Runny Nose & Sinus Pain While Running!

Make an appointment with an otolaryngologist.

yep I have that issue. its most likely what you think it is exercise reduced rhinitis. mine doesnt last that long though. just an hr or so after,also acute sinusitis can cause the burning and so on as well. you may need to take nasal sprays for allergies.it can also be whats called Vasomotor rhinitis. try some saline nasal spray(like hill 8570 said) before and after to cleanse the mucous out and eliminate some of the irritants,drainage,etc?

MsAtomicBomb2015 wrote: »

Recently, I have experienced severe sneezing attacks and an extremely runny nose after performing cardio. My nose burns like crazy, to the point that I can only breathe through my mouth to avoid the sinus pain.

It makes for a really terrible workout experience. The doctor prescribed nasal spray, and allergy meds. The drowsiness is counterproductive, since I'm supposed to be working out!

After some research, I think its exercised-induced rhinitis.

Anyone else experience this? If so, what has been your solution, if any? My doctor seems clueless...I can only run once a week, because the symptoms last for approximately 4 days after working out.

HALP!!!

I especially get this after very intense work-outs, eg, swimming three miles two days in a row. I used to think that exercise was making me over tired and thus more susceptible to colds, but my doctor said it is a form of vasomotor rhinitis, in this context also called exercise-induced rhinitis. There's a couple of different theories about what causes it. One theory is that it is basically your immune system responding to a high level of physical stress and perhaps some environmental irritants.

Basically, you just treat the symptoms, the same as you would allergic rhinitis. One of my pharmacist friend recommends two over-the-counter allergy medicines, specifically loratadine (brand name Claritin®, but also available as a generic). This used to be a prescription only anti-histamine, which was formulated with a lower dose to reduce drowsiness, and pseudoephedrine (brand name Sudafed®, but also available as a generic), a decongestant. Claritan-D is a combination of these two drugs (the D stands for decongestant), which you can get in 12-hour and 24-hour sustained-release formulations. The 24-hour formulation contains 10-mg loratadine and 240-mg pseudoephedrine. The 12-hour formulation contains half of that, 5-mg loratadine and 120-mg pseudoephedrine. My pharmacist friend recommends buying the two generics separately because it may be cheaper. It is not safe to combine some allergy and cold drugs so do not just take a combination without knowing how they may interact. Claritan-D is a combination that is safe, which is why it can be marketed as a single product. I've also read that a nasal spray, specifically ipratroprium bromide nasal spray, can help but I have not tried this.

Because it is only used to treat symptoms, I only take it when I have symptoms, ie, after an intense work-out. Some people also take it before working out, but I don't. Don't know if it's true, but I've heard that you can become tolerant to the effects and therefore may want to take progressively higher doses. That's partly why I'm now taking the 12-hour dose rather than the 24-hour dose, but mainly because I do not get symptoms until after I swim. There are also immediate release formulations that you take every 4-6 hours.

This is related to exercise-induced asthma, which is a restriction of air passages, causing a cough and shortness of breath. An albuterol asthma inhaler can be prescribed for this. I used to have this in high school, and it would occur while I was swimming so in this case I would use the inhaler prior to working out. A friend had a more severe form, exercise-induced anaphylaxis, which included hives and can be life-threatening. His doctor first tried subcutaneous injections of epinephrine, which did not help, and then IV diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which worked for him.

The other thing to keep in mind is that you may be only getting this after more intense work-outs or the symptoms may be more severe after especially intense work-outs. If that's the case, you can see this as a sign of overtraining and make sure you get sufficient rest between your most intense work-outs. Some people report that the symptoms gradually diminish and go away as their body gets used to working out at higher intensity.

Always talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking medications, even over-the-counter medications.