Hay fever season is now in full effect and its driving me insane. I get itchy eyes, scratchy throat, stuffed up nose and sneeze quite a bit. Why must I have to put up with these allergies?? Are there any good ways to prevent having to deal with the allergic reactions to hay fever? What kinds of medicine work best? I use dimetapp before I go to bed since it has that good drowsy effect to it. What should I take during the day that I can get OTC?
Okay, I’m not a doctor (I don’t even play one on tv), but as someone in the same boat, let me tell you what worked for me . . .
Prescription medication.
Allegra, to be exact.
Made a WORLD of difference.
Yeah, it’s a pain to go to the doctor . . . costs some money . . . but the doctor can check you out to make sure this is a true hay fever and not some underlying condition or infection.
Infection, you say? But I’m not sick! It’s possible to have a low-grade sinus infection . . . or something respiratory . . . or even an infection in your teeth or gums . . . that mimic hay fever symptoms.
Only a doctor can tell you these things . . . and only a doctor can write a prescription.
There’s all sorts of helpful drugs on the market now for hay fever symptoms, such as Allegra, Claritin, Xyrtec. Ask your doctor if they have any samples that you can try before you commit to any one, find the one that works best for you. (In my case, it was Allegra, but I got big fistfuls of both Allegra and Claritin to try out before I actually went out and bought any.)
There’s really nothing over the counter that’s going to work as well as these drugs do . . . especially with no side effects like drowsiness, or contrarily, agitation and jitters.
I have some miseries spring and fall, so I understand what you’re going through, and I sympathize.
your humble TubaDiva
AH–CHOO!
Poor Cow God, I have it too. The only thing that works for me is 60 mg. of pseudoephedrine HCI, which you can get over the counter in several brand-names. It doesn’t knock me out, though it does that to some people. It’s good for the itchy eyes and runny nose. But, it just works for me, might not for others . . .
Keep your hooves crossed for the first frost!
There may be hope, oh udderly adored one,I don’t know your age and I can’t help you in the meantime, but mine went away when I was in my late 30’s or early 40’s. It used to be severe. I took a lot of flack for missing work from something so pansy assed.Till I showed up for work and they sent me home.Drugs didn’t do much at all if I took enough to have a noticible effect I was zonked ,and I have a high tolerance for drugs. My dad was the same way,sometimes he could hardly get out of bed.But his went away too. It didn’t have any thing to do with change of environment. I am still bothered by some killer sinus head aches from