The case in summary A new study will investigate whether there is a cure for those who are addicted to nasal sprays. Many people use nasal sprays for longer than recommended, which can lead to damaged mucous membranes and addiction. Nasal spray addiction is a big problem that affects many hundreds of thousands of Norwegians. The study will test a product that is similar to a nasal spray, but which is not addictive. 200 participants will take part in the four-week study. Six medical centers across the country will participate in the study, which is financed by the pharmaceutical company Pharma Nordic. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – It was very tiring. Ingeborg Pape Merengen says so. She was addicted to nasal spray for many years. – I felt that I always had to have it with me, it was also expensive. And it just got worse and worse. In the end, she couldn’t sleep at night, because it felt like her nose was completely blocked. Many people use the nasal spray longer than recommended. It often leads to damaged mucous membranes, and many feel that they have to use nasal spray to breathe normally. Ingeborg finally went to the doctor to ask if it was possible to get help to stop using the spray. Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Ingeborg Pape Meringen Ingeborg couldn’t live without nasal spray. She advises everyone who has become so addicted to just stop. – You have a stuffy nose for a couple of days, then it goes away. And it’s an easy one. Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Abir Hazem Abdalla and Erijona Istrefi Abir (left) does not use nasal spray very often and says she is not addicted. She may have used nasal spray for 4-5 days straight. Erijona (on the right) does not use nasal spray because she finds it unpleasant. She doesn’t understand how someone can become addicted to it. Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Frederic Granseth Frederic says he has a colleague who uses a lot of nasal spray and who buys a new one before the other is empty. He himself does not use nasal spray, but salt water spray only when absolutely necessary. He advises others to hold out and not use nasal spray. Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Mari Sønneland JoaMari only uses nasal spray when she is sick and her nose is stuffy, maybe for a week at a time. She has both cousins and friends who use nasal spray all the time. She says they can’t sleep if they don’t use it. Kari Nygard Tvilde / news Ronja Viklund Ronja uses nasal spray sometimes, but has probably used it for a week at most. She has heard that one can become addicted and is a little afraid of becoming one. She sometimes resorts to nasal sprays with menthol because she finds it unpleasant to have a stuffy nose. A folk disease – It’s unpleasant to have stuffy noses, and then it’s easy to go a little too far, says Fredrik Aaserud Eng, ear-nose-throat specialist. Fredrik Aaserud Eng is an ear-nose-throat specialist at a medical center in Hamar, which is one of six medical centers that will participate in the study. Photo: Stein S Eide / news He refers to nasal spray addiction as a public disease that affects hundreds of thousands of Norwegians. – It is a big problem. It impairs people’s quality of life, and they spend a lot of money on it. They become completely dependent on having the nasal spray nearby. People have one in the bedside drawer, one in the car, one at work and they sit and spray quite a lot. Are you addicted to nasal spray? Yes, I feel sick without it🤧 No, it’s not a problem for me🙅 No, but I use it when I’m sick🤒 Show result – We see that there is often an underlying problem for those who start using nasal spray. It could be nasal polyps or allergies, for example. New study Now it will be investigated whether another nasal spray can be used to get rid of the dependence on nasal spray. In a new study, they will see whether a product similar to a nasal spray can repair damaged mucous membranes and function as a nasal spray – without becoming addicted. The medicine must have an expectorant effect. Several hundred thousand Norwegians are addicted to nasal sprays. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news – Is it really as good as it sounds? – We’ll see when the study is done, says Eng. 200 participants receive either the new type of nasal spray or “cheat spray”. This way they can measure whether there are differences during the four-week study. – Then we test the patients, and we also see how it goes. It will be very exciting, says Eng. The study has been approved by the Directorate for Medical Products. Six medical centers across the country will participate in the study, which is financed by the pharmaceutical company Pharma Nordic. – For society’s part, we hope that this can help with the problem, says the doctor. Help to stop Ingeborg Pape Meringen finally got help from her doctor to stop using the nasal spray. He gave Ingeborg another spray, which was not as strong, but which she was not dependent on either. – Then gradually it passed. And now I never use nasal spray, not even when I have a cold.
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Many hundreds of thousands of Norwegians are addicted – now they must find a solution to the problem – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
