Allergies

[Bigritchie]

Uggg My allergies are driving me nuts, sadly where I live is supposed to have more pollen then all of Europe combined.

Anyone happen to know of a good herbal or medicine for allergies, mostly running nose and sneezing, that will not make me sleepy or feel like crap?

Normal cold medicine just makes me feel horrible. But I have sneezed about 500 times today and it is getting annoying.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Ask you doctor about nasal sprays with steroids (nonabsorbed) or cromolyn.

 

[Letj]

I suffered with allergies for years. I tried everything under the sun and nothing worked. The doctors even thought I may have asthma but after going to an astute pulmonologist, he told me I did not have asthma and prescribed Astelin. This is bar none the most magical drug. Two years later and I am a real happy camper. Give it a try; it is not steroid which is of course very appealing to me.

 

[Martha]

Nasal sprays with steroids that Rich mentions are amazingly effective for me. I used to go on sneezing jags where I would sneeze until I almost passed out!! No more. Oddly, controlling the nasal symptoms also reduced other symptoms. My eyes don't itch as much from pollen and my asthma is better.

 

[ERD50]

My kid uses the (now non-prescription) generic version of Claritin - the one without any other additives is non-drowsy and is really cheap at costco. Seems to help him a lot.

-ERD50

 

[Bigritchie]

I took some alavert (sp?) tonight, seemed to help a little, but I have that crappy sleepy head feeling that cold meds give.

Rich my doctor is the VA, they would tell me the runny nose is all in my head, and part of PTSD, and try and give me pycho drugs lol.

 

[pfpelican]

prescribed Astelin. This is bar none the most magical drug. Two years later and I am a real happy camper. Give it a try; it is not steroid which is of course very appealing to me.

I have both asthma and allergies. For allergies, my lung guy prescribed Astelin and Singulair. I, too, have never had another symptom.

 

[Cruisinthru]

I have suffered from allergies all my life. After our move to a new house last year they seemed to get worse. I had gone to an allergy doctor for years in the old location and was really tired of just not feeling good even with the med's he had me on so I decided that I would try to just control them with over the counter med's. What a bad decision that was. I finally went to see a new allergy doc and he has me on Zyrtec (a pill taken at night, since it makes you sleepy), astelin (nasal spray also at night), and flonase (nasal spray in the morning). This combination of things has worked wonders for me. My allergies are totally under control. I sleep well, and wake up alert. I love it!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

My wife, who has had trouble with asthma, changed to advair a couple of years ago and hasnt had a problem since. I've been using flonase for minor to moderate allergies. After a brief period of adjustment (sore throat, runny nose, loss of most of my sense of smell) its been pretty good. No allergy problems. My sense of smell is still a little muted.

Note that advair and flonase use the same drug, in different delivery methods. My wife tried both and it gave her a little headache, probably too much of the same thing.

 

[Sue]

I use 4 different antihistamines to control my allergies, but I rotate them. I found that after taking one antihistiamine for a period of time, it stops working. When this happens I just switch to another antihistamine and my allergies are much better. I rotate through 4 different brands and try not to take any antihistamines when I am not bothered by allergies.

Another approach is to try to reduce your exposure to allergens. Pollen levels are much higher in the morning, so stay inside during this time of the day. When you come inside your home, you are "comtaminated" with pollen, so change your clothes, take a shower and rinse your hair. Lower pollen levels in your home by (1) keeping your windows closed (use airconditioning if necessary) and (2) using an air filter unit which has a HEPA filter. It's impossible to control pollen levels in the environment, but you can lower them in your home.

 

[heyyou]

The generic version of Flonase, once a day, liberated me from my allergies. Is there now an OTC equivalent, to avoid pharmacy prices?

Our retirement place has no carpet. The tile floor has washable runners where we want warmer flooring. The floor is insulated from outside temperatures so it is never very cold.
Have you ever pulled old carpet out of a house? If you have allergies to any local pollen, it is in your carpet.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

The two non prescription "remedies" I've used for years are actually pretty beneficial.

While you can buy a "nasal irrigator" to rinse collected allergens from your sinus cavity, you can do it for free by tipping your head in the shower and directing a little water spray up the schnozz, then blowing it clear...uh...rinse and repeat. Not the most pleasant thing for some people. Try it for a couple of days...your allergy symptoms will drop dramatically.

All the nasal irrigator is is basically a waterpik with a different adapter on the end.

The other thing is washing your hair before you go to bed. You hair, especially if you use any hairspray or gels, is the best large scale collector of allergens. Then you go to sleep, rub them all over your pillow and inhale them.

Between these two more or less cost and drug "free" tricks, you might see a lot of relief.

