Antihistamine is go-to treatment every year.
I was asthmatic when I was younger, so Clarytin, Zyrtec and so on were mandatory.
Now it’s Desloratadine (don’t know if you have this in USA), from April to August. One pill a day and I’m free to breath !
Steroid shot from the clinic relieves my symptoms for about two weeks. I only get allergies for a month down here where I am at. Ragweed usually September
I’m from Canada and one of the driest cities ever - Calgary. We get pummeled by dust, dirt and degrading organic matter all spring and then when the pollen finally hits in June my body loses it.
I currently take Aerius in the morning then on bad evenings top it off with Benadryl PM or night time to aid in sleeping.
I spoke with my doctor about it who gave me a prescription nasal spray, a steroid inhaler to strengthen my system over the initial 2 weeks of hell when everything is at it’s worst and told me that you can get a prescription strength Reactine.
He said very specifically that nasal sprays if used for multiple days in a row rapidly create negative systems and cause a lot of issues. He advised they should only be used a couple days in a row and to try and use them only before bed when allergies affect sleep.
I see a lot of people recommend Neti-pots which I’ve never tried before because I read the risk of infection caused by flushing your sinuses is very high. They sell them everywhere so they have to work but I’ve just stuck to pills so far
I have been recommended a neti pot (they have squeeze bottle versions which are easier to use too) by my GP for even sinus infections.
Just make sure to use bottled - or preferably - distilled water. It’s saline solution so should be the closest thing you can get to a sterile rinse if the water you mix with is good.
I figured the info I came across in the past was a little biased as I read a large number of posters here vouching for them.
lol google your symptoms - find out your dying or should have died 8 minutes ago
google your medication - find out 857 have died from taking it in the last 4 minutes
google a medical tool like neti pot - find out you’ll get flesh eating disease in your sinuses
Yeah boiling the water you use is always an option too. I do microwave mine to the point where it’s too hot and then just let it cool down, that makes sure the saline packet dissolves really quickly and completely too.
Hello X3, regarding “desloratadine”…loratadine is the generic drug name for Claritin. Not sure what the first part “des” indicates. Is this a mix of Claritin and a decongestant?
Yeah desloratadine is sold under the trade name clarinex in the US.
In many cases, third generation antihistamines are just other other forms of the second generation drug so the company that makes the drug can get a new patent.
I believe desloratadine is a metabolite of loratadine (Claritin) that works in the same matter but in theory is a little more effective.
My sister is a pharmacist and says that the difference between 2nd and 3rd generation antihistamines (Claritin and Clarinex or Zyrtec and Xyzal) is purely marketing.
As always, drugs work differently for each person. My whole family takes Zyrtec which works for them. My pharmacist sister calls me a princess because I only use branded Xyzal, which is several times more expensive than generic Zyrtec. But Zyrtec puts me to sleep and Xyzal does not, so its worth the extra to me.
The drug’s efficacy really depends on each person, so I’d suggest trying each one out and seeing how your body responds.
I was badly allergic every summer for 28 years, took cortisone shots and pills, sprays…
THEN, — I changed my diet to a low carb - High fat (Nearly carnivore)
Excluded almost all Gluten and PUFA’s…
then by magic, throoat cleared up, and no more stuffed runny nose/eye.
And I have not used Any medicine the last 2 years.
However, if i eat gluten in large amounts, the allergy kicks in again for a couple days.
Allergy is a side effect of all the Shit that you eat, take away the shit, then everything heals.
took me 28 years to figure that out by myself, no doctor have ever said that too me, i guess they wanted to keep their job,
The trick is figuring out what works for you, and sometimes Doctors don’t help much with that. They rotate through the standard prescriptions, then throw up their hands.
I have seasonal allergies (but only spring, summer, fall, and winter). I mostly live with it, and as long as it doesn’t turn in to sinusitis, I’m good. So I rinse my sinuses every morning (more often if I’m working outside in pollen), and roll over and sleep on my left side some every night so my right sinus drains. But that probably only works for me.
I tried allergy shots for over a year. It was a real pain and a whole lot to do. I experienced no benefit but did have a couple of minor reactions at the office. At this point in life, I get by with Zyrtec. During the worst parts of the pollen season, I take two pills instead of one. My doctor said that was fine and I haven’t noticed any side effects from doing so. I also have budesonide nasal spray on hand for when sinus inflammation ramps up. Everyone’s body is different but I’ve found that inflammation can take on a life of its own if let it run rampant. It’s best to nip it in the bud when it starts.
BTW, budesonide nasal spray is considerably more effective and has less side effects than fluticasone (Flonase) in my experience. Just a guess but it might be because most of the fluticasone formulations out there use a problematic preservative: benzalkonium chloride. The generic budesonide I get does not use that ingredient.