When I was little(like 6 years ago)I had synositees and the doctor recommended AFRIN to me. I remember that my mom used to put AFRIN in my nose and it really hurt. Have you ever tried squezzing some lemon juice down your nose?well it's something like that.Squeezing any liquid down your nose doesn't feel that good, so it's not like AFRIN has something in it that makes it hurt.It is worth the experience because it actually works!

This is a tough one to rate because, on a scale concerned only with it's effectiveness, Afrin is an easy 5 it's even a 5+++ but on the other hand this is nasty stuff. Very strong and very addicting. On at least two different occasions I had tried this for an extended cold or flu or whatever it was and even though they tell you not to use it for more than 3 consecutive days (which should tell you something right there if they're so concerned to warn you) I did and found that when I stopped using it I was even more congested and had more trouble breathing than I had had from the cold. Great for very quick releif and a good nights sleep but definitely use sparingly.

My congestion is always cleared by Afrin -- in childrens strength. It's easy and painless and works instantly.