Nasal Congestion: What helps, especially at night?

Posted by patrick1000 @patrick1000, Feb 13 5:58pm

I have COPD, asthma, and a bit of emphysema and am using Trelegy and ipratropiam. Winter and summer about half way through the night a get extreme congestion sometimes totally blocking my nasal breathing.
Any tips?

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@patrick1000

Must be allergies. I rinse before I go to bed completely clearing my nose but then can be plugged solid 2-3 hours later.

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Similar to my issue. Air purifiers pretty much fixed that problem. Apparently dust/dust mites is my problem. I spent a night in the hospital and noticed no nose plugging. This was after I had a conversation with a hearing aid tech who said she had similar issues and removed all of the carpet in her house and the problem with her nose was gone.

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Try an air purifier in your bedroom. It worked for me.

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@lisalucier

Hi, @patrick1000 - Getting your nose plugged up when you're trying to sleep is not fun. I would like to tag some Connect members who've talked about nasal congestion to see if they have input for you on how you're getting so congested in the middle of the night and how you might proceed @collage @chzuck @celia16 @robbie44 @shooei @dedhambeth @pkalkstein @benchi300 @nrd1 @sueinmn and @pml.

I learned that I was not taking all the ipratropium spray I was prescribed when going through my medications with a nurse. I don't think to take it midday, but it might be helpful.

Is there any chance you are not taking the full prescription of anything?

Another thought is that I believe your nasal spray, which I also take, helps most with runny nose. The fluticasone spray helps most with congestion. Have you talked to your doctor about the congestion and if another spray or medication might help?

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I had similar issues and an air purifier greatly reduced the problem.

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@patrick1000

Mostly the same story, still need to find the allergy and see a specialist regarding the passages. I think not just uncomfortable but a bit dangerous to have these sleep problems. I'm going back for a breathing test this year and am amassing a checklist.

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I see others suggested making your home "allergy-friendly" - which we had to do for our kids. We found out we all breathed better.
Here's what our home looks like now:
No carpet except on stairs, no shoes in the house
Washable bedspreads, comforters, blankets and pillows, washed & dried frequently
HEPA air filtration in main living area and bedrooms in addition to whole-house air filter
All window coverings easily washed or dusted
No pets in sleeping areas and we had to get rid of birds and ban friends' cats (specific allergies)
Fragrance-free, allergy-friendly laundry and cleaning products
No scented candles or air fresheners

Our latest approach - adjustable bed with head raised about 20 degrees, has helped too.

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@lisalucier

Hi, @patrick1000 - Getting your nose plugged up when you're trying to sleep is not fun. I would like to tag some Connect members who've talked about nasal congestion to see if they have input for you on how you're getting so congested in the middle of the night and how you might proceed @collage @chzuck @celia16 @robbie44 @shooei @dedhambeth @pkalkstein @benchi300 @nrd1 @sueinmn and @pml.

I learned that I was not taking all the ipratropium spray I was prescribed when going through my medications with a nurse. I don't think to take it midday, but it might be helpful.

Is there any chance you are not taking the full prescription of anything?

Another thought is that I believe your nasal spray, which I also take, helps most with runny nose. The fluticasone spray helps most with congestion. Have you talked to your doctor about the congestion and if another spray or medication might help?

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I had previously found that Blexten works to some degree, but isn't covered by our health care. I've since found that Dymista is better than anything I've used before.

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I have posted about so many things(neuropathy, mainly) that I hesitate to ask another question. About four or five months ago, I began to have serious nasal congestion. Flonase helped a little but was very short-lasting. After a while my voice began to become very muddled, not even sounding like me. Sometimes, it was very difficult to even speak. Early on I had some inner ear pain that eventually subsided. I went to local ENT and was given a look-see up through my nose. I was put on Pantoprazole, Azelastine HCl, 0.1%. Plus, keep up the Flonase. These have not helped significantly. Just short term relief. The Pantoprazole is for supposed acid reflux, although I have never had any expected symptoms. Do I just continue on, squirting all this stuff up my nose and taking another questionable drug? I wanted them to dig deeper, but my ten minutes was up. So frustrating. Any thoughts?

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@heisenberg34

I have posted about so many things(neuropathy, mainly) that I hesitate to ask another question. About four or five months ago, I began to have serious nasal congestion. Flonase helped a little but was very short-lasting. After a while my voice began to become very muddled, not even sounding like me. Sometimes, it was very difficult to even speak. Early on I had some inner ear pain that eventually subsided. I went to local ENT and was given a look-see up through my nose. I was put on Pantoprazole, Azelastine HCl, 0.1%. Plus, keep up the Flonase. These have not helped significantly. Just short term relief. The Pantoprazole is for supposed acid reflux, although I have never had any expected symptoms. Do I just continue on, squirting all this stuff up my nose and taking another questionable drug? I wanted them to dig deeper, but my ten minutes was up. So frustrating. Any thoughts?

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Losing your voice is a symptom of acid reflux. The acid can get into your throat all the way to your sinuses. Not everyone gets heartburn . It is called silent gerd. Try a wedge to sleep on. No fluid or food 3 hours before bed. Sleep only on back and left side. The other positions allow the stomach to release the acid. You can have silent gerd for years and not realize it. The symptoms can vary.

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@ssk999

Losing your voice is a symptom of acid reflux. The acid can get into your throat all the way to your sinuses. Not everyone gets heartburn . It is called silent gerd. Try a wedge to sleep on. No fluid or food 3 hours before bed. Sleep only on back and left side. The other positions allow the stomach to release the acid. You can have silent gerd for years and not realize it. The symptoms can vary.

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Thanks for your reply. I never knew. Maybe the ENT folks know of which they speak. It's just that after four months, I was hoping to feel a little better. Any thoughts as to the timeline for feeling better? Or. could there be something else going on?

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@heisenberg34

Thanks for your reply. I never knew. Maybe the ENT folks know of which they speak. It's just that after four months, I was hoping to feel a little better. Any thoughts as to the timeline for feeling better? Or. could there be something else going on?

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Is your pillow raised? It Has to be to help with gerd.
Follow up with the ENT. Follow up with an allergist maybe also. Sorry I cannot give you better answers.

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I also have severe nasal congestion and tried the various pills and sprays which didn’t help much. The only thing that helped was rinsing the nasal passages with a warm salt/baking soda solution (Neil-Med Sinus Rinse Kit, sold everywhere) 2 to 3times a day. It’s amazing the crud that comes out.

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