This summer has been a bad one for those suffering from allergies in northern Texas. We've had much more rain and humidity than normal, so the plants have flourished and given off pollen, seeds and what have you much more prolifically than usual. My wife's "normal" allergy to some grasses got so bad she couldn't even cut the yard, or be out there while someone else did it. I've had a really nasty post-nasal drip that got bad enough to affect my lungs, coughing up chunks. It hasn't been fun.
We've tried almost everything. My wife gets a weekly anti-allergy shot, and uses Allegra-D and other medications to try to keep things under control. I've tried almost everything, from Allegra-D and Claritin-D through the gamut of lesser antihistamines. I've finally settled on Fluticasone nasal spray as the most effective solution I can find to cut down my post-nasal drip; it's not a complete answer, but it makes it controllable.
The interesting thing is that almost everyone seems to have their own favorite anti-allergy medication, but few agree on the same one. Among our friends, there are almost as many preferences as there are brands on the supermarket shelf. That being the case, I thought I'd ask you, dear readers, for your favorite anti-allergy medication. What works for you? What doesn't work, in your experience? Perhaps, if enough of us comment, we can figure out whether there's something that works for most people, or whether it's still going to be a guessing game for each individual to work out for themselves.
Over to you!
Peter
10 comments:
Chlorpheniramine and Flonase. I have to use eye drops to help with the dryness caused by the antihistamine.
I used to get a shot of Kenalog in the hip every six months. When I had to change doctors, the new one looked at me like I had asked for Heroin and said "We don't do that here". I have found that Nasonex nasal spray and Alka-Seltzer Cold Plus work for me. I'm in Central Texas.
Careful with the Flonase. It is a steroid and regular use can mess you up. Also I used the Wallyworld generic and got so dizzy I could not stand up for 12 hours. It does work very well though. My doc said don't use it. Nothing else I have tried works very well including his 60 dollar script. Also in Texas but south.
After three different allergists, who gave six different sets of tests (the ones where they inject like 60 different things in your arms to see how big a reaction each one gets), and then two or three years of desensitization shots from each allergist spread over decades, I've settled back onto the same antihistamine I was using 50 years ago, except it was prescription only back then. Chlorpheniramine maleate. It's a 4 hr pill but I rarely take more than two/day. The good side is that it works better for me than the longer duration stuff, like Zyrtec, so if the allergy comes back in a few hours, I can take another. If a 24 hour pill doesn't help, you can't take anything else for a full day. Amazon has 300 of these for 3 cents each, or 1000 for a 1 cent each.
So, yeah, 50 years of allergist treatment was almost entirely useless. The most useful thing an allergist ever did for me was to stumble onto the observation that my "asthma" was being caused by acid reflux, and surgical repair of the hernia causing that fixed it.
For itchy eyes, I use either the once a day Pataday eyedrops preemptively - every morning if conditions are bad. Alaway can be used every 12 hours.
For relief of the itching eye symptoms, I've found Bausch & Lomb Opcon-A Allergy Eye Drops to be effective.
I've had good success with this homeopathic, which I start using 2-3 weeks before the beginning of the spring allergy season: evergreennutrition.com/products/northwest-mix-nwmix It's tailored to allergens common in the PNW but I believe there are formulations for other parts of the country.
A friend highly recommends Loratadine amazon.com/dp/B074F18H5N for relief of allergy symptoms.
As a preventative, it helps me to wash my face several times a day to remove pollens etc.
Don in Oregon
For the day, Claritin. At night, Chlorpheneramine. Benadryl was great, but with all the warnings coming out about it, it's only for emergencies now
I use capsules of freeze-dried stinging-nettle leaves when my nose won't quit running. They work for both me and my wife.
I came across something the other day, and can't relocate it, but it was claiming that the huge increase in peanut allergies in kids correlates pretty directly with the addition of peanut oil in the formulation of childhood vaccines. Interesting if true. When I was a child, peanut allergies were unheard of.
On the advice of my allergist I take 360 MG of Fexafenadine morning and night. Not 100% but it knocks my allergies way back. Buy in bulk from Amazon.
I use Costco's Allertec (generic form of Zyrtec).
Post a Comment