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Ask the Pharmacist |
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Q) Will a prescription nasal spray help for snoring? A) Corticosteroid nasal sprays such as Flonase (fluticasone), Nasonex (mometasone), beclomethasone aqueous and others have been shown to be beneficial if the primary reason the person is snoring is due to chronic nasal congestion. The benefits probably will not be immediate so up to a two-month trial would be recommended before the treatment is deemed a failure. For those who respond to the nasal spray, the treatment can be continued indefinitely although experts recommend trying to come off them periodically to see if the drug is still necessary. It should be noted that most often snoring is caused by obstruction in the back of the throat and not the nose, and hence the nasal spray will not work for the majority of patients. In fact, treatment for snoring is often a guinea-pig-type situation as no one treatment works for everyone and there is a lack of good studies supporting the effectiveness of the various treatment options. Other possible remedies include weight loss in those of us who could stand to lose a few pounds. Even a 10-pound loss has been known to solve the issue in some patients. Quitting smoking can also be hugely beneficial in reducing or eliminating snoring for some people. Alcohol also tends to worsen snoring so it is advised to avoid drinking for a few hours before bedtime. Some people won’t snore if they sleep on their side but that can be hard to control if the back is their natural sleeping position. One possible remedy for this is to sew a tennis or baseball on the back of an old T-shirt. As well, there are various pillows, alarms, inflatable blocks and even a T-shirt with Styrofoam available for purchase.
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Devices that open the nostrils from the inside (Nozovent) or from the outside (Breathe Right Strips) also can be beneficial for some. Mouth appliances or surgery can help with throat obstructions but even these are not always successful. The good news is there are plenty of options that might help and that snoring, unlike sleep apnea, is no longer thought to cause other health-related problems. For more information about this or other health issues, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination. |
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