Dizzysillyak Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi All,It's spring here in Fl and my allergies are going nuts. According to my skin tests, I'm allergic to most things on the planet and right now everything is setting me off. I've got a constant runny nose, sneezing, post nasal drip, watery eyes, etc ... 1 Tsp of children's dye free Benadryl every few hours and / or 5 mg of Claritin twice a day work but dry me out so bad that my eyes feel horrible ... And I can't think while on these either. It seems that many of us here have allergies so I was wondering which ones you've tried successfully ? Would a nasal spray work better for us ? Has anyone tried the steroid ones ? Did any of these help your dysautonomia / inability to maintain BP while upright ?Here's an article I found from the Mayo clinic. Before finding this though I saw some info on Nasalcrom that looked promising. It's all so confusing .... http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/allergy-medications/AA00037thanks ... dizzyPS. I vaguely remember reading that Zantac or Tagament could help us too ... How do we get started on these and are there side effects that we should know about ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest letitbe Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 HI, I have crippling sinus issues. I am trying to learn to manage but I have to move(relocate) and want to move. Sometimes that is best and it will be for me.This is what I am now trying; The Netty pot is great but I use and old tea pot and it really helps. I am blowing OUT rather than sucking salt water up and in so it gets rid of even spores and other contaminants. My doc does it 3X a day.I use a generic decongestant daytime (30 mgs as not to tweak)to loosen everything and blow yuck out.I use a generic Claritin at night. I would love to use beny. but never know if it'll wake me, or knock me out!I keep heat low or off while sleeping.Finally, like we were taught but never did, I cover my nose, mouth and ears when out in winter.No way window can be open even if it feels and smells good.If you live where they are are Dollar General stores, they have this spray called 4-Way. It is Eucalyptus and saline. No drugs but clear out. aspirin and anti-inflams as well. I forgot aspirin for 20 years! Put things right in front of you so when it is bad, you remember. My sinus's cripple me. I mean bad. They just stole an entire year when I was supposed to be recovering from something serious. I didn't know it was sinus. I just knew I couldn't move around even worse than ever. Numbness is worse, fatigue is hideous, depression worse, limp, weak and just a BIG MESS.So how do we live.%#@$&^*% I feel anger that we have so many things hit us harder and how to break it down to what is what.I talk to people in this awful place whose kids are on steroids for these things and think that is really really selfish and unhealthy. They are band-aiding. Not helping. A CHILD! drugs that strong rather than a healthier environ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
issie Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Quercetin, Rutin and Vitamin C help with allergies. There is also a product called Respiration by Natures Way (I Think) and it helps me tremendously. I'll take 4 at a time. One of my friends had tried everything and was dying with allergies. He had tried all the RX's too. That one product worked better for him than anything else he tried. Hope you feel better soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartcats Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 What is helping me is Zyrtec (I use the generic bottle from CostCo, AllerTec I think and they are like $25 for an entire years worth) and Flonsase nasal spray. I prefer Nasacort but insurance only covers Flonase. It works well enough, though. I think the nose sprays make a huge difference for me. They seem to stop most of the sinus infections I used to get...and I was told it was a localized steroid so much safer than the other type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firewatcher Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 I am on Allegra (Fexofenadine), which supposedly has the fewest central nervous system side effects. It is only available by prescription. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 I use Flonase and sometimes a Benadryl (25 mg) tablet. I usually take the Benadryl before I'm going to be napping or when I go to bed at night, because it can make me very tired. I used to take Allegra D so it wouldn't make me sleepy during the daytime, but trying to buy an allergy med that used to be prescription only and is now over-the-counter (OTC) gets expensive! With my insurance, I can get a prescription allergy med or a indigestion med for $7. Now that they've brought a lot of these OTC, it's much more expensive. My Prevacid is three to four times that amount. Luckily, the Benadryl is pretty cheap if you buy the Target/WalMart brand. If my allergies get any worse, though, I'll end up buying Allegra D again - OTC.Good luck and feel better soon,Cheers,Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Firewatcher~Is Allegra only available by prescription? I thought it was OTC now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stace915 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi there,I take singulair (prescription), zyrtec (OTC) and a nasal spray called Astepro (prescription), and I still ALWAYS have a runny nose! I have tried a few other prescription allergy pills and this combination seems to keep all of my other allergy symptoms under control for the most part but the runny nose drives me crazy. I spoke to my doctor about it and they said the next step is seeing an Allergist and that weekly allergy shots would probably be very helpful and the next best suggestion for me. He said since I already take so many other medications they would rather not just keep adding allergy med on top of allergy med (and there are lot that are out of the question because of drug interactions). He said that the shots are probably the best bet for someone with severe allergies and other health issues. Honestly the only reason I have been putting it off is they told me that it takes about 6 months worth of weekly shots before I will see any relief! ...I know it will be helpful in the long run but I guess it also seems silly to me to get shots for 6 months and have them not help but I do understand your body has to build up a resistance to whatever they are giving you. If your allergies are severe enough to consider weekly or monthly shots I would say you should start soon (I will make an appointment as well!), because September is the worst time of the year for seasonal allergies, so if we start the shots now or asap they should be working right around Sept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stace915 Posted March 1, 2011 Report Share Posted March 1, 2011 and my allergies seem to be the worst at night, I assume it is because I take all my meds in the AM and by bedtime they are wearing off so on the rare occasion that I am really bad, if my throat is itchy so severely I can't sleep etc. I take 2 benadryl also. The doc says it is fine as long as I am not doing it everyday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dizzysillyak Posted March 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks everyone ... I'm feeling better today, barely any symptoms, but obviously still under the effects of Benadryl and Claritin. I only took 1 tsp of Benadryl last night so between what I've taken and keeping the a/c on and avoiding all that pollen, I'm not reacting like I was ... I need to reread all this again but I'm wiped out still. Great info btw ... thanks again ... it's interesting how many of us use different meds for this .. I tend to feel worse when I use neti pots. My sinuses collect water and drain uncontrollably forever afterwards ... I picked up some Nasalcrom today and tried it already. So far so good on that one but I won't know if it works until I get the Benadryl and Claritin out of my system. I noticed a sign at Walmart about Allegra being available soon ... I think the said March 3rd. FWIW ... I'm not sure because I was so out of it but I "think" the Claritin made my OI less noticeable ... It definitely made me resist laying down and resting. Did anyone feel weird / fuzzy headed or too dried out on their allergy meds in the beginning and get used to them ? Maybe if I took a tiny bit of Claritin every few hours during the day, I could handle it better. I took 5 mg twice a day ... I'd like to get on an allergy med and stick with it to see if it helps my food allergies too. thanks again ... DizzyPS ... just want to say how much I appreciate all the people and info here. Can you imagine how different our lives would've been if our doctors had been this helpful ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Benadryl can dry you out. It does have some anticholinergic effects which will do that. Claritin always dried me out too. Benadryl also can definitely sedate you. I take zyrtec and have no side effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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