Montelukast for swollen turbinates?

[75stillkicking]

My nasal passages are always clogged making it difficult to breathe. Doc sent e to ENT who prescribed a steroid spray which didn't do anything after 2 months of use. My next option is surgery but I'm very hestitant to have it done.

Talking with my regular again, he prescribed Montelukast. I don't have any wheezing or chest issues. Mine is all in my nose. The slightest bit of dried mucus (snot) bothers me and I try to pick it out all the time.

Has anyone have similar problems and take Montelukast

[Troilus]

Hi there. I had exactly what you are talking about. My nose was constantly stuffy and I couldn’t blow it for about 18 months. My GP said to just keep on using the steroid nasal spray which I did for more than a year with no difference.

He put me on Montelukast for my asthma, but the most noticeable effect was I could feel fresh air going in through my nose, probably within hours of taking it. It wasn’t long before I could blow my nose. This is a strange thing to say if someone has never experienced this, but it was actually a pleasure.

Mind you, it took me a while to remember to do it. I would think, oh....my nose is stuffed up again.......and then after a couple of minutes I would remember to blow it!

I hope it has the same effect for you.

[Josephone]

I had chronic sinus issues for years coupled with eusonofilic asthma. I had surgery to remove polyps in my sinuses and have been on avamys for about 5 years, I also use sinus rinse whenever I’m a bit blocked up which is not very often. Feel vastly better now. Hope that is helpful

[Glty]

Yes, I've had issues with chronic rhinitis for years, treated with antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays. Eventually it caused chronic sinusitis and my ENT advised surgery. This fixed the sinusitis, but not the rhinitis. I've since been put on dymista, which was an absolute game changer, but not a complete fix and more recently my GP added in montelukast as my asthma was deteriorating, it didn't improve my asthma, but my nasal symptoms are definitely better. I also use the NeilMed sinus irrigation bottles and a saline spray through the day. Without them I get really itchy crusting. Hope this helps.

[Sjb10]

My daughter (15) was constantly struggling with blocked nose and convinced this is cause of asthma issues. Think Montelukast helped a bit but what’s really helped (nose stuff anyway) is change to Avamys after using Nasofan , Dymista etc but as others have said using NeilMed sinus rinse 20 mins before Avamys to clear out gunk so steroid spray can actually reach whete it needs to. ENT consultant also talked her through exactly how to use Avamys spray correctly too. I hope you feel better soon.

[Beadaholic]

So, I had the surgery. The polyps were removed, the turbines reduced, & my nasal passages were reformed using rhinoplasty. The pretty much complete recovery was less than a week, & I feel better. No more nasal spray. Breathing is much easier, blowing is easier, I saw a remarkable improvement. I’m glad that I had it done.

[75stillkicking in reply to Beadaholic]

I dread the surgery for a couple reasons. In addition to being a big baby where pain and discomfort is concerned, I use a CPAP for sleep apnea. This is primarily due to being fat. I did loose 80 lbs in last two years (down from 330 to 250). This allowed me to turn the pressure down. If not for the swollen turbinates, I think I could have stopped using the CPAP. The air pressure "inflates" airway in my throat where the obstruction causes snoring and can cause me to stop breathing momentarily.

With the reduced pressure, for sleep apnea, I found I still needed pressure to inflate passages in my nose (turbinates) which allows me to breathe. Then, sadly, I managed to "find" 30 of the 80 lbs I lost, compounding the problem.

On a daily basis, my nasal passages go through phases. When I first wake up and take the CPAP off, my nose is almost closed. Off and on during the day, it will open up. Although I can't see up there, my mental picture is my nasal airway is very small. The slightest bit of mucus can stop my nose. (yeah, I'm picking buggers off and on.) Occassionaly, "things" will open up and I can feel cool, fresh air, which feels great but doesn't last long.

Any external pressure on my nose makes it worse. This includes he stupid COVID 19 masks, which among other things fogs my glasses up and gives me a headache for lack of oxygen. As an added bonus, the ear straps knock my hearing aids off. I've come close to loosing one of them a couple times. Poof! $1,500. down the drain for one of them!

My other concern is following surgery, will I be able to wear the mask or will the discomfort make it impossible and I won't get any sleep. Isn't getting old fun?

[Carmel13]

Try using Sterimar nasal spray it's great and has no harmful meds in. It's a salt water based spray.

[Smoggy1990Boggy]

I use streamer before the nasal spray works really well. Asthma UK helpline nurses recommended it