WHEN doctors asked Curtis Arnold-Harmer how long he’d been using cocaine, the 29-year-old was baffled.
“I’ve never touched the stuff,” he tells Sun Health.
But surveying the trail of destruction up his nostrils, medics warned Curtis was on the brink of his septum rotting away.
The obvious explanation was that the creative practitioner from Hastings must've been snorting the Class A drug since he was a teenager.
The truth, in many ways, proved much more disturbing.
For what started as a ‘stuffy nose’ spiralled into a £1,200-a-year addiction to over-the-counter cold remedies that resulted in “all hell breaking loose”, Curtis tells Sun Health.
Curtis is not alone. A growing community of ‘addicts’ share their experiences of the horrifying effects of their chronic use on social media.
But it’s not a new phenomenon.
The first damning reports of ‘addiction’ to decongestant nasal sprays date back to the early 1980s, when scientists linked the drugs to psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations and personality changes.
“Curtis’s case is far from unique, many people unknowingly become dependent on nasal sprays,” pharmacist Thorrun Govind tells Sun Health.
“It’s a widespread issue, and we need to be more vigilant when using them.”
It’s an issue that prompted the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), to reiterate the dangers of using the drug for more than seven days.
And it’s not just Sudafed - the ingredients that pose a risk are found in other decongestants, including own-brand sprays.
Curtis’s warnings are pertinent at a time when colds and flu are rife, and many will turn to their local pharmacy, desperate for remedies to ease symptoms.
Decongestant sprays all come with a warning in the small print - not to use them for more than a week, and to consult a doctor if symptoms don’t improve.
Sudafed clearly states that people must not use their sprays for more than seven days.
“Overusing any nasal decongestants containing oxymetazoline or xylometazoline, can trigger rebound congestion,” Thorrun warns.
“Clearer, stronger warnings on the packaging could make a big difference in raising awareness.
“This is a common issue, and many people don’t realise the risks until they’re already reliant.”
It was March 2019, when, fed up with his blocked nose, Curtis decided to try Sudafed - one of many decongestants that are designed to help you breathe more easily.
They work by temporarily restricting blood flow in the nasal passages, causing the blood vessels to shrink and allowing air to flow more freely.
The relief was instant.
But within just two months he realised he was addicted.
At the peak of his ‘addiction’, Curtis found himself reaching for the trusty bottle every two hours - desperate to get his ‘fix’.
“I started feeling like I couldn’t breathe without the stuff, which was pretty concerning,” he admits.
“And that’s when all hell broke loose.
“It wasn’t an enjoyable addiction, I never felt any sort of high.
“I just felt like my nose had forgotten how to breathe without it.
“The feeling of not being able to breathe made me so incredibly anxious, it was a very scary time.”
After sharing his story on TikTok, hundreds of videos emerged detailing similar experiences from people under the hashtags #nasalsprayaddict and #nosesprayaddict.
“I was addicted for 15 years,” one user (@jpotts92), shared in the comments section of one of Curtis’ videos, “finally stopped October last year and never used it since” .
Another user (@amyholdback), added: “I had an addiction to this [Sudafed] and burned a hole in my septum that had to have a plug fitted.”
"I have a deviated septum after using two of these sprays per week for years," another (@paulatran358) reveals. "Destroyed all my nose."
And another user (@bored__girlll) wrote: "Had a septoplasty because of this stuff.
"I can't fathom how dangerous it is."
I can’t imagine what sort of a mess my nose must have been in for doctors to suggest I might need it reconstructed
Curtis Arnold-Harmer
Meanwhile on the small screen, John Paul Williams, the monstrous villain from Apple TV’s hit show ‘Bad Sisters’ is regularly seen shoving some spray up his nose, which other characters say he is addicted to.
Family Guy’s Peter Griffin even admits he’s addicted to nasal spray during an episode of the comedy show.
For Curtis, even the slightest hint of ‘stuffiness’ would see him rushing back to his local pharmacy for another hit of Sudafed.
Like many others in his situation, the 29-year-old was unknowingly suffering from rhinitis medicamentosa, or ‘rebound congestion’ - a well-documented side effect of decongestant nasal sprays.
Pharmacist Graham Phillips, from Letchworth Pharmacy, says three key ingredients in the sprays are to blame, xylometazoline, oxymetazoline and pseudoephedrine.
The blood vessels in the nose become reliant on the drugs, causing them to swell even more once a person stops using the spray.
In turn, it makes the stuffiness worse.
For this reason, Sudafed clearly states that people should not use their sprays for more than seven days.
Using the sprays for extended periods of time not only affects a person’s ability to breathe in, but also out, pharmacist Thorrun Govind explains.
“Prolonged use can cause the nasal cushions to thicken, which can increase blockages in the nasal passages,” she tells Sun Health.
What’s more, it can cause the fine hairs in your nose to function abnormally, which can prevent them from doing their job - acting as air filters, catching dust, allergens and germs before they reach the lungs.
Like alcoholics or those plagued by addictions to Class A drugs, Curtis says his Sudafed addiction quickly began to impact “every aspect” of his life.
“I would get so anxious if I couldn’t breathe properly, and the only way I could would be to use Sudafed,” he says.
“My sleep was seriously affected, I would wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air because my nose had stopped working.”
His inability to breathe clearly through his nose meant he struggled to exercise.
“I used to walk this loop from my house, down along the river every day,” he says.
“It soon became really hard when I could only gasp for breath through my mouth.”
What’s more the financial costs of his dependency started to cripple him.
At the peak of his addiction, Curtis was sniffing his way through three bottles of Sudafed a week, costing him around £100 a month.
