The rebound effect can last from one to three days, she adds.Ģ Don’t double your decongestants. “When you stop using the spray, the vessels in your nose that have been held in check begin to swell, making you feel congested,” says Beverly Schaefer, an independent pharmacist in Seattle. Using them longer than that can lead to rebound congestion - short-term, severe congestion that occurs as the medication’s effect wears off.

Three days in a row is the maximum time recommended for taking over-the-counter decongestant drops or sprays. Here are some do’s and don’ts for using nasal sprays, including when to shelve them and switch to an oral decongestant:ġ Do use them sparingly. (This assumes that you don’t exceed the recommended dose and that you avoid tilting your head back while using the medication, which could cause some of it to drip down your throat.)Īnother caveat: Using the sprays for too long can actually leave you feeling stuffier than you were to begin with. That means that unlike pills, they’re usually not absorbed into the bloodstream in significant amounts. While bringing almost immediate relief (and an occasional but brief burning sensation in your nasal passage), decongestant sprays or drops cause fewer side effects than oral decongestants such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed and its generics), in part because they’re mainly topical treatments. Synephrine and its generics), which lasts up to four hours.

Most contain one of two main active ingredients: oxymetazoline (found in Afrin, Dristan, Vicks Sinex and similar generics), which can relieve congestion for up to 12 hours, and phenylephrine (found in Neo. Over-the-counter decongestant nasal sprays provide fast relief by shrinking the swollen blood vessels in your nasal passages, helping you breathe more easily.

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