Nasal polyps and Asthma

[Honeysuckle21]

Hi hope everyone is feeling good today, just a quick question, has anyone used Otrivine nasal spray ? And has it worked without any problems? I take Symbicort 200 , Montelukast 10mg . I have tried Steroid nasal sprays and they make my nose bleed and I always seem to end up very chesty when I use them , I suffer with nasal polyps and have problems with my sinuses, when I take Prednisone I can breathe through my nose and smell , it's wonderful, but only take them when I really need to . I don't want to have any operations at the moment but was looking at reducing the polyps in other ways. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you . X

[Hidden]

Sympathies. I came off flixonase - another steroid based nasal spray - a couple of years ago. The main reason for the switch was different to yours, although like you, I did get nose bleeds after using it. I'm now on Rinatec (Ipratropium Bromide).

Is the Rinatec as good? Well, it's certainly not at all bad. It's not quite as effective as the flixonase, but it comes pretty close. I do still get a bit of bleeding (though apparently I don't appear to have any polyps) but it's certainly not as bad.

I now only ever use my nasal spray on an 'as and when needed' basis. This was also true when I was on the flixonase. I suppose you could say that I use it in the same way I might use my reliever inhaler for asthma. My GP is aware of this and is quite happy with it. It was one way to reduce the amount I was taking. Taking the flixonase on a daily basis did tend to cause problems with my sinuses; I was also very aware that sometimes some of the medication could end up going down my oesophagus to my stomach. I certainly haven't had the same level of sinus issues whilst on the Rinatec.

Hope some of this is of use.

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you MaggieHP, that's very informative, at the moment my sense of smell is practical none existent, and my nose blocks up on and off all day long . My consultant did put me on Avamays nasal spray but that seamed to cause problems with my throat . But it's definitely something to talk to my doctor about. Thank you x

[Hidden in reply to Honeysuckle21]

I ought to add (having just thought of this) that there have been occasions when I've used it on a daily basis for a short period of time. Most recently this occurred whilst staying with my sister in law who has a Golden Retriever. I was with her for six days. I started taking the Rinatec on the evening of the day before I went to stay with her and continued to use it on a twice daily basis right through to the evening of the day following the one on which I returned home. I suffered no ill effects from being in that house during that period of time and the only (minor) evidence of bleeding came when I blew my nose for some reason or other.

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to Hidden]

That's interesting, I also have a dog , but suffer more with pollen and grass . But today my chest feels very tight , I have taken some steroids and I'm not wheezing. Just a bit conjested . I also have costochondritus. This is due to having pneumonia, which is what caused all these problems I'm having now . X

[Hidden in reply to Honeysuckle21]

Mine is an all year problem (annoyingly). Most of the really bad triggers I know about. To be fair, cats (or any soft coated animals) are a worse problem for me than dogs or horses, but I don't take any chances. Cow Parsley has been a bad trigger for my allergic rhinitis for many years, so this time of year is usually not a good one for me. Certainly the warning signs were all there where the cow parsley came in to flower about four weeks ago, but then the weather here began to get a little on the damp side. By the time the good weather kicked in last week I suspect there worst of the cow parsley was over. Certainly I've not had any real problems with it this year.

Do you also use eye drops? I do have otrivine antistin eye drops (again used on an 'as and when needed' basis as my eyes can't cope with them being used every day). One of my big warning signs for imminent allergic rhinitis attack is itchy eyes. The eye drops have been a major help with that and have helped to stave off much misery over the past few years.

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to Hidden]

I do have some eye drops , I bought some a few days ago . I use as when needed too . The last few weeks I haven't been too bad , but today I feel as if my chest is in a vice and I have a bit of a mucus cough , not that bad , but I decided to take the steroids just in case it gets worse. So I can breathe through my nose again today , the doctor makes sure I have some in when I feel worse but only take them when I feel bad . My peek flow is above average , so I'm pleased about that , and that was before I took the steroids. X

[bess7771 in reply to Hidden]

to honeysuckle. BEWARE BIG TIME of otrivine. people over-use it and cause permanent irreversible nasal lining damage. it is highly effective but should be used only for special occasions eg job interview or singing in the choir ( LOL) or something.....it MUST not be used regularly and thge girls at the chemist and indeed some chemists themselves and maybe even some improperly trained doctors ( of which there are many) do not point this out or even know it. otrivine will cause an overgrowth of the nasal lining. HOWEVER flixinase works differently and although it may seem not as immediately effective as otrivine, it will not cause the lasting damage that otrivine does. check this out with an ENT doctor, he will confirm this.

[Hidden in reply to bess7771]

Bess7771 whilst I can't comment on otrivine nasal spray (having never used it) I can comment on flixonase. Certainly I never developed nasal polyps whilst using it (but I only used it sporadically, though admittedly over a period of fifteen years or so) but certainly I did find that it caused some nasal bleeding. Nothing major, but it did happen. I also experienced problems with my sinuses when on it, which is another reason why I tried not to use it too often. I acknowledge it was fantastically effective - there is no doubt it was, but it was not without side effects. I'm now on Rinatec (Ipratropium bromide) which I have to say is pretty good.

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to Hidden]

I think I might need to take a trip to see my doctor and change the nasal spray , thanks for all your replies they have been very informative. It's definitely given me something to think about . X

[bess7771 in reply to Hidden]

yes flixanase causes bleeding, but not huge nose bleeds as such. they say take it daily ( or is it twice daily? cant recall) . but one wdnt want a bleeding nose every day, thats for sure! so i downed my use of it, taking one puff every two or three days in the car going to work, and i found that helped the stuffiness and i had no bleeds. i guess experimenting is what i did, and found a happy medium.

yes, polyps are a pain, i had mine removed and they grew back again. they are common with asthmatics, dont think theres much we can do about them, wish there was.

but otrivine is bad news, brilliant for a very special occasion when its important not to be seen mouth-breathing, but to be avoided on a general basis

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to bess7771]

Yes I think I will leave the Otrivine in the cupboard unopened and try the way you used your spray maybe I can get on top of it so I can breathe through my nose and smell things again . You have helped me a lot . Thank you 😊

[Taztarr]

I suffered very badly from nasal polyps for years without doing anything about it. Eventually it got so bad I had no sense of smell, no taste and sneezed like the very worst hay fever several times a day. I saw a consultant two years ago and he put me on flixonase drops. After just a week I was tasting food again and able to take a drink (alcohol was a huge sneezing trigger) without popping a benadryl first. After the course of flixonase the polyps had shrunk away and now I take a daily avamys spray to keep them at bay. I have not noticed any side effects with flixonase or avamys.

My consultant did suggest exhaling my daily QVAR preventative inhaler through each nostril. As he said it is the same beconase steroid as in over the counter nasal sprays and every little helps.

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to Taztarr]

Hi Tazarr thanks for replying, that's very interesting, maybe I'll ask my doctor for the drops , sounds promising. I still have some Avamays , and I'll try exhaling my preventive inhaler through my nose , never thought of that . Years ago I was prescribed Beconase nasal spray and that helped reduce the polyps greatly but I'm not sure if it's the same one you can buy over the counter . X

[bess7771]

honeysuckle did you get my warning about otrivine??

[Honeysuckle21 in reply to bess7771]

Thanks bess771 for some reason I missed your message , but have seen it now . That's the last thing I need so I won't be reaching for the Otrivine . I have not used it since I bought it months ago , afraid of making things worse. But now I know thanks to you I won't be using it . Thank you x