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Treating a blocked nose due to a cold

Pinkorchid

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,927
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
At the moment I have got a bad cold my nose is streaming and is totally blocked up. I hardly slept the last couple of nights because of this and even eating is difficult with a blocked nose.. As I take blood pressure tablets I must not use decongestants so does anyone here have a remedy that works for unblocking the nasal passages that does not involve decongestants or know of anything available at the chemist that I could use
 
Hi @Pinkorchid ,

Oddly enough, I came down with a bad case of lurgy last weekend after a flu jab Saturday morn...

My focus has been on a realy bad & annoying cough..? To deal with this I've been drinking hot water with sliced lemon.
Oddly enough it keeps the cough at bay, rehydrates me, & has made the bunged up nasal cavities easier to clear...
In the evening I have added whiskey.

My personal view on decongestants are they alway seem to dry my head to the point, any mucus is harder to shift?

I apreciate your on BP medication.
It's worth mentioning "Olbas oil".. (May need cross referencing with your meds.?) A few drops in a bowl of hot water, inhaling the vapour with a towel over ones head to contain? Though for me this can be a little harsh on the throat..

Hope this helps. Get well soon!
 
It’s a self limiting disease and will eventually get better. Good old fashioned steam inhaling with something menthol may help. If you have the dosh, maybe some complimentary therapies?
 
I often suffer from a blocked nose due to recurring sinusitis. I usually go to bed with a olbas oil sprinkled onto a hanky, tucked into the neck of pyjamas. The vapour usually keeps my breathing clear until morning.

Hope your cold improves soon.
 
wiflib said:
It’s a self limiting disease and will eventually get better. Good old fashioned steam inhaling with something menthol may help.
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I've not had a cold for years - but that used to be my tried and tested "bunged up" nose remedy too - mind you I had to watch the menthol as it could blow the top of my head off if I overdid the amount I used...:***:

Robbity
 
you know, I have never been informed about over the counter remedies and a clash with bp meds......

**** it...
 
I would highly recommend Sterimar. It is a salt water spray for up your nose. I had persistant catarrh until I discovered this....it was like a miracle.
 
Thanks yes I do use Oil of Olbas few drops on a tissue but haven't tried inhaling the vapour in water yet but will try it.I have read to that warm water with lemon juice can help to loosen the mucus so I have been drinking that today
 
HelenHak said:
I would highly recommend Sterimar. It is a salt water spray for up your nose. I had persistant catarrh until I discovered this....it was like a miracle.
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Thanks I have looked it up and Boots sell it so will go and get some tomorrow should help my allergic rhinitis that I have all year round as well
 
novorapidboi26 said:
you know, I have never been informed about over the counter remedies and a clash with bp meds......

**** it...
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Just chemists ask if I'm taking bp meds then informme they are not allowed to sell certain meds to me. Sudafed, is one of them.
I found a sugar free covornia but not allowed due to bp.

GP is good enough to prescribe me a soother for cough and throat, which does take the edge off with paracetamol every 4hrs when ill with temperature. Normally due to a cold.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed so tightly to not suffer like last year. A&E visits with chest pains. Mind you I have inhalers for asthma which I didn't have last winter too.
I'm sooo keen to see spring asap.
 
I use camomile. Boil water in a medium sized pot then put camomile in it. Then what I do is take the pot on the table and bend above the steam, cover myself and the pot with a large towel so the camomiles steam stays inside and I just take deep breaths like that for about 15-20 minutes. Clears everything for me, but be careful not to burn urself! Hope u get well soon! X
 
Maybe look into using a netti pot - works wonders and fast too - once you get use to the salt water coming out the opposite nostril
 
I find that a 1000mg tablet of vitamin C always makes my nose run and clears any blockage.

And for difficulty sleeping with a cold I always fall back on Nightnurse capsules. Not the liquid, because that is not advised for diabetics, but the last time I checked, the capsules were fine. Nothing like a bad night's sleep to make a cold feel 10x worse!
 
If I'm struggling with a blocked nose, before bed, I just smear a tiny bit of Vic Vapor Rub on my throat; just under my chin.

Whilst we do have some Olbas Oil here, I find it to be quite aggressive, and prefer either the children's option, or Karvol capsules, which are much gentler.

I find if the Olbas (or whatever) to too aggressive, it clears my head, but it doesn't last and I end up more blocked than I started with.
 

I have the same problem re: blood pressure and decongestants. I've been told by my ENT specialist that I can use Beconase nasal spray or a salt nasal spray. For the salt one I use a nasal spray bottle, but make my own refill salt solution. I also use a nasal wash. I use a steamer with menthol crystals and Olbas Oil on a hanky.

None of these things clear my nose as well as a sniff of decongestant, but they definitely don't raise my blood pressure either, nor to they have the rebound effect of decongestant where your nose gets twice as blocked when you stop using it.

Check before you take any Nightnurse medication, as it can raise your BP. My GP said I'm better off with a hot lemon drink and a couple of paracetemol at bedtime.

Keep drinking water, as being well hydrated helps, and keep those nasal passages moist.

Then, chant the mantra "this too shall pass" until it all settles back down!
 
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I never really get colds. I seem to just get full blown man flu, and often is the case with man flu, the condition is so severe, that a blocked up nose is the least of your worries. I actually find just going outside clears a blocked nose. If I stay in the house, I get congested but if I'm outside it sort of clears up somewhat.
 
Wow, that observation really rang a bell with me. I used to get 'bunged up' coming indoors, and that would clear, going out into colder weather again.
Don't notice it so much these days. Perhaps I drink more water ? Perhaps it's the vit C @Brunneria mentioned ?
Geoff
p.s. an an over-60 I ALWAYS thought that if you weren't in bed, you didn't have flu. It appears not. Symptoms can range from non-existent, through mild, to bed-confining. I spent a week off work with a 'bad cold' I'm now convinced was flu.
 
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librarising said:
p.s. an an over-60 I ALWAYS thought that if you weren't in bed, you didn't have flu. It appears not. Symptoms can range from non-existent, through mild, to bed-confining. I spent a week off work with a 'bad cold' I'm now convinced was flu.
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I think the difference between a heavy cold and flu is with flu you can barely lift your head of the pillow you feel so ill and you ache in places you never knew you had Thankfully I only ever had the flu once and that was in the days long before I had the flu jab
 
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RosieLKH said:
I have the same problem re: blood pressure and decongestants. I've been told by my ENT specialist that I can use Beconase nasal spray or a salt nasal spray.
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I actually do get Beconase nasal sprays on prescription along with antihistamines because I have allergic rhinitis all year round but that actually works best for me during the hay fever season as the rhinitis is always worse then with the sneezing and nose running. Beconase is supposed to lines the inside of the nose to stop the allergens irritating it but does not do much for a blocked nose
 
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