How to Treat Nasal Congestion and Sinus Pressure
Relief for Sinus Congestion
Stock your medicine cabinet and try these tips to reduce sinus pain and pressure.
Stock your medicine cabinet and try these tips to reduce sinus pain and pressure.
Nasal congestion and sinus pressure caused by colds and other passing infections usually clear up within a few days. Symptoms caused by allergies or other airborne irritants can come and go. While you’re waiting for relief, you may be able to tame symptoms with some nonprescription remedies.
These medicines help reduce the swelling in your nasal passages and ease the stuffiness and sinus pressure.
They come as nasal sprays, such as naphazoline (Privine), oxymetazoline (Afrin, Dristan, Nostrilla, Vicks Sinus Nasal Spray), or phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine, Rhinall, Sinex).
They also come as pills, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), and in liquid cold and flu formulas. One drug — phenylephrine (Sudafed PE and others) — has long been sold as a decongestant, but isn’t effective in pill and liquid forms, according to the FDA.
Follow the directions for using these drugs. Don’t use decongestant pills or liquid medicines for more than a week without checking with your doctor. And don’t use a decongestant nasal spray for more than three days, because it could make your congestion worse.
Also, decongestants can raise your blood pressure, so check with your doctor first if you have any health issues or take other medicines. Never give decongestants or any over-the-counter cold medicine to children under age 4.
If allergies are behind your nasal congestion and sinus pressure, allergy medicines containing antihistamines may help ease symptoms by controlling part of the allergic reaction. They relieve sniffling and sneezing. You might use them along with a decongestant.
Antihistamines can also help with nonallergic rhinitis.
Some nonprescription antihistamines can make you sleepy, but some don’t. You might make different choices during the day and at night. Nighttime cold medicines often contain a sedating antihistamine.
Read and follow the label, and talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions.
Steroid nasal sprays
These can help lower inflammation and nasal stuffiness caused by allergies or nonallergic rhinitis. They can take a couple of days to kick in, so it’s ideal to start them before you have symptoms — like a little before your worst allergy season. If you use them for allergies, keep using them throughout the season.
Menthol
Medicated ointments that have menthol or camphor in them can’t ease congestion. But when you rub some on your chest or throat and breathe it in, the strong odor might trick your brain into thinking you are breathing better. They aren’t safe to put on your face.
Although they won’t clear up congestion, pain relievers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen can ease the pain caused by sinus pressure. Follow the dosing instructions on the label.
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