Do NOT Use Decongestant Nasal Sprays (Afrin, Sinex, 4Way, Phenylephrine, etc) for More Than 3 Days!!!

It says so right on the packaging materials. Although decongestant nasal sprays work great to relieve nasal congestion quickly, when used for more than 3 days, these nasal sprays may actually CAUSE nasal congestion leading many individuals to start using these sprays longer and more frequently. In essence, the nose becomes addicted to the nasal spray. When stopping the nasal spray use, the rebound nasal congestion can be quite severe lasting several weeks. The medical diagnosis is rhinitis medicamentosa. That said, I typically state that it is OK to reuse decongestant nasal sprays after 3-4 weeks of avoidance. 

In any case, regardless of the decongestant nasal spray product, they all specifically state:

Do not use this for more than 3 days.

It also states...

Frequent or prolonged used may cause nasal congestion to recur or worsen.

Check out the pictures of packaging showing these two statements... as well as a video at the bottom explaining why this happens in the first place. More info on treatment can be found here.