<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that are available to consumers without a prescription. The most common оver - the-counter preparations in self - medication are nasal decongestants that can be used systemically or locally in the form of drops or nasal sprays. The most common indications for nasal decongest-ants are viral infections and allergic conditions in order to alleviate the symptoms so it is necessary to inform the users about the type of drug, the active substance it contains and the correct dosage regimen. Given their availability and the prevailing safety precaution, these preparations can lead to numerous prolonged conditions and complications. The mechanism of action of nasal decongestants is based on the reduction of blood vessels’ swelling in the nose, which helps the opening of the airway. As a result, most nasal decongestants cause vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels). There are nasal decongestants that block histamine and have a good effect on people who suffer from seasonal allergies.</p><p>Availability (free sale) and prolonged use of the decongestant lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the alpha receptor, which leads to the need to increase the dose at shorter time intervals to achieve the same effect. As a consequence, patients use excessive, uncontrolled doses of nasal decongestants, which is a public problem and warns of the necessity of identification and the taking of measures to prevent their uncontrolled procurement and use.</p></abstract>

Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that are available to consumers without a prescription. The most common оver - the-counter preparations in self - medication are nasal decongestants that can be used systemically or locally in the form of drops or nasal sprays. The most common indications for nasal decongest-ants are viral infections and allergic conditions in order to alleviate the symptoms so it is necessary to inform the users about the type of drug, the active substance it contains and the correct dosage regimen. Given their availability and the prevailing safety precaution, these preparations can lead to numerous prolonged conditions and complications. The mechanism of action of nasal decongestants is based on the reduction of blood vessels’ swelling in the nose, which helps the opening of the airway. As a result, most nasal decongestants cause vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels). There are nasal decongestants that block histamine and have a good effect on people who suffer from seasonal allergies.Availability (free sale) and prolonged use of the decongestant lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the alpha receptor, which leads to the need to increase the dose at shorter time intervals to achieve the same effect. As a consequence, patients use excessive, uncontrolled doses of nasal decongestants, which is a public problem and warns of the necessity of identification and the taking of measures to prevent their uncontrolled procurement and use.

Evaluation of Nasal Decongestants by Literature Review

Health system Medi Group, Department of ENT

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Department of Pharmacy

Experimental and Applied Biomedical Research (EABR)

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Evaluation of Nasal Decongestants by Literature Review"}

Over-the-counter drugs are medicines that are available to consumers without a prescription. The most common оver - the-counter preparations in self -...

Evaluation of Nasal Decongestants by Literature Review

Published Online: Nov 04, 2019

Page range: -

Received: Dec 16, 2018

Accepted: Jan 17, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2019-0002

Keywords
nasal decongestants, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, oxymetazoline, intranasal corticosteroids

© 2019 Stasa Petkovic et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Evaluation of Nasal Decongestants by Literature Review

Published Online: Nov 04, 2019

Page range: -

Received: Dec 16, 2018

Accepted: Jan 17, 2019

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjecr-2019-0002

Keywordsnasal decongestants, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, oxymetazoline, intranasal corticosteroids

© 2019 Stasa Petkovic et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
nasal decongestants, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, oxymetazoline, intranasal corticosteroids