Over the course of his two-year addiction, he says his habit cost him around £2,400.
“In many ways it became my identity,” Curtis adds.
“I was never without that little blue bottle.
“My friends found my habit funny and would buy me bottles for my birthday.
“I found it funny - until it took over my life.”
Curtis first went to see a GP about his crippling dependency in December 2019, and was told to stop using the spray.
“I tried several times but the more I tried the worse my dependency got,” he admits.
Curtis was prescribed several different steroid sprays that help clear nasal congestion but without the risk of ‘rebound congestion’ - but nothing helped.
Due to pandemic-related delays, it took Curtis another nine months, until September 2020, to see an ear, nose and throat specialist.
It was this doctor who examined Curtis’ nose and said it looked like he’d been “snorting cocaine every weekend since he was 18”.
The expert decided immediately that Curtis needed to have an operation to fix his damaged nasal passage.
And doctors warned that had Curtis waited any longer, his septum - the cartilage dividing the nostrils - might have rotted away.
It’s a dramatic complication typically linked to traumatic injury or drug use that echoes the case of former Eastenders actress Daniella Westbrook, whose spectrum deteriorated in the 1990s.
The star has spoken of her addiction to cocaine, estimating she’d spent £250,000 on the drug, and has since had reconstructive surgery on her nose.
“I can’t imagine what sort of a mess my nose must have been in for doctors to suggest I might need it reconstructed,” Curtis says.
Further Covid-related delays meant he faced another “agonising” seven-month wait for surgery to help him breathe again, which finally took place in May 2021.
For that entire two-year period while he waited to be treated, Curtis continued to use Sudafed.
“It was the only option I had,” he said. “Nothing else worked”.
Surgeons performed a turbinate reduction operation, to shrink or remove some of the tissue in Curtis’ nose, to help him breathe more easily.
It worked, but medics warned Curtis may face more surgery in future.
“The recovery was kind of rough,” Curtis recalls.
For several days after the op, he says he saw “solid clumps of nasal discharge” ooze from his nose, and he couldn’t blow or breathe through his nose for weeks.
I've been using this for 4 years, at least 4-19 times a day, if I don't I can't breathe or settle down to sleep etc, it's a nightmare
TikToker (@krisglasgow)
But within a month, he could breathe normally and within six months it was “like nothing had ever happened”.
Despite feeling better, he has been left scarred by the experience.
“I am quite against taking medication these days,” he explains.
“I will only take things like paracetamol if I really have to.”
“This entire experience has frightened me off medicines for life,” he added.
In the aftermath of his ordeal, Curtis decided to share his story on TikTok - and was shocked by the response.
“I woke up after posting the video to hundreds of messages from people who had been through the same experience,” he says.
"People were asking for help, telling me stories of their family members who had also been addicted for years.
"It was so interesting because through the entire thing, I really thought I was alone."
Sun Health reporter Isabel Shaw put nine well-known cold and flu remedies when she was struck with a lurgy.
Over a week, she tried products that targeted all symptoms associated with cold and flu, as well as treatments that only aimed to get rid of specific issues.
These included:
She took into account pain reduction, and how quickly and for how long they worked.
Read her full verdicts here.
Since then, Curtis has been inundated with responses to his experience, from those in similar situations.
"I've unfortunately become reliant on nasal spray about 5/6 years ago and literally cannot breathe without it," one user (@myunsolicitedopinions) wrote.
"Been through ENT, and was given other nasals to come off this and nothing worked."
Meanwhile, another (@krisglasgow) wrote: "I've been using this for 4 years, at least 4-19 times a day, if I don't I can't breathe or settle down to sleep etc, it's a nightmare."
And another TikToker (@user738282922201383473) added: "I wish these came with more warning.
"I used one about five times over the course of a week.
"For six months, I’ve been unable to breathe through my nose, and for eight months, I’ve been coughing up awful stuff."
While the advice from the experts is clear - don’t use these sprays for longer than three to seven days - what is the alternative?
If you’re really struggling with a stuffy nose, Graham advises the public to seek help from their local pharmacist.
“There are many alternative options including natural remedies or even saline spray which offer palliative relief without the side effects," he explains.
And Thorrun adds: “My key advice is never to use over-the-counter nasal decongestant sprays continuously for more than three to five days.”
Since his ordeal, Curtis has sworn off Sudafed.
Instead, when he feels the beginnings of a stuffy nose he opts for a nasal irrigation instead, dripping saline solution through the nasal cavity to clear his airways.
"I'd honestly tell everyone to steer clear of Sudafed - it can become a problem so quickly," he adds.
Dr Alison Cave, MHRA Chief Safety Officer said: "Both the patient information leaflet that comes with the medicine as well as information on the outer packaging, states that nasal sprays containing oxymetazoline or xylometazoline should not be taken for more than seven consecutive days.
“Additional details in the leaflet explain that use for longer than 7 days can worsen congestion.
"We advise patients to read the information provided with their medicine and to talk to their pharmacist if they have any questions.
“We have no current plans to update our guidance on the safety of nasal sprays which contain oxymetazoline or xylometazoline, but we keep the safety of all medicines under close review.
"Any new information will be reviewed, and action taken as necessary if the balance of risk and benefit changes."
A spokesperson from Kenvue the manufacturer of Sudafed, said: "Safety is our top priority, and we take reports of off-label use of our products very seriously.
"SUDAFED® Blocked Nose Spray (xylometazoline hydrochloride) is intended for short-term use only and should not be used continuously for more than seven days, as the product’s packaging and patient information leaflet explain.
"To use over-the-counter medicines safely and correctly, follow the instructions on the label and speak to your GP or pharmacist if you need advice.”
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