Nosebleeds (epistaxis)

How is heavy bleeding treated and what kind of medication can be given?
Contact your doctor if the advice described above does not help stop the bleeding.

Initially, the doctor will try to stop the bleeding by using something that will make the blood vessels contract.

When the bleeding has stopped, the doctor may choose to cauterise the source of the bleeding with a chemical to prevent it bleeding again.

If the bleeding fails to stop, it may be necessary to put a pack in the nose.

In rare cases, an operation may be necessary to tie off the blood vessel that supplies the bleeding area.

If the bleeding is caused by another disease, such as increased blood pressure, it is very important to seek treatment to avoid recurrence of nosebleeds.

Nosebleeds can be very intermittent, and between bleeds it may be very difficult to determine their source. If this occurs it is best to ensure that the nose is inspected during a bleed, which might mean needing to be assessed 'out of hours' by the on-call GP or local casualty unit.

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