cordila Posted April 30, 2009 Report Share Posted April 30, 2009 It's beautiful in the Pacific Northwest. The rain is starting to clear away and there are buds and fresh green grass everywhere you turn. The trouble is, while I do not have typical Spring allergy symptoms (like runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, puffy eyes, etc) I completely loose blood pressure. I've read that histimines lower BP and increase vasodilation and I think that must be true as I have pulled out every trick in the book to up my BP and yet it still hoveres around 70/40 and has for a week! Yuck! I've tried Clarinex and other OTC meds but, due to the CNS stimulation aspect of the main ingredient ephedrine (or psuedoephedrine), I can't tolerate it. I've been taking a spoon full of local honey each day to help increase my resistance to the pollen spores in the area (as I am new to the Pac NW) but so far nothings helped. Does anyone out there have the same issues and/or have you found any good tips? -WB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 I live in the Pacific NW also, and have had much more pooling, red and painful extremities, fatigue, and nighttime adrenaline surges in the past 8 days for seemingly no reason. This post got me thinking, and I have had more hayfever symptoms lately so I took a zyrtec around noon and by 1:30pm my POTS crash was gone!!! I tried taking zyrtec and zantac last year when I was curious if I had MCAD but never really had great results. I definitely think the histamine associated with my hayfever contributed to my terrible symptoms for the past week. I've NEVER come out of a crash this quickly... I'd been taking benadryl nightly lately but woke up feeling just as fatigued. I'm so thankful zyrtec helped. I'll definitely keep taking it for the next few weeks or more. Thanks, Waterbaby, for bringing up this post. The sunny days we've had of late in this area are nice, but I say Bring On the Rain! Let's wash this pollen away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordila Posted May 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Hey Thankful-I can't wait to take Zyrtec, too. Hopefully w/the same results. The thing about Benedryl, Claritin D, and Zyrtec D is that they all contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine which stimulates the CNS. That might be why you're so fatigued. If you're just taking regular Zyrtec then it doesn't contain either ingredient. I'm going out tomorrow to purchase some Zyrtec. It's been a hellish 8 days. I've noticed on the posts several of us have had crashes recently - seemingly relatively out of the blue. Maybe the allergy season is taking us for a ride. Pretty easy to test! I'll report after I take Zyrtec tomorrow. Thankful, will you keep reporting how you feel, too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 I looked at the back of my bottle and it says the only active ingredient is Certirizine Hcl 10 mg, which is just an antihistamine. I get the Costco generic version. I can't handle any type of stimulant either, even caffeine. And yes! I'll let you know how I feel tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted May 1, 2009 Report Share Posted May 1, 2009 Last night was the first night I slept all the way through in almost 2 weeks. No 5am adrenaline rushes! I woke up at 9 and could feel "the fog" descending. Legs and arms getting heavier and heavier like I'm walking through quicksand, and my chest feels heavy. I also have mild hayfever symptoms. Now it's 40 minutes after taking my am zyrtec and I feel rather clear-headed and normal-ish (about 60% better than the past week). Another thing I've noticed improving are the GI pains, cramps, and nausea that have worsened over the past week. Those are nearly gone (which for me is amazing!). I'm wondering why I ever stopped taking these antihistamines in the first place, but I remember that I had to go off of them prior to my Mayo testing in January. I did pretty well after Mayo with increasing fluids, salt, compression, etc., that I forgot to go back on them! Well, I'm not going to make that mistake again!Also, my burning skin (which Mayo attributed to neuropathy) is so much better on the antihistamines. I don't feel that crawly-itchy sensation quite as badly. So Mack's Mom, keep preaching on the benefits of MCAD treatment, even for those of us who haven't tested positive yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordila Posted May 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2009 THAT'S SO AMAZING! You won't believe it - I had my cousin pick up some Zyrtec for me today before coming over. We had a day full of meetings (we work together) and I was worried if I was going to make it through the day. I took 1/2 a Zyrtec this morning when he got here and here it is now, some 10 hours later, and I feel great! I have been going strong all day and have not had the profound fatigue, extreme nausea or low blood pressure that has been plaguing my every day for the last 9 days. I woke up just like you, could barely get out of bed (even after sleeping with all the windows shut, changing the bedsheets, and having my boyfriend shower before coming to bed). Today we went out to get lunch and I had no problems at all. Just yesterday, I went to meet my aunt for coffee and had to abort our visit due to low BP and crippling nausea. This is just the coolest! I'm going to keep taking them for a while at least. Wow - so nice to pull out of this horrible crash! (Hey - what's MCAD?...) PS - I didn't have any adrenalin rushes last night either! Now I can't say I'm Sleepless in Seattle anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted May 2, 2009 Report Share Posted May 2, 2009 YAYYYYY!!! I still feel more fatigued whenever I'm outside. The ground here is literally yellow with pollen. But once I've been inside for an hour or so, the zyrtec still keeps me going strong! (As strong as I normally am with POTS, anyway) I'm actually going to take one before I go to bed and again in the morning. I've done it before and maybe it will help with the breakthrough histamine response.I have a mild runny nose and itchy eyes when the fatigue hits, but usually my hayfever symptoms are much more pronounced. This year, though, it's the POTS symptoms of pooling, tachycardia, fatigue, GI upset... Wierd how our bodies change.MCAD is Mast Cell Activation Disorder is a disease with abnormal histamine release. You can search the Dinet site about it. The Mayo doc says I might have MCAD, even though I tested negative for it in the urine test (methylhistamine) because I do so well with antihistamines.Thanks for bringing this up and reminding me to take my zyrtec! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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