Constantly Runny Nose? My Nose is Always Running.

Does your nose drip, drip, drip, even if you don't have a cold or have a problem with allergies? I do, and I finally found something to solve it: Ipratropium Bromide spray (Atrovent).

My doctor gave it to me years ago, and said I could use it whenever I wanted. I asked him if it was habit-forming, and he said no. He said, though, that if I did have concerns abou using it every day, then to just use it on those days/evenings when I wanted to keep my nose dry.

How does it work? The pharmacokinetic pathways are complex, but here goes: it blocks the breakdown of cyclic GMP, an intracellular transmitter, having an effect on calcium levels within cells, and thereby reducing the secretion of mucus. Because of its large, complex structure (it's a quaternary amine), it does not cross the blood-brain barrier, so it's unable to affect your nervous system.

I spray twice in each nose every morning, and my nose is dry (read: normal) for the rest of the day. The days I forget? People ask me if I have a cold.

The only strange thing is a vaguely sweet flavor that I can "taste" in the back of my throat when I use it.

Bausch & Lomb (the company that makes a lot of contact lens stuff) makes this in 2 strengths: 0.03% and 0.06%. My doctor prescribes the 0.03% for me.

Something definitely worth asking your doctor about if you're sick of carrying around tissues with you wherever you go.