Skip to main content

How does oxymetazoline work to clear your nasal passages?

Oxymetazoline Hydrochloride is a topical nasal decongestant that is often found in most OTC nasal sprays like Otrivin in India. It works quite effectively with regards to relieving people from nasal congestion caused by things like colds, allergies, or sinusitis by constricting blood vessels in the nasal passages. The medication is an alpha-adrenergic receptor binder, meaning that it binds to the alpha-adrenergic receptors.

These receptors are found on the smooth muscle cells which line blood vessels in the nasal mucosa. When oxymetazoline is applied to the nasal mucosa through droplets, it stimulates the receptors and triggers them to cause constriction of nasal blood vessels. Through vasoconstriction, there is a reduce in blood flow to the region, causing decreased swelling and inflammation. It also reduces how much mucus is produced, since it reduces the quantity of fluid that leaks into the passages. Thus, air can flow more freely in the passage, providing relief from the blocked nose sensation. 

The oxymetazoline is typically administered nasally in the form of a spray, or sometimes in the form of drops. The typical dosage is one spray in each nostril every 10-12 hours, with no more than two dosages in 24 hours due to its ability to dangerously restrict nasal blood vessel flow. However, it should not be used for more than 3 consecutive days due to the ability for it to lead to rhinitis medicamentosa (rebound congestion) since the nasal passages may become even more constricted after the medication course if not followed properly.

Individuals with heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid disorders are usually recommended to the use the medication with strong precaution and a doctor's prescription due to the exacerbating effect it can have on these conditions. It is also never administered to children beneath the age of 6 years due to the potential of serious side effects in that age group. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Please add your name when you comment down below!

Popular posts from this blog

The top 4 diets for PCOS: DASH diet, high protein diet, reduced calorie diet, and the keto diet. Which is better?

 PCOS is a  condition wherein people have imbalanced hormone levels. These imbalances present themselves in the form of polycystic ovaries, chronic irregular periods, and higher levels of testosterone in the form of increased body/facial hair. Among people who have PCOS, 80% of patients will hold fat around their belly and gain weight because of the effects of hormonal imbalances on their bodies. These effects include insulin resistance, gut dysbiosis, low-grade inflammation and more.  To treat this weight gain, doctors tend to recommend different diets to PCOS patients. But, the efficacy of these diets are heavily dependent on the person's individual situation. There are four major dietary approaches used to lose weight for people with PCOS: Reduced calorie diets, DASH diets, high protein diets, and keto diets. For most people, a combination of all of these diets will work best.  Here's a short explanation of each of these diets:  1) Reduced calorie diet: You e...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eliglustat for Gaucher disease: How does it work? How is it consumed? Side effects? Is it safe? Efficacy? Research? Evidence?

Gaucher disease is a rare genetic disorder wherein the body lacks the ability to break down a specific kind of fat, which leads to accumulation thereof around various parts of the body, such as organs and bones. Eliglustat is one of the most common medications prescribed to help treat the disease by reducing production of the fat itself.  The disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder which is caused by an enzyme deficiency, specifically a low level of glucocerebrosidase. This enzyme breaks down a fat with a similar name, glucocerebroside. When the body lacks production of the enzyme, the fat accumulates around and in cells of the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. This causes a variety of symptoms in patients, and can present itself in bizarre ways like: enlarged spleens and livers, increased bone pain and occurrence of fractures, fatigue, anemia and even increased bruising.  Eliglustat, the medicine provided to patients, works in one way: substrate reduction. Basically,...
Post a Comment
Read more