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Ipratropium Nasal - Uses, Side Effects, And More
Who should not use nasal ipratropium?Allergies to Ingredients. People who are allergic to any of the following should not use nasal ipratropium.
Your pharmacist can tell you all of the ingredients in the specific nasal ipratropium products they stock.
What should I know about nasal ipratropium before using it?Do not use nasal ipratropium unless it has been prescribed to you by a healthcare provider. Use it as prescribed.
Do not share nasal ipratropium with other people, even if they have the same condition as you. It may harm them.
Keep nasal ipratropium out of the reach of children.
Do not drive or do other activities that require alertness or coordination until you know how nasal ipratropium affects you.
Avoid getting nasal ipratropium in your eyes. If nasal ipratropium accidently gets into your eyes, flush them with cool water for several minutes. Call your healthcare provider right away if you get nasal ipratropium in your eyes and you have eye pain or blurry vision.
Follow the instructions for use when using nasal ipratropium for the first time or when you haven't used it in more than 24 hours. The medicine needs to be primed, so you get the correct dose.
What should I tell my healthcare provider before using nasal ipratropium?Tell your healthcare provider about all of your health conditions and any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. This will help them determine if nasal ipratropium is right for you.
In particular, make sure that you discuss any of the following before using nasal ipratropium.
Current and Past Health Conditions. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any of the following.
Other Medicines and Supplements. Nasal ipratropium may interact with other medicines and supplements. Before using nasal ipratropium, tell your healthcare provider about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using. See the Interactions section below for more details.
Pregnancy. It is not known if or how nasal ipratropium could affect pregnancy or harm an unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you are or plan to become pregnant. Your healthcare provider will advise you if you should use nasal ipratropium while you are pregnant or trying to get pregnant.
Breastfeeding. Nasal ipratropium may pass into breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Your healthcare provider will advise you if you should use nasal ipratropium while breastfeeding.
Allergy Relief: Antihistamines Vs. Decongestants
The two most common types of allergy medications are antihistamines and decongestants. Antihistamines and decongestants don't cure your allergies, but they'll give you much-needed relief for a runny or congested nose. They're available both as a prescription and over the counter (OTC) in several forms:
Histamine is a chemical your immune system makes. It does a few things, such as regulating your sleep cycle. But it also helps send signals between cells, which is part of why you have allergy symptoms. Antihistamines are medicines that block histamine from binding to your cells, which can make your symptoms better.
Antihistamines come in several forms, such as pills, liquids, nasal sprays, or eye drops. Pills target itching, sneezing, and runny nose. Nasal sprays work on congestion, an itchy or runny nose, and postnasal drip.
Antihistamines can ease your symptoms, but they work best when you take them before you feel a reaction. They can build up in your blood to protect against allergens and block the release of histamines. Ask your doctor if you should start taking allergy medicine a couple of weeks before you usually have symptoms.
Some common antihistamines you can get OTC as pills or liquids are:
Antihistamine eye drops
These can help ease itchy eyes and problems with your nose. You can try:
Antihistamines are classified as first- or second-generation. First-generation antihistamines can easily cross over from your bloodstream to your brain, so they can make you feel very sleepy. On the other hand, second-generation antihistamines don't tend to cross over into your brain as easily, so they don't make you feel as sleepy.
Examples of first-generation antihistamines include:
Examples of second-generation antihistamines include:
Decongestants work by reducing the swelling in the blood vessels in your nose. This relieves your blocked and stuffy nose and helps open your airways.
Decongestants are available in various forms, such as nasal sprays, eye drops, tablets, capsules, liquids, and powders.
Decongestants aren't recommended for people with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma, or hyperthyroidism.
Examples of common decongestants you can get OTC as tablets or capsules include:
Some medications combine decongestants with other medicines, such as pain relievers and/or antihistamines.
Examples of these include:
Decongestant nasal sprays
These work faster than tablets or capsules. Examples include:
Don't use nasal sprays for more than a few days in a row because they can worsen your swelling and stuffiness. This is called a "rebound reaction." You get temporary relief, but your symptoms come back worse than before. So, if you use nasal decongestant sprays, limit it to a maximum of 3 days.
