When you elevate the head of your bed (In this case to help the fluid drain out of your head / sinuses), don't put the extra pillows under your head, put them under the mattress. you'll fall to the side as the pillow pile collapses too much to be useful while you're half awake, but if the whole head is up you just gotta wiggle your way back up if you wake up congested. You can also stuff extra blankets and stuffed animals or whatever else you have under there for extra lift (although at a certain point if you don't have a footboard the mattress will start sliding down. You could also try sleeping in a recliner chair if you have one.
All fluid used in a neti-pot MUST be sterile, or you'll get brain worms / amoebas. You can get sterile saline from the wound care / bandage aisle in the pharmacy, or you can make it at home but make sure you let the solution cool so that it is NOT boiling before putting it in the neti pot.
Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat with slippery elm is the GOAT for sore and scratchy throats, which can happen as the fluid drains.
Also did you take real sudafed or fake sudafed? Phenylephrine is literally a placebo. Pseudoephedrine is the stuff you want but you may need to show ID for it because it can be used to make meth.
The bigger concern typically comes from using non sterilized/distilled water. Overall, and with proper use and cleaning, it’s an effective and safe method of sinus cleansing.
Im not sure if I understood everything or if someone mentioned this already but since the Neti pot already was mentioned I think this may fit.
I always inhalate the steam of a pot of hot, almost boiling water, with salt dissolved in it with a towel over the head for sinus induced headaches.
This is usually my goto method for these problems because it moisturizes the sinuses.
Get well soon!
Right now the headache has calmed down. This looks soothing with the towel and steam. If the headache comes back I’ll be trying this. I was just breathing through a hot towel.
I think everyone’s additional recommendations helped. The neti pot and Claritin seem to have done it for now
Claritin has been the only over-the-counter allergy medication that has consistently worked for me. It can be expensive, depending on where one buys it, though. The knock-offs do NOT work (at least not for me).
Don’t miss a day once you start taking it. It’s not an instant relief med, but has to build in your system for about 24 hours. In my experience, for example, missing Tuesday meant a headache on Wednesday.
Zyrtec and Allegra, I believe, provide same day relief. But I still prefer Claritin myself, for various reasons.
Be careful about the nasal sprays. I used to use Afrin. When it wears off, it causes the sinuses to swell, leading to a literal addiction to stay clear. I relied on that crap for years. Claritin D (from the pharmacy) works for me now.
Afrin is a decongestant. Flonase is a steroid. Azelastine is a second generation antihistamine. They are all different nose sprays and work through different mechanisms. Follow the instructions on the box or ask a Dr for questions about ongoing use.
I've been on flonase for a couple decades without incident.
I switched up my meds as I’ve found my regular allergy meds are simply not working any more.
I’ve been using Claritin as needed before bed the last few weeks and also Astapro (probably butchered that spelling) as needed off and on during the spring season. The latter is a nasal spray and it actually does a pretty good job.
Last weekend I came down with either a cold or sinus infection so I broke down and got some behind the counter 12 hour Sudafed. Those have immediately helped me but I’m limited to taking them during the daytime and only before 12pm because they seem to really keep me wired unfortunately.
I think someone else mentioned an option of pain relief - I usually use Motrin or a generic. That way it hits with a (not too high) dosage of Tylenol and Ibuprofen that works well to tamper down the sinuses.
If you are in the US, try Allermi. It’s essentially a very diluted form of oxymetazoline (afrin). It turns out that in small doses over longer periods, you can get consistent congestion relief without the risk rebound. It’s the only thing that has ever worked for me.