It sure does relieve severe congestion, almost instantly. Alas, you're supposed to only take it for 3 days. I'm addicted to either this product, or the regular 12 hour pump mist.

it drips much less than other products, does the job

The product works great. Within 2-5 minutes your sinuses will be clear and you will breathe freely. The problem is, it's extremely habit forming. I've been using it for 7 or 8 years, so believe me when I say, DON'T USE IT FOR MORE THAN A FEW DAYS. I go through a whole bottle of the stuff in about a week. After prolonged use, without it your sinuses will swell up so tightly that you will swear your eyes will pop out of your head. Trust me when i say that it is a VERY UNPLEASANT feeling! I've quit smoking, something I never thought I could ever do, but that was NOTHING compared to quitting this stuff. So, like I said; the stuff works great, but be extremely careful about how long you use it!

At 2 squirts at a time seems to cause sleeplessness after 5 os 6 days. At one squirt aday this does not seem to happen.

Only use at bedtime, if needed

I have sleep apnea, and I use Afrin to keep my airway open while I sleep, in conjunction with CPAP therapy. Therefore, I take it before bedtime; its effects last all night and then some. When I began using Afrin, I had trouble getting it to squirt out of the bottle. It congealed too easily. So I began diluting the Afrin 50-50 with distilled water. Dilution has had several benefits. It makes the substance easy to squirt into my nose, and reduces the amount I need to use. Furthermore, I think diluting the Afrin helps prevent the "Afrin rebound" effect: if you use it too much, it is said to stop working and even to make symptoms worse. So I dilute it, and use it only once per 24 hours. For me, it's effective for about 20 hours rather than 12. I give it three squirts into the left nostril, which is my "problem side," and two squirts into the right nostril: equivalent to one-and-a-half and one squirt of the undiluted product, respectively. Incidentally, I do NOT recommend that you dilute the Afrin. To do so you must use absolutely pristine water -- I use distilled -- and be very careful not to contaminate the bottle or the product within. But I have gotten away with this procedure for years; diluting the gunky, gelatinous Afrin makes a good-but-not-easily-usable product into an excellent product. And of course, by diluting it I reduce the per-use cost.

This really worked fast and the relief lasted a long time. I definitely prefer the pump to the spray.

I have asthma, so it's hard enough to breathe without having a stuffed up head, too. This works to clear up my sinuses completely. Be sure to read the box and the warnings and use good sense and there should be no side effects to worry about.

This stuff is great, recommended by my doctor; this is the only way I can get to sleep at night.

This stuff is GREAT! I've been using it for years, and nothing compares. Clears congestion quickly and lasts a long time. Be careful, though, not to use more than twice a day or you may become habituated. But it lasts so long, you won't need to use more than twice a day anyway. I like the new pump, find it a lot easier than the old squeeze version.