Russian bodybuilder Vitaliy ‘Goodvito’ Ugolnikov recently revealed on Instagram that years of heavy nasal spray use forced him to undergo surgery to repair his breathing passages.
The disclosure caught many off guard, not because of the typical health concerns associated with competitive bodybuilding, but because the culprit was a $6 over-the-counter decongestant available at any pharmacy.
By his own count, Goodvito used over 900 bottles of oxymetazoline-based nasal spray across roughly 10 years of competitive bodybuilding. The active stuff, oxymetazoline, is an alpha-adrenergic agonist that works as a vasoconstrictor, narrowing blood vessels inside the nasal passages to create more room to breathe.
Used briefly, it is effective and largely harmless. Used beyond three to five days, however, it triggers a condition called rhinitis medicamentosa, in which the blood vessels become hyperactive once the drug is removed, causing congestion that overshoots well beyond where it started. At that point, users physically cannot breathe through their nose without the spray, creating a cycle that is very difficult to break.
The long-term damage goes beyond congestion. Oxymetazoline is epithelially toxic, meaning it directly damages the tissue lining the nasal cavity. That tissue is responsible for humidifying and filtering air, moving mucus with microscopic hair-like structures called cilia, and acting as a barrier against allergens and pathogens.
Chronic use impairs all of these functions, causes near-permanent mucosal swelling, and can produce lasting architectural changes to the nasal passages that require surgical correction.
Bodybuilders face a particular set of circumstances that make nasal spray dependency more common than in the general population. Intense training in gym environments loaded with dust and chalk elevates nasal irritation. Water retention caused by growth hormone, androgens, and insulin use extends to the nasal passages. High food volume and undetected food sensitivities trigger immune responses that manifest as congestion. Sleep apnea, prevalent among larger athletes, promotes mouth breathing that further weakens nasal function over time.
Goodvito has also been candid about the social pressures that come with stepping back from competition.
“The moment I said I would take a year off to focus on my health, some people saw me as weak and claimed that I had given up. One step back, one mistake, and you lose your value in the eyes of most people who once shook your hand, looked you in the eyes, and showed respect.”
He is now recovering from surgery and, for most people, the lesson is straightforward. Over-the-counter nasal sprays are safe for a day or two. Once dependency sets in past that three-to-five-day window, the damage compounds quickly. What starts as a convenience can quietly dismantle the very anatomy it was meant to relieve.
