Congestion could be caused by a medical issue like impacted wisdom teeth, nasal polyps, infections, allergies, etc.
That being said, I've found some relief that does not rely on decongestants or prescriptions.
A sinus rinse of salt water can help clear out the crud that won't drain. You can rinse all you want safely. I've gone as frequent as hourly during severe colds.
Quercetin seems to have a positive effect. I think it might be an anti inflammatory. After I started taking it during COVID and found that I was able to significantly cut back on my anti histamine intake and congestion improved significantly.
NAC seems to help, too. My family developed a cough that just would not go away. Three days of NAC and my cough was gone and my ears were popping like crazy. Started giving NAC to the rest of the family and their cough was gone in a couple of days, as well. NAC is well documented to help with mucus in the lungs, so I'm not surprised that it can also help with congestion in the sinuses.
Regarding actually effective decongestants, the best OTC option right now seems to be 12 hour extended release pseudoephedrine. One pill will generally cover me for 24 hours, while the normal stuff I'm counting down to 4 hours so I can take more. If I take it more often I develop sleep issues. It also seems to become less effective over time. So I try alternate remedies above first and generally try not to take it more than 3 days in a row.
I think I'll pick up some potassium and see if that affects me, as well. I'm generally well hydrated and often eat potassium rich foods. But it's worth a few bucks to give it a try.
It's not always that simple.
Congestion could be caused by a medical issue like impacted wisdom teeth, nasal polyps, infections, allergies, etc.
That being said, I've found some relief that does not rely on decongestants or prescriptions.
A sinus rinse of salt water can help clear out the crud that won't drain. You can rinse all you want safely. I've gone as frequent as hourly during severe colds.
Quercetin seems to have a positive effect. I think it might be an anti inflammatory. After I started taking it during COVID and found that I was able to significantly cut back on my anti histamine intake and congestion improved significantly.
NAC seems to help, too. My family developed a cough that just would not go away. Three days of NAC and my cough was gone and my ears were popping like crazy. Started giving NAC to the rest of the family and their cough was gone in a couple of days, as well. NAC is well documented to help with mucus in the lungs, so I'm not surprised that it can also help with congestion in the sinuses.
Regarding actually effective decongestants, the best OTC option right now seems to be 12 hour extended release pseudoephedrine. One pill will generally cover me for 24 hours, while the normal stuff I'm counting down to 4 hours so I can take more. If I take it more often I develop sleep issues. It also seems to become less effective over time. So I try alternate remedies above first and generally try not to take it more than 3 days in a row.
I think I'll pick up some potassium and see if that affects me, as well. I'm generally well hydrated and often eat potassium rich foods. But it's worth a few bucks to give it a try.