Nasal congestion (commonly referred to as "stuffy nose") is the symptom of numerous respiratory diseases and is characterized by "inflammation of the nasal mucosa accompanied by vasodilation, swelling and accumulation of mucus.
The main causes of a blocked nose can lie in pathological conditions, such as colds, allergies, nasal polyps, sinusitis, etc.
Nasal congestion can create situations of more or less marked discomfort, for this reason - in addition to the treatment of the primary cause that caused the symptom - it may be useful to resort to the use of decongestant drugs that can give relief to the patient.
Some decongestant drugs, in fact, in the appropriate pharmaceutical form, are also used in the treatment of congestion of the ocular mucosa that typically occurs in the presence of allergies. In this article, however, we will focus mainly on the main aspects and characteristics of decongestants nasal.
direct. More precisely, these molecules exert an "agonist action against the alpha-1 adrenergic receptors.Among these decongestant drugs, the most used are:
- Ephedrine (Argotone®).
- Pseudoephedrine (Actifed tablets®, Actifed syrup®, Actigrip®).
- Phenylephrine (Tachifludec®), this active ingredient is available in pharmaceutical formulations for both topical and oral use. Furthermore, phenylephrine also finds uses in the ophthalmology field, where it is used as a mydriatic agent.
- Nafazolina (Rinazina®, Imidazyl Antistaminico®, Collirio Alfa®, Indaco®); naphazoline is used as a decongestant for both the nasal mucosa and the ocular mucosa, for this reason it is available in pharmaceutical formulations such as nasal sprays and eye drops.
- Xylometazoline (Actigrip nasale ®, Otrivin®, Argotone nasal decongestant®), also in this case, xylometazoline is an active ingredient used as a nasal and ocular decongestant.
- Oxymetazoline (Actifed nasale®, Vicks Sinex®), active ingredient used only as a nasal decongestant by topical local route.
Most of these decongestant drugs are available in pharmaceutical preparations either alone or in association with other active ingredients with properties similar to theirs, or in association with antihistamine, antibacterial or antipyretic drugs (such as, for example, paracetamol ).
alpha-1 adrenergics.Thanks to this activity, these active ingredients are able to induce a constriction of the smooth muscles of the blood vessels present in the nasal mucosa. In doing so, decongestants reduce the local blood flow, consequently decreasing the swelling that characterizes the state of nasal congestion and favoring the patency of the upper airways.
, hypertension, tachycardia and insomnia. Sometimes, they can also cause drowsiness and sedation.
Furthermore, following the "abuse and use for long periods of time of the aforementioned decongestant drugs, a sort of paradoxical effect may occur which causes a worsening of the symptoms of a stuffy nose (addiction)."
For more details, please refer to the articles dedicated to each active ingredient on this site. Equally important is the reading of the package leaflet of the decongestant to be used.
