Sinus Buster

Sinus Buster is a brand of nasal spray that is available over-the-counter in the United States. It is used to ease nasal congestion, sinus pressure, and sinus HeadAche. It is a capsaicin-based, all-natural nasal spray.

Sinus Buster is distributed by Buster Brands, a division of Dynova Laboratories. Buster Brands also distributes the Allergy Buster and Headache Buster product lines.

It competes against other natural brands such as Sinol, Sinofresh, Sinusoothe and Sterimar.

Mechanism of Action

The ACTIVE ingredient in Sinus Buster is capsaicin. With respect to relief of nasal congestion, sinus pressure, and sinus headache, capsaicin:

  1. Desensitizes the mucus membrane and blocks Substance P, the chemical messenger that relays pain signals to the brain.
  2. Increases mucus secretions to help the body to flush out bacteria.
  3. Dilates constricted blood vessels that can cause headaches.

Clinical History

Sinus Buster

In early 2010, Sinus Buster was evaluated in a double-blind study. The study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Sinus Buster for the treatment of sinus and nasal congestion in patients suffering from non-allergic rhinitis. The study included 42 subjects and measured the improvement in nasal congestion, sinus pressure, and headache over 2 weeks. It also evaluated speed of action and key safety parameters. The study showed that subjects who received Sinus Buster experienced onset of relief in under one minute per a stopwatch assessment (average of 52 seconds). Sinus Buster subjects showed a statistically significant improvement over the placebo in nasal congestion, sinus pressure and headache at each of the measured time points after first use (5, 10, 15, 30, 60 minutes). The study also showed Sinus Buster to have a favorable safety profile. There was no negative effect on sense of smell or indication of rebound effect. Although this pilot trial was small, Bernstein et al concluded that Sinus Buster works quickly to effectively treat chronic rhinitis patients with a significant non-allergic component, and is safe to use continuously over 2 weeks. Additional clinical trials are needed to confirm these findings in a larger patient population. A Randomized, Double Blind, Parallel Trial Comparing Capsaicin Nasal Spray (Sinus Buster) to Placebo in Patients with Significant Non-Allergic Rhinitis. Publication pending.

Capsaicin

Capsaicin-based nasal sprays have been tested clinically for over 10 years. Key clinical findings are summarized below, as they relate to the use of capsaicin as a treatment option for sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and cluster headaches:

  1. In another study of hyperreactive rhinopathy with 84 patients, intranasal capsaicin was used for four weeks and resulted in marked reductions of symptoms without significant side effects in the majority of patients.
  2. In a study of 50 patients with perennial allergic rhinitis, topical, nasal capsaicin was shown to reduce Substance P content in nasal secretions by 43% (with statistical significance) and to result in a total effective rate of 94%.
  3. When studied as a treatment for cluster headache, nasal applications of capsaicin resulted in symptom amelioration in 70% of those patients who applied the [...] on the same side as their cluster headache.
  4. In a study treating non-allergic non-infectious perennial rhinitis, intranasal capsaicin spray caused significant and long-term (up to 9 months post-therapy) reductions in overall nasal symptoms, rhinorrhea and nasal blockage. No significant changes in safety (smell, blood pressure, heart rate) were seen.
  5. In a placebo-controlled study of 25 patients with non-allergic non-infectious perennial rhinitis, intranasal capsaicin was shown to have no significant impact on inflammatory markers (leukotriene (LT) C4/D4/E4, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), and tryptase) in the nasal mucosa.
  6. When used to treat non-allergic non-infectious perennial rhinitis, capsaicin aqueous nasal spray reduced nasal complaints without affecting cellular homeostasis or overall neurogenic staining up to 9 months after treatment.
  7. When used to treat allergic rhinitis, nasally-applied capsaicin provided symptom relief, and resulted in a statistically-significant 35% reduction in nasal airflow resistance. At one-year follow-up, the total effective rate was 89%.
  8. In a 2-year study treating cluster headache, capsaicin applied to the nasal mucosa resulted in consistent therapeutic effects.

Media coverage

Sinus Buster was the first commercial capsaicin nasal spray sold in stores, starting in 2003. It was invented by Wayne Perry, a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show during the 1990s. Since 2004, Sinus Buster has been featured in lots of media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, the Today Show, Mike & Juliet, First Magazine, The Big Idea, the Howard Stern Show and more. J. R. Gach famously performed a commercial for the product describing it as "the best [...] that ever was," which was advertised as the first radio commercial to feature profanity. According to [Biz Journals] , the inventor sold the company in 2008 to Dynova Laboratories in 2008.