11, 2015

I actually had something like this about a year ago. I was panicking about sleep apnea after my father died of a heart attack and got stuffed up at one point in time. Things that helped:
Really long showers without the bathroom fan on. The steam increases the production of mucus which makes it more watery and easier to flush out.
Really spicy food. Ditto with the production/flushing.
Sudafed, the real stuff that requires an ID. Phenylephrine does not work for me.
Benadryl, not for clearing out my sinuses, but for sleeping. Do not use too regularly.
Realizing that we really do just breath through one nostril at a time even when healthy. This is kind of weird, but the knowledge made things easier if one was stuffed and the other isn't.

I eventually got a sleep study which calmed me down a lot.

Also, distraction. Do something that requires all your concentration. I know this is hard with a cold, but forgetting about what is going on helps with the anxiety. Do not do something where you can still have part of your brain doing other things.
posted by Hactar at 10:32 AM on September 11, 2015

Restlessness, anxious racing thoughts, insomnia are all common side effects of psuedophedrine.

This is true. Some ways to mitigate that include not taking it after, say, early afternoon, taking a very small dose (a pill cutter will help with that as you can get a roughly 15mg dose), and taking it only when you're starting to feel congested (it does work quickly, so that's not too bad.) I would also specifically recommend only buying the 30mg tablets, not the 120mg extended-release pills (and not any of the antihistamine-decongestant combination pills, like Claritin-D). It's much easier to control your dosage that way so as to avoid negative side effects.

filthy light thief has good info above about neti pot/saline rinses.

Mucinex/guaifenesin is also useful. Do not ignore the instructions about drinking a lot of water while using it. Also, swallow it quickly since it tastes bad.

Flonase is pretty good stuff, is now OTC, and I've been prescribed it for long-term use twice a day, so it's presumably not as much of a problem to use as Afrin and such. Downsides are that it's difficult to use if you can't get a nostril clear to begin with, and I suck at remembering how many times I've used the bottle. (You're meant to get 120 squirts per bottle, which leaves a generous margin for priming the spray pump when you start using the bottle and at the end when they can't guarantee you're getting the correct dosage with the remaining fluid.) I also wouldn't recommend using this one right before bed what with the throat drippiness. If you haven't used it before, you can ask a pharmacist to show you how (even if it is OTC now, they've been demonstrating the technique for years.)

Breathe-Right strips are useful for bedtime since most of the other options will keep you up for a while longer. There's very little downside to using them, so put one on if you think you might need it. They're great for bedtime breathing-related anxiety since they give you something concrete to do about it and the sensation of more-open nostrils is immediate. Wait until you're washing your face with warm water to take them off since it makes the adhesive easier to remove.

If you're juggling several different drugs, you may wish to make notes about what you've taken when, so that you don't mistakenly take too much or forget a dose you'd planned to take.

And your username's not a bad option, either, if you're not having symptoms that make all those other pills necessary. Do not combine that with an antihistamine.
posted by asperity at 10:51 AM on September 11, 2015