a patient admitted to the hospital has been using phenylephrine nasal spray [neo-synephrine], 2 sprays every 4 hours, for a week. the patient complains that the medication is not working, because the nasal congestion has increased. what will the nurse do?

As the name suggests, rhinitis medicamentosa means rhinitis (inflammation of the nose) due to the use of medicamentosa (nasal decongestants). This rebound congestion can occur if topical nasal decongestants are used too often (overuse).

Commonly used topical nasal decongestants are ephedrine derivatives (including phenylephrine). Topical nasal decongestants are commonly used to treat diseases with congestion in the nose (allergic rhinitis, rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps, etc.). However, the use of topical nasal decongestants can cause rebound congestion within 3 days to 4-6 weeks after use.

This can occur due to:

Chronic vasoconstriction which causes edema in the nose
Impaired vasomotor which causes vasodilation
Beta-adrenoreceptor activity which causes rebound vasodilatation.

If this happens, the first step is to discontinuation of the topical nasal decongestant. However, the patient must be educated, while the congestion may worsen. To treat the congestion, you can be give:

Short-term oral corticosteroid (eg: prednisone 0.5 mg/kg 5 days)
Oral antihistamine
Corticosteroid injection in lower turbinate

Learn more about rhinitis here: https://brainly.com/question/28543660

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