Afrin User Reviews & Ratings

• Jack...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 7, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "Afrin is the best nasal spray I’ve ever used but it’s kinda hard to use it when a company continues to make the same dumbass bottle cap that nobody can open. I spent 30 minutes trying to get the cap open and it wouldn’t work and at that point my hand was pure red. So I decided to use the backside of a hammer to pry it until it finally came off. It’s retarded that Afrin hasn’t changed this and I personally want to say a whole heartedly stuff you to the genius that invented this bottle cap."

• Birda...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2021

For Nasal Congestion "I used Afrin years ago. I got a new bottle. I can't open it. I can't push that hard and turn the cap at the same time. I spent over a half an hour trying to open the cap. I even spent time looking up how to open it. My hand is red and hurting trying to open the cap. I have a blister on my hand trying to turn it so many times. Friction on my hands cause blisters. I'm more than disappointed."

• Kwame
• November 27, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "I cannot believe I wasted money on this product that I couldn’t use because I could NOT get the bottle open, I come to the reviews for help on how to get it open and I see the SAME complaints, I have no idea why this company continues to make this same design for everyone to keep having the same issue!!! FIX THE DANG BOTTLE."

• Throw...
• December 13, 2016

For Nasal Congestion "This medicine should be ILLEGAL. It is extremely adicting and within only about 2 days of taking it your symptoms will be 5 times worse. I have been unable to breathe without this medication for around 4 years now. Tried many times to get off it but with no luck. I'm simply convinced that it has damaged my sinuses beyond repair. I'm begging you DO NOT take this. It may work wonders at first but within a day your nose will be completely blocked again and you will have to rely on the medicine again. It's a vicious circle."

• Manoj
• February 27, 2020

For Nasal Congestion "Your bottle design sucks. I used a knife a cutter to open the bottle. You should replace those people in your company who designed this. They must be really idiots and they have no clue of customer experience. Buying your bottle was the biggest mistake because it took me 2 hours to open it. How can you do this to your customers. It doesn't open and you have given pages of information on how to rotate. Grow up."

• pietr...
• July 30, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "So sad that I have to read what the sheep have to say the same thing over and over again- they all cannot open the bottle- instead of talking about the medication they talk about the cap - monkey see monkey do. In this context - talking about the same thing over and over again- pathetic - it tells a lot about the people-- the medication is OK but gave me headaches and dizziness and high blood pressure if used more than usual."

• VGano
• September 18, 2018

For Nasal Congestion "I am laughing reading the frustration with the cap. I use Afrin, the best nasal decongestant period, every time I cannot breath to sleep. When the medicine wears off the nose seems more congested than when I started. Now, I learned to only use Afrin in only one nostril. When it wears off in 10-12 hours, I spray the same nostril again. When the cold is gone the other nostril clears up. Then I stop using Afrin and about a day later the medicated nostril clears up too."

• Kara
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 11, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "I have horrible sinus pain after crying because my nose is so terribly clogged and since I have rather severe depression and anxiety issues, I found myself with a clogged nose and a horrible sinus headache about 15 minutes ago. I dug out some old Afrin ( obviously purchased before bottle change because I opened it fine) and I was instantly relieved of my after crying symptoms. But even more than that, all the reviews on here about how none of y’all could get the bottle open even gave me something to laugh about. Thank you Afrin."

• FedUp...
• March 7, 2017

For Nasal Congestion "After many long frustrating attempts by many people to open the blasted bottle, I read another review that said to turn it upside down and push with all your might, so I turned it upside down, pushed the cap *into* the neck of the bottle and squeezed the bottle so hard I worried it might burst, and it *Finally* opened. Then I was afraid to close it, worried that I wouldn't be able to reproduce the miraculous feat of opening it. This is NOT a 'childproof' cap. This IS the medicine bottle equivelence of Fort Knox. The effort wasted on trying to get it open is unreasonable. Shame on Bayer. As a physician, I used to recommend Afrin for nasal congestion. Not anymore."

• that...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 12, 2021

For Nasal Congestion "oh it works- but BEWARE. SERIOUSLY. I never listened to people saying how dangerous afrin is to use and went years with it as my go-to spray with consistently good results and no consequences. Well I guess it all finally caught up with me because since my last cold, I can no longer can smell or taste anything. It freaked me out and I thought I had covid, but two negative tests later the doctor is telling me it's most likely attributed to using the spray. It's been a week since last using it but my smell and taste are still completely gone, if anything I'd say it's gotten worse. I've read quite a few people saying that it became permanent for them in their 40s-50s but I'm 24 so I'm really hoping this is not how the rest of my life is gonna be. I really can't stress how much it isn't worth the risk, unless you don't enjoy smelling or tasting anything in the world in which case this is the product for you"

• Kandi...
• February 21, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "The company behind Afrin should be ashamed of themselves for the design of the child proof cap that they put on the bottle. After a couple of uses, the cap absolutely will not come off. Is it that you want us to purchase another bottle? Do something about that cap and stop ripping people off!!!"

