-- Doctors say it is the simple, everyday, over the counter nasal spray that can get you hooked.

Matt Forsman, who was formerly addicted to nasal spray, says,

"I couldn't breathe unless I had it. I would wake up in the middle of the night and I was so stuffed up I couldn't breathe and it would scare me because it felt like I was suffocating. It was, like, necessity and the more you use it, obviously, the better you feel."

A graphics artist at channel 6, Forsman said he did not want to miss work because he was stuffed up, so he decided nasal spray was his best bet, and he had a lot to choose from. On store shelves, nasal spray companies use key words like "immediate relief" and "extra strength" to catch your eye. Forsman chose several brands, and kept it by his bed, in his bathroom, and in his living room. He said he used it so much he had what doctors call rebound nasal congestion.

Dr. Armstrong, of Windber Medical Center says, "The stuffiness in your nose will be ten times worse on the rebound from that spray than it was in the beginning. As time goes on, the effect of the spray is less and less and the rebound is more and more to the point where they're spraying that up their nose 3,4,5 times a day."

Forsman said, "I would spray it up my nose 2,3,4 times, whatever it took to clear everything up."

Forsman said if he had followed the directions on the back of the box, he would have been okay. Directions say to use no more than three or five days and only two or three squirts every 10 to 12 hours. Forsman used it several times a day. Eventually, his doctor had to wean him off the decongestant spray by giving him a saline nasal spray.

Dr. Armstrong said, "You can use it four times a day, you can use it 100 times a day. You can use it for 100 years in a row. It's not going to cause a problem."

It took over a week for Forsman to get over his dependency on the spray and he says he learned an important lesson.

"I actually was making myself worse by using it instead of making myself better," said Forsman.

If you continue to use decongestant nasal spray, you could do damage to your nose that can take years to fix. Dr. Armstrong said if you have trouble breathing at night, you should use the saline spray or see your physician. They can give you a prescription nasal spray that works a little slower than over the counter sprays, but they're better for you because you cannot get addicted to them.