Corticosteriods (or steroids) are a powerful way to fight stuffiness, as they get to the root of the problem by directly reducing your swelling. They can be especially helpful, for instance, if you have seasonal allergies and you know you're going to be stuffy until the season changes.
These also come in several forms, including sprays, inhalers, eye drops, pills, liquids, and creams.
Steroid nasal sprays
Nasal steroids are a type of nose spray and are often the first drugs recommended for allergies.
They lessen your whole allergic inflammatory process. Plus they target all your allergy symptoms, not just congestion.
You can get these OTC:
If you decide to use one, be patient. You don't get the full effect for several days or even a week. But if you use it daily, it can be very effective. You can also use steroids together with antihistamines or decongestants to get extra relief. Or, use an antihistamine or decongestant for short-term relief while you wait for your steroids to work.
Allergy shots (allergen immunotherapy)
You may want to consider them if you have allergy congestion all year and medication doesn't help much. It gets your body used to the things that trigger your hay fever so you won't have an allergic reaction.
Allergy shots can be very effective, but they don't work quickly. You get a series of injections over several years. Each one has a small dose of the stuff that causes your allergies.
Some allergists are turning to another form of immunotherapy, called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), which doesn't use injections. You may be able to take a pill that dissolves after you put it under your tongue. Examples are Grastek, Oralair, and Ragwitek. You need to take the first one at a doctor's office, but after that, you can use them at home.
Mast cell stabilizers
Mast cells are a type of immune system cell. They release chemicals that can cause your allergy symptoms. Mast cell stabilizers keep these cells from releasing their chemicals. Your doctor may prescribe these for you when antihistamines don't work for you or if you have intolerable side effects. You usually need to use these for a few days before they take full effect.
They come as nasal sprays, such as cromolyn sodium (NasalCrom), and eye drops, such as:
Leukotriene inhibitors
Leukotrienes are other chemicals that your immune system releases, causing symptoms. Leukotriene inhibitors block these chemicals from binding to your cells. This eases congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. Only one type is available for hay fever: montelukast (Singulair).
Emergency epinephrine shots
These are used for people with anaphylaxis, which is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Your doctor can prescribe it for you. If you have serious allergies, you should keep at least two of these with you at all times. They come as auto-injecting syringes.
Some of these drugs need a prescription. Others don't. First, try an OTC brand. But check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure you have the right medication for your symptoms. If you don't get relief, ask for something stronger.
Check drug labels for more information about side effects.
Antihistamines side effects
You shouldn't drive when you take antihistamines , especially first-generation antihistamines, as they can make you drowsy. These include brompheniramine (Nasahist B), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), clemastine (Dayhist, Tavist), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl). Second-generation antihistamines usually don't make you drowsy. Examples include desloratadine (Clarinex), fexofenadine (Allegra), and loratadine (Alavert, Claritin).
Decongestants side effects
Decongestants can also cause side effects, such as:
You shouldn't take decongestants if you have certain health issues, including high blood pressure or heart problems. If you have prostate problems that make it hard to pee, these drugs can make the problem worse.
Antihistamines and decongestants are the two most commonly used types of allergy medications. They don't cure your allergies, but they can make your symptoms go away for a while. You can even combine them (or buy a combination medication) if you don't get relief from one or the other.
Constant Runny Nose? It Might Not Be Allergies
Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
Key TakeawaysChronic rhinosinusitis is a persistent inflammatory condition that causes the sinuses to swell for more than three months.
Chronic rhinosinusitis and seasonal allergies share symptoms, including runny nose, phlegm in the throat, and sneezing, making it tricky for a primary care provider to diagnose the condition.
Chronic rhinosinusitis can be treated, but experts recommend seeing an ENT specialist to get to the bottom of symptoms.
As we segue from winter illnesses to spring allergies, runny noses may feel perpetual. If you're finding allergy medications aren't helping with your drippiness, it's time to consider whether you're experiencing a different condition.
Your runny nose could be from chronic rhinosinusitis, a persistent inflammatory condition that causes the sinuses to swell for more than three months.
