Stuffy Nose

My Flight Surgeon

My Flight Surgeon

Sr. Aviation Medical Examiner
Cold season has arrived. Here is some advice on managemnt of stuffy nose associated with a cold. REMEMBER - treated a cold will last a week, untreated it will last 7 days:)



All decongestants reduce mucus production by consticting blood vessels in the nose. Some are safer and more effective than others.

Nose drops and sprays such as Neo-Synephrine and Afrin 12-hour work faster than oral decongestants. If they are used for more than 5 days, they can cause rebound congestion that is worse than the original problem.

Pseudoephedrine is the initial oral agent of choice. It works much better than phenylephrine. You may have to show ID and ask for this since the government is concerned that you might be making methamphetamine:nana2:


Older antihistamines such as chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) and diphenhydramine (Benadryl) work well but they are not approved by the FAA for use while flying. The newer drugs, loratidine (Claritin) and fenofexadine (Allegra) do work well for the symptoms.

If symptoms are more than just a few days, we use nasal steroid sprays like Flonase to treat the symptoms.

Zinc preparations such as Zicam have been proven to cause a loss of smell, possibly permanent. Oral zinc may be safer in doses of 40 mgm but it may not be as effective in the treatment of symptoms.

BUY KLEENEX!!!!!:)
 
Dumb question along the same lines: do the products like Airborne (sp?) actually work, or is it just a myth (marketing)? Do they have anything in them that the FAA says is a no-no?

I have tried Ariborne (it's the "one invented by a schoolteacher") during my time off, and it seems to work. I don't know if it's just a mind game, and I wasn't really getting sick, or if it actually works, and I shouldn't take it due to the FAA medical department.

Thanks again for your time and info on the boards. You are definitely an invaluable asset!!
 
Airborne is not disapproved by the FAA. That being said, it depends on how sick you are. If you have enough symptoms to make you feel ill enough that you will not be able to safely fly, DON'T. (FAR 61.53)

It contains vitamins and it appears the active ingredieant is echinecea, an old time herbal remedy for the treatment of colds. It does help to some extent but as I said yesterday, a cold will go away in 7 days if treated and a week if not treated. Hopefully the treatments make us feel better while we have the cold.
 
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