I have been sneezing all day, my nose is a lil’ runny and my eyes are a lil’ scratchy.
Is this what they mean by allergies?
Anyone else in the New York area have them particularly bad right now?
I never knew I was allergic to anything. 
Based on your brief description, it sounds most like allergies to me. Diphenhydramine is a relatively safe over-the-counter anti-histamine. Might be worth a try. Of course if there is more going on you didn’t tell me about…
then see your doctor.
QtM, MD
Thanks, Qadgop.
I thought it might be the beginning of a cold, but I don’t have the other symptoms like achy body, etc. Just sneezing all day, scratchy eyes and runny nose.
I have never had allergies before that I knew about.
Mold spores, would be my guess. If you take some antihistamines and the symptoms go away, then that means it was allergies.
Chlortrimeton and Dimetapp work well, too. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) tends to put some people right to sleep, although if you work in a cubicle, this is not necessarily a bad thing, as sleeping in a cubicle is easier if you’re zonked on Bendryl. Gives you an excuse, see? 
As you lift your face out of your keyboard and mumble, “It must be the Benadryl, boss…”
If you decide to see a doc, I LOOOOVE Claritin. It’s the only stuff that fixes the allergies but doesn’t knock me out. Anyone know if there’s truth to the rumor that it will soon be OTC?
It’s OTC here in Ireland, THANK GOD. I’ve been completely dependent on it for the past couple weeks.
From what I’ve heard at work, the health insurance companies sure as heck want it over the counter, and the FDA seems willing to go along, but the manufacturer has been to court about it. Why? Because if it’s OTC (and very soon off-patent) the price will drop like a rock and they won’t make as much money.
“Clarinex” is the designated heir to the Clairitan empire - the company is hoping to convince everyone that Clarinex is somehow better. I don’t think it is - it’s a slight reformulation of the active ingredients in Clairitan. Just different enough to get a new patent (and preserve those high prices). Then the manufacturer will do it’s best to convince everyone to switch to the new and expensive pill and try to tell everyone that the first version isn’t really so good after all
I hate drug companies, have I mentioned that?
Not too impressed with the whole medical industry right now, to be honest.
Thanks, folks.
The more I read about allergies, the more symptoms I seem to have!
Like the clogged ear feeling in one ear, the tiredness I feel even after getting a good night’s sleep.
How long does this usually last???
Well, of course that depends on what it is that you’re allergic to, and how long you’re going to be exposed to it. If you’ve just cleaned house and stirred up a lot of dust, you’ll probably be ok in a couple days; if the pollen count is really high it might be a few weeks; if you’ve just acquired a new four-legged pet, you’d better make friends with a good allergist.