Suggest Treatment For Recurrent Nasal Congestion Throughout The Year

Posted on Wed, 12 Oct 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 Answered on

Fri, 4 Nov 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : hi

I am suffering from nasal congestion throughout the year.

running nose and eye every day.

breathing through mouth only.

using cetrizine and nasal drops for temporary fix..

could some one please help me on this??

Answered by Dr. Satvinder Bakshi (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Please do not use nasal drops

Detailed Answer:
Hello

From your symptoms it looks like that you are suffering from an allergic disorder and cetrizine is a good tablet in this condition.

However using nasal drops is not advisable as prolonged usage can lead to a condition called rhinitis medicamentosa, which can lead to permanent nasal congestion and block.

The best thing would be to stop the drops and start using topical steroid nasal sprays like mometasone or futicasone, 2puffs twice a day in each nostril.

Please remember that it may take some time for the symptoms to get controlled, but you should be able to feel the difference in 2-3 weeks.

I would also start my patients on a combination of monteleukast with cetrizine as the combination has proven to be more efficacious than using cetrizine alone.

Please discuss this with your ent doctor, he will examine you and guide you further.

Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Nagamani Ng