• Jimmy
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 1, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "First of all I've been using Afrin for 7 years it works yes and I have the most severe sinus pressure you can think of I'm told that I should get off of it but there's no other product that opens my sinuses like Afrin it definitely doesn't last for 12 hours though. I've always had abnormally strong hands because I lift granite and body build so the cap has never given me problems all I can say to everyone else is strengthen your hands"

• Anonymous
• May 28, 2011

For Nasal Congestion "I first found Afrin while in Vegas. I was super stuffed up, worse than ever before. I tried out the Severe Congestion version and it cleared me up almost instantly, it was awesome. This version has a Vicks type chemical which burns big time but only for a moment. The original formula is not like that but works well but not as quick, 5-10 minutes maximum. I have been taking it daily for a year and have had no issues. After reading these articles, I will consult with my doctor. The only side effect I have experienced is the same with every sinus spray, the rebound effect has made the symptoms a little bit worse. "

• Denise
• January 5, 2017

For Nasal Congestion "Seriously this product packaging is completely defective. Exhausted (and of course can't breathe) after hours of three people trying to get the new childproof cap off. Apparently the cap is vacuum locked on and you have to turn the bottle upside down and apply all your weight on it and turn and if you're lucky it will release and open. Absolutely a defective design."

• Joano
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 11, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "I used to love this product, but it's impossible to use with the new lids. Even if I didn't have arthritis in my hands, I'd never be able to pry this lid off. I will sadly have to throw it away and resort to a store brand with a lid I can hopefully open so I can actually use the product. Disappointed in this change."

• DPano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2018

For Nasal Congestion "Rate the medicine? Wouldn't know how it works, because the CAP is like a prank! Doesn't afrin know that the only time you get afrin is when you really need it? But I can wait my 4 hour drive till I get to find some pliers. I've lost the battle, but not the war."

• DaveZ
• September 23, 2017

For Nasal Congestion "Myself and one other person tried to get the cap off. I even watched a video online on how to do it. No luck. I ended up cutting the cap off with a knife - luckily I did not slice my hand. What on earth made them think that these bottles needed a child (and adult) proof cap in the first place. Unbelievable. In the future, I will look for any brand other than Afrin."

• Jeb
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 12, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "Honestly Afrin the best nasal spray I have ever used. If it wasn't for feeling like rubbish from the other aspects of having a cold, I wouldn't even notice I had one. This thing packs a punch and when combined with some kind of syrup like a dayquil , you're good to go. I would recommend using a saline spray or rinse beforehand so the Afrin can really get in there, this makes it more effective in my experience."

• Jack...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 29, 2017

For Nasal Congestion "I wasted almost $16 on two spray bottles of Afrin because of the horrible safety cap. It is not a child-resistant cap. It is a Fort Knox style security system. In the end, in desperation to breath without driving back to the drugstore, I cut the top off one of the bottles with a skill saw. Once I got to the Afrin, it worked good enough -- but that took fifteen minutes of frustration. I will never, ever buy this product again because of the horrible packaging. The cap is more than poorly designed -- it's an insult to the consumer. Now that I can breathe again, I'm on my way back to Walgreen's for a refund and to buy another brand of nasal decongestant."

• Bobby...
• March 30, 2017

For Nasal Congestion "Picture this. You have a new bottle of Afrin in the medicine cabinet. It's 2:00 AM and you have a stuffy nose. You wake up and go open the Afrin package to find that it is VERY tightly sealed. So, you use some nearby scissors to cut the tape and instead you cut yourself. After a few minutes and some blood on your hands you manage to get the tape off only to find a complex system for the nozzle of the bottle. Still half asleep you try and get it to work but fail. You miss the old Vicks spray that had very simple nozzle, throw-away the Afrin and then vow to yourself to remember the name "Afrin" so that you never by the product again. You wonder if a lawyer was responsible for human factors design for Afrin, then try to go back to sleep"

• Anonymous
• July 25, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "I was severely congested due a head cold. I bought a bottle of Afrin and could NOT open it! All I heard was clicks and I followed the instructions for opening it. After my hand was hurting immensely trying to open the bottle, I finally got the idea to get a fingernail clipper and put a small cut in the red lid. I was FINALLY able to get it open. The product works --if you can get the top off. No more Afrin because of the horrible packaging."

• angry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

For Nasal Congestion "Afrin bottle is absolutely rubbish! I shouldn’t have to make my hand bleed and not be able to breath just to open a stupid bottle! I only used the product maybe three times and it practically locks. Five or so YouTube videos later and I still haven’t opened it. Never buying Afrin again!"

• Hezz
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2018

For Nasal Congestion "Aside from all the complaints of the cap I'm reading, (which I had no problem removing), I would strongly suggest anyone who suffers from anxiety to steer clear of this medicine. It worked great at "unstuffing" my nose, but it gave me horrible anxiety and jitters, which my doctor never warned me about the possibility of this happening, knowing I have panic and anxiety disorder! Not to mention it dried everything up, not just my nose, but my mouth, my throat, and it even felt like my lungs were dry! I'm sitting here waiting for the 12 hours to be up, and hopefully all the misery will go away. I wont use it again and the bottle I bought will be going in the trash! I'll stick to my saline nasal spray and Fluticasone!"

• Anonymous
• March 2, 2012

For Nasal Congestion "I get recurrent sinus infections and oral medications make me too jittery. This nasal spray within a few minutes has me breathing through my nose again and helps relieve the pressure in my sinuses. My only complaint is the horrible burning and stinging felt when sprayed. Its worth it though."

• Kiya
• September 6, 2018

For Nasal Congestion "My doctor recommended this product. I tried for hours to get the cap off. Yes, I understand the directions and have plenty of experience removing childproof caps. I pressed and turned and get only clicks. I pressed soft, hard, and in between. I pressed hard enough to collapse the neck of the bottle and turned so hard it distorted the bottle. I looked on the internet and found hundreds of postings about Afrin with these adult-proof caps, going back 3 years. I finally went to CVS and bought CVS brand of the same medication in a bottle that opened normally. I am returning my bottle of Afrin to the store where I bought it. I have no opinion about Afrin brand as it is inaccessible."