You could even have allergies and chronic rhinosinusitis at the same time. According to a recent study that included 219 patients, 91.3% were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis—also known as seasonal allergies. Nearly half of the patients (45.2%) who had allergic rhinitis were also diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis.
Since a runny nose is a symptom of both chronic rhinosinusitis and seasonal allergies, it's common for people to assume it's from allergies. While over the counter (OTC) allergy medications can treat allergies, they won't be much help for people who have chronic rhinosinusitis. If left untreated, chronic rhinosinusitis can make breathing uncomfortable, affect your quality of sleep, and decrease productivity.
Here's how to tell if your runny nose might be chronic rhinosinusitis and what you can do about it.
Related: How Do You Know If You Have Allergies?
Signs a Runny Nose Isn't AllergiesThere are some telltale signs that those pesky springtime allergens floating around might not be the reason your nose is running like a tap. For one, if your runny nose lasts longer than you'd expect from allergies and/or OTC allergy medications aren't helping it, those are some indications that allergies might not be the underlying cause.
"As healthcare providers, we're very suspicious that people who have these long-term nasal symptoms could have chronic rhinosinusitis," Jayant Pinto, MD, director of rhinology and allergy at University of Chicago Medicine, told Verywell. "People who take antihistamines, intranasal steroids, or nasal spray and don't get better are people we suspect might have chronic inflammation of the sinuses that needs other treatment."
While it may not be as common, it's worth noting that sometimes, a runny nose can be caused by serious conditions, such as a tumor in the nose or a cerebrospinal fluid leak, Zara M. Patel, MD, professor of otolaryngology and director of endoscopic skull base surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, told Verywell. Since there can be many causes, Patel recommends visiting an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist for a thorough workup.
Related: How to Get Relief From Allergy Symptoms
How Is Chronic Rhinosinusitis Treated?OTC allergy medications are often enough to provide relief from allergy symptoms, but they don't usually help with chronic rhinosinusitis. The good news is that rhinosinusitis tends to be responsive to treatments as long as the specialist you're working with (usually an otolaryngologist or rhinologist) has looked into all the possible causes and chosen the most effective treatment.
Approaches can be different for each person based on their symptoms and overall health, but common chronic rhinosinusitis treatments are antibiotics or steroids along with nose and sinus cavity sprays.
"Intranasal steroids, which are a standard first step, could control the inflammation in the nose," said Pinto, adding that steroids, which reduce inflammation in the nose, can help people with both allergies and chronic rhinosinusitis. A saline wash using a neti pot can also be useful because it clears out the nasal passage.
You can progress to more intense treatments if needed.
"If these options are not enough to definitely resolve the problem, sinus surgery is the next step," said Patel, adding that surgery can clear out current inflammation and get a patient back to a normal baseline.
However, surgery is only one component of treatment and "does nothing to change the underlying reactivity or disease process which led to the inflammation in the first place, so there has to be a plan in place for how to control that underlying reactivity after surgery to prevent relapse," said Patel.
Related: What Are the Symptoms of Morning Allergies?
How to Tell If You Have Chronic RhinosinusitisPatel said that chronic rhinosinusitis is fairly easy for ENTs to diagnose. However, if you're seeing a non-specialist, like your primary care provider, it may be harder for them to spot it.
"Because primary care providers lack the special equipment and instrumentation ENT doctors have for looking deep inside the nose, the only way for them to correctly diagnose rhinosinusitis would be with a CT scan," said Patel. This can lead to patients being overdiagnosed with sinusitis because the symptoms often overlap with allergies. They may also be underdiagnosed and treated for a longer time than they would have been if they'd been able to see a specialist.
If you're perplexed about the reason for persistent runny nose, it's worth talking to your provider about. If they're not sure, they can refer you to a specialist.
"Because there are so many different etiologies of a runny nose, if the runny nose lasts longer than expected, or is not treated well by typical over-the-counter allergy medication, it's a good idea to see an otolaryngologist (ENT)," said Patel.
What This Means For YouIf you have a runny nose that isn't getting better with over-the-counter allergy medications and lasts longer than three months, experts recommend seeing an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist to find out if a chronic condition, rather than allergies, might be causing your symptoms.
Read Next: The 7 Best At-Home Allergy Tests of 2024
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
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