Wrong medication prescribed

I stopped by the pharmacy earlier to pick up some Pfizer nasal drops I needed. Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to the label because I figured the pharmacist would know exactly what I was looking for. I set the little bottle aside since I wasn't going to use it right away.
Tonight, my nose was completely stuffed up, so I decided to finally try them. I put a drop or two in, and it felt like my nostrils were literally on fire. When I actually took a closer look at the bottle—which I didn't realize until a bit later because the print is so tiny—it says "HYDROGEN 3%." Since when is hydrogen peroxide for your nose?! Now I’m spiraling a bit. Is this going to be an issue? I rinsed my nose out with saline, but I'm pretty sure hydrogen peroxide isn't meant for internal nasal use. I don't feel any lasting damage yet, but I'm definitely uneasy. Are there any medical professionals here who can explain what kind of irritation I might be facing? I’m planning to head back to the pharmacy tomorrow to have a very pointed conversation with that "expert" pharmacist about seeing an ophthalmologist... I honestly don't trust anyone anymore.
Just a word of advice: if you're buying compounded medications, please, for the love of God, read the labels carefully.

Don't you worry, you'll be just fine.

This takes me right back to my mother-in-law...
She went to see her doctor about menopause—hormone therapy, I think it was called...
Anyway, she heads to the pharmacy, picks it up, and follows the regimen for a while. For a bit there, she was convinced it was working wonders.😁
Fast forward a little bit—I drop by her place to visit a friend, and we get into this whole debate. She pulls out the prescription bottle, and my friend (who happens to be a doctor) just sits there staring at it. 😲
Turns out, the doctor had actually prescribed her something for prostate inflammation.😁
The woman barely understands medical jargon, and since the doctor handed it to her personally, she figured it had to be right.😁

So, they rinsed it out with saline? Honestly, how many people even keep saline solution sitting around at home? I’ve never even seen the stuff, let alone used it. It feels like everyone has suddenly started bringing it up lately. What’s actually in it anyway? Just salt water with a tiny bit of glucose?

Physiological saline is just water and salt. You can easily whip up a batch at home or just grab some at a drugstore. I deal with chronic sinusitis, so rinsing my nasal passages with that solution is pretty much a regular part of my routine.

So, I think it’s basically a 9% saline solution... unless someone wants to set me straight if I'm totally off base?
I actually keep some at home just to make peeling off Band-Aids and wound dressings way less painful

0.9% saline solution

If she actually gave you hydrogen peroxide instead of ephedrine, that’s a massive screw-up. I can't even wrap my head around how a mix-up like that happens...
Good call on checking. Your nose isn't going to be ruined by some hydrogen peroxide.
Honestly, what can I say? Next time, just double-check the label. Personally, I’d name the pharmacy right now so everyone knows who they're dealing with.
I honestly don't know.

Maybe she thought you looked like some runaway addict, so she went out of her way to dose you with something that’ll ensure you can't even get high if you tried 😬

It’s just 0.9% salt in water. Basic saline solution. Don't try to pull that stuff on me... but hey, at least I finally get it now.

Actually, thinking about it, why do some people who use this stuff claim you can only leave it open for a day or two? Or they call it physiological saline when it clearly isn't.

Sorry for the off-topic tangent, but I didn't want to start a whole new thread just for this. And redgardener5, how many injuries are you actually dealing with if you're keeping phys-saline on hand for that reason?

The pharmacy is Sredojević over on Gentlemanly Avenue. I won't be setting foot in there again. 🙂

You can technically use 3% hydrogen peroxide as a gargle (which works for your nose, too). It’s just an antiseptic, though—unlike ephedrine, which actually constricts blood vessels to help with that stuffed-up feeling. Just don't overdo it; stick to a week max, maybe two if you're really struggling.

So, using hydrogen peroxide won't exactly kill you.

Honestly, I’d personally stick to saline or something like Sudafed rather than reaching for ephedrine unless things are getting seriously intense.