There also Xylometazoline, which is just a bit less effective but also seems to be a bit less habit forming. When I have a cold, I use it at night to sleep (an

There also Xylometazoline, which is just a bit less effective but also seems to be a bit less habit forming. When I have a cold, I use it at night to sleep (and occasional other important times). In the morning I do a sinus rinse with xylitol. It rinses out the medication and the xylitol usually does just enough to make the congestion not absolutely terrible. I can do this for the duration of a cold - which for me, is often 3 weeks - and not have any dependence on the nasal spray.