Topical decongestant

Topical decongestants are decongestants applied directly to the nasal cavity. Their effectiveness by themselves in the common cold appears to have a small benefit in adults.[1]

Topical decongestants should only be used by patients for a maximum of 5–7 days in a row, because rebound congestion may occur in the form of rhinitis medicamentosa. When used in adults for a short period of time side effects appear to be few.[1]

Mechanism of action

Topical decongestants are vasoconstrictors, and work by constricting the blood vessels within the nasal cavity

Examples

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Deckx, L; De Sutter, AI; Guo, L; Mir, NA; van Driel, ML (17 October 2016). "Nasal decongestants in monotherapy for the common cold.". The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 10: CD009612. PMID 27748955.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.