Allergies

This time of year always kills me. I feel awful 24-7 because of my allergies, which won't go away until late summer/early fall. Last night was one of the worst nights of sleep of my life.

Last year, I was taking the Benadryl Allergy medicine, but the only one that really worked also made me really drowsy and kind of out of it. I'm thinking of trying Claritin this week. Has anyone else found something that works really well for them?

 

My daughter takes Claritin and it works pretty well for her -- when she remembers to take it.

 

For me, nothing gives me a sinus infection quicker than taking Benadryl. Shit dries you up, yes, but within a week, my head feels like a beach ball.

I do the doctor route with my allergies (freaking hate shots, so I'm on the drugs), but I go on about a three month rotation of Allegra-D and Claritin-D.

 

Get some locallly produced honey or bee pollen. You'll find it at natural food stores or farmers' markets. Take a little bit each morning. Use the honey on toast. It'll help you build up a resistance to the area's pollen.

I thought it was BS, but we bought local honey at a farmers' market just to support a local farmer. I've noticed my allergies aren't nearly as bad as usual. And we had so much pollen fall my wife's car, which was parked all weekend, was coated with yellow stuff that would normally have me sneezing and wheezing. Not a single sniffle when I washed it this afternoon.

 

I was going to say Claratin usually works for me, but Inky's suggestion sounds really interesting.

 

Claritin D works well for me.

 

I can vouch for the honey thing. It won't cure you if you're already suffering, but it's good to do when you move to a new area.

 

Like I said, I thought it wouldn't help at all.

When I first started using the honey, I noticed throat would get a little scratchy. Nothing major. But normally when I'd feel something like that, the sneezes or red eye would be next. After 10 minutes, I'd be fine. I was outside for about six hours yesterday (and got the first minor sunburn of the season) and didn't have to take my usual dose of OTC allergy meds. Today, you could write your name in the pollen on my wife's car. Didn't cause me a single problem.

It might not help everybody. But it's helped me.

 

My allergies are really horrible -- particularly grass. I swear by Claritin D.

I also recommend moving to the desert, but I realize that's not always feasible...

 

I will support and verify this experience. It has worked for me and others I know as well. The key is locally produced honey.

 

Claritin is an non sedating anti-histamine, as opposed to Benadryl (or diphenhydramine) which is the active ingredient in most over the counter sleep medications. I'm not a fan of the "D" part though, because the pseudephedrine can make people a little jittery and also can increase blood pressure and cause palpitations.

 

So am I the only one on the board that has resorted to allergy shots?

I did two shots a week for about two years in high school, and it was fabulous. I went from taking twice the recommended amount of Benadryl every day for about five months to no drugs, period. That lasted for about seven years, then the allergies came back.

Truth be told, I quit taking the shots too soon. That's why it didn't last longer than seven years.

I'm back taking shots now. Two shots once a week. By this time of year, I'm usually starting my sniffles, but that hasn't happened yet. I swear by allergy shots.

For those days when I need a little pick-me-up, any OTC with loratadine (the active ingredient in Claritin) does the job.