Allergies

[LiveStrong]

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?

 

[Rosie]

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

 

[zizzer]

For me, nothing gives me a sinus infection quicker than taking Benadryl. **** 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.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

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.

 

[BYH]

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

 

[EStreetJoe]

Claritin D works well for me.

 

[Cadet]

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.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

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.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

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...

 

[Bill Horton]

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

 

[DocTalk]

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.

 

[azom]

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.

 

[zizzer]

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.

Deathly afraid of needles. Once had a needle so long put into my arm they had to strap my arm to a board so I wouldn't break off the needle in my arm. I could feel the ****er going in the whole damn way, too.... never again.... I'll pop pills for the rest of my life, just keep the damn needle away from me.....

And I have heard about the local honey route... it works for some people (I don't happen to be one of them ). Went to a local beekeeper for some, and tried that for about a month.... did nothing for me. But I have heard it works wonders for others.

 

[bydesign77]

A couple of things. Make me a believer in the local honey angle. A move to Indiana and back to Georgia, both times, taking local honey was helpful to cut down on the sneezing, especially with the pine trees down here.

I've taken Zyrtec and Claratin and other things. Claratin or Claritin or however it's spelled is the best. I take it over the counter (CVS brand) and it's awesome. Even today when the pollen is so thick on the ground that the parking lot is yellow.

 

[Pencil Dick]

I live in a valley that I'm told by longtime residents was known to the Indian tribes who once called this area home as "Cloudy Head." May be a legend, but I've never seen such pollen concentrations anywhere.

I swear by Claritin daily ... it's pricey, but Mrs. P-D get all her prescriptions reimbursed by her employer, so that helps. We buy the 60-pack from Costco or Sam's Club.

Here's another tip ... use a saline spray like "Ocean" when you first get up and before going to bed. I know it's just salt water, but it really seems to help.

 

[rico_the_redneck]

I use the nasal spray Astelin, which is an antihistamine spray instead of a steroid spray like Nasonex, Nasaqort, Flonase etc. Astelin has been a life-saver since the fall (I have year-round allergies). But today my vehicle is coated in pollen and the pollent count is supposed to be around 5,000. So I went to the doctor just now and got a script for Zyrtec to add to the mix. Spring is definitely miserable in the south.

As a side note/vent after just returning: My doctor is a moron!!! He keeps telling me that anti-anxiety drugs like Klonopin and Xanax are narcotics. No they're f-ing not. They're benzos and controlled substances, but they're not narcotics (Oxycontin and Percoset etc. are). So I have to go to a specialist (yeah, a psychiatrist) to get my "narcotics." I know I could find a different doctor, but the good thing about this guy is he's really hands off until at least age 40. And I'm like zizzer, except my big fear, in addition to needles, is the finger up the butt trick!

I also asked him my Livestrong question (what can I do at age 35 etc.) and his answer was an hour of exercise a day. Good advice I suppose. He doesn't recommend any books, didn't have any other advice. I told him I'd started taking fish oil supplements twice a day and he said there was a new study out that said fish oil helps 75% of the people who take it but actually hurts 25% of the people who take it. The only way to find out which group you're in is to have a really expensive blood test run. So he's quit recommending fish oil.

Note to Johnny D: Feel free to move the last part of this to the Livestrong thread if you want.

 

[westcoastvol]

Everyone:

Go. To. An. Allergist.

One of the best moves I've ever made in my life.

Found out I was allergic to dust mites, cats, rabbits, baker's yeast and cow's milk.

The difference in my quality of life is astounding.

 

[LiveStrong]

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.

That's really interesting. I've never heard of that.

I started on Claritin this morning. Hopefully it'll make a difference. It would be great to feel better and not feel exhausted all day.

 

[girl friday]

boy friday uses the 24-hour Claritin-D and it works well for him.

but he is going to see an allergist and hopefully get shots. he sneezes so hard it makes his body ache and gives him headaches. unfortunately, little girl friday has some allergies too, but not the same ones as boy friday...

 

[HejiraHenry]

I ate something the other night that gave me the worst allergic reaction I've ever had.

My face swelled up overnight and left both of my eyes bloody after I'd pounded some Benadryl the next day.

Weird.