By the way, this doesnt help if you have a dog laying on top of you and a cat sticking its tail up your nose while you sleep.

 

[Outtahere]

there is another non chemical remedy, take a teaspoon of "local" honey everyday. My uncle and sister tried it and they have no or very mild symptoms. Dh tried it but hates the taste of honey so he stopped and went back to his Allegra.

 

[Khan]

I have heard people say that large doses of vitamin C, during heavy pollen season, were very helpful.

Purely anecdotal.

 

[youbet]

My doc ran me through several of the prescription allergy meds. The search ended when we tried Astelin.

During the peak of the allergy season, as indicated by my constant discomfort, I follow the two sprays per nostril twice a day directions. Other times, I just use it in response to symptoms. It acts quickly. 20 -30 mins after spraying, I'm good.

BTW, I seem to be especially sensitive to pollens in the woods "Up Nort." Had two northern Minnestoa fishing trips ruined. Since discovering Astelin, it's much less of a problem.

 

[bright eyed]

While you can buy a "nasal irrigator" to rinse collected allergens from your sinus cavity, you can do it for free by tipping your head in the shower and directing a little water spray up the schnozz, then blowing it clear...uh...rinse and repeat. Not the most pleasant thing for some people. Try it for a couple of days...your allergy symptoms will drop dramatically.

All the nasal irrigator is is basically a waterpik with a different adapter on the end.
.

the "ancient" neti pot sounds like it might be a bit more gentle than the up the schnozz water pik
Neti Nasal Cleansing

oprah had an audience member try it and it looked very gentle - lean forward, tilt your head, insert pot tip (w/ warm salted water) and the water will come out the other side...

no snorting necessary...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep, that'll do the trick.

But do bear in mind that I'd go for anything with a 40cc motor in it over a pot!

I mean...come on!!!

 

[bright eyed]

doesn't the water shoot up where you don't want it to go? sounds unpleasant to me... w/ the neti pot the water climbs up into the sinus cavity and comes out the other nostril - gentle and fascinating! i thought you had to have a bad coke habit to do something like that.

if i get water up my nose unintentionally - it hurts...but maybe you like the pain cfb?

i recently had a bad bout with the sinuses and the saline spray was similar to the neti pot, and you shoot it w/ your head tilted and it goes into the sinus instead of the higher part of your nose where the accidental water caused discomfort...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

yeah its not the most pleasant thing in the world, but it just takes a minute and the results after a few days really are pretty impressive.

I think those gentle 'in one sinus, out the other' setups arent as thorough as flushing your whole face out with niagara falls, but they probably do well enough and arent as displeasing.

 

[sweetana3]

I occasionally suffer from a runny nose to the point my poor nose is red and raw. I tried Benadyl and it is way too strong. So I thought maybe the kids dose would work better. Fantastic. Drys up my nose and does not make me sleepy. Plus it is chewable and grape flavored. Perfect.

I dont use it often and the MD looked at me kind of strange but said if that is all it takes and it is nonprescription, go for it.

I really believe in trying all the available natural and then non RX things first and seeing how they work before going the route of trying to find an RX that works. Way cheaper even with insurance.

 

[Fireup2020]

the "ancient" neti pot sounds like it might be a bit more gentle than the up the schnozz water pik
Neti Nasal Cleansing

oprah had an audience member try it and it looked very gentle - lean forward, tilt your head, insert pot tip (w/ warm salted water) and the water will come out the other side...

no snorting necessary...

I practically snorted when I checked the Neti Nasal link!!!

Nasal douching? (ya, I know, but the phrase is hilarious!)

Wow - a couple of my co-workers wanted in on what was so funny! Thanks for the ROFLMAO near the end of my w*rkday!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Factory Direct On-line Shopping

These are some good examples of the mechanized face blasters.

 

[bright eyed]

I practically snorted when I checked the Neti Nasal link!!!

Nasal douching? (ya, I know, but the phrase is hilarious!)

Wow - a couple of my co-workers wanted in on what was so funny! Thanks for the ROFLMAO near the end of my w*rkday!

better to douche that end then the other...

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

bigritchie you might wanna consider allergy shots. worked for me twice. had serious allergy problems as a little kid. got shots and i was good to go until i hit my 40s when i started getting allergy attacks again. so i did another series of shots, just finished five years worth last year and i'm not perfect but way way better than before the shots. every so often i do a claritin boost but the difference from before the shots is significant.

ps. didn't need a claritin not once while in your neck of the woods. i thought the air up there was wonderful.

 

[Bigritchie]

They do not bother me to much when I am up in the mountains, it is when I am down in the valley, and foothills, where all the crap settles.

I smoke alot too, and plan on quitting as soon as my sale goes through.