Quite a number of medications carry warnings about this, and if you are not aware of it, you might become victim, as I did. I had constantly recurring nasal congestion, and being that I hate breathing through my mouth, I resorted to using a nasal spray, "Afrin", still on the OTC market, my experience with it happening in 1983. At first, I needed it only every few days. Gradually, it was like addictive, I couldn't leave the house without it, fearing sudden congestion. I believe I had the "paradoxical reaction" to the drug, Oxymetazoline, which the literature provided warned about. I never believed it. Began to wonder if such drugs were marketed with the aim of getting buyers "hooked". I strove for weeks to quit using the stuff. Somehow, almost miraculously, one morning I was breathing clearly through my nose, and we left for town without the "fix". Something had changed. I kept breathing OK, and never took another snort of it. Be careful and cautious, if meds hint at Paradoxical Reaction possibilities. Frank
Absolutely right Frank - My Fabs was addicted to the stuff too and if I recall correctly Oprah too Bad news that stuff - take with caution
My husband has the same problem of clogged nose at night so when he breathes thru his mouth, he gets parched throat which is painful. He would wake up and rush for a glass of water to drink. But he discovered that he would be breathing thru his mouth only if he would sleep on his right side but when he sleeps on his left side, everything is okay. That means the anatomical structure has something to do with that. Although I have no issue on whether I sleep on my left or on my right but I am now conscious that I should maybe sleep on my left side for good measure.
All of my life, I have had to carry a kleenex or paper towel along with me, more so in my adult life than when I was a kid, although even then it plagued me somewhat. My mom always carried a kleenex in her purse; so maybe she had the same thing. Anyway, after I read about using the hydrogen peroxide for nasal congestion, I do that every now and then, and it seems to clear up my nose just fine. I have used nasal spray, and it does work; but I usually just use the peroxide instead, and there is nothing in that which might be addictive.
@Corie Henson I saw a product not long ago which I have considered trying to make myself. When sleeping, the muscles relax, allowing the jaw to droop open, then breathing through the mouth follows. I, too, get a bad dry and painful throat from this. The product was a stretchy strip of elastic of some kind, which is placed under the chin and stretched up onto the top of the heads. Not very comfortable, I don't think, but should work, assuming one could fall asleep with it in place. I thought about maybe a slice from an old auto inner tube.... Frank
@Frank Sanoica, that strip looks like what they're selling on home shopping tv, those products which have a label that says.. no approved therapeutic claims. Besides, if it makes you uncomfortable then you just have to choose between 2 discomforts, huh. We have a friend who was suffering from vertigo and since she has to travel frequently, she resorted to the patch It is a piece of strip that she attached to her arm. It was good because no more vertigo. However, she got sort of addicted that she couldn't sleep without it. So we are warned of those patches.
@Corie Henson I myself have vertigo which varies in affect. It started over ten years ago, extreme dizziness, then vomiting, sometimes, lying down for an hour became mandatory. Dr. prescribed motion sickness med, same as available OTC, Meclizine. It did nothing. Over the years the severity has decreased, but some effects persist. I live with it, (little choice, considering the alternative!).
Frank; You are one of the luck one’s I had difficulty breathing and started nasal spray recommended by my doctor for years ending up in the hospital having my noise reamed out because I found out after wards that when using what was prescribed the inflammation gets worst. Also found out after wards that we only breathe through one nostril at a time and then switches to the other which is normal but most people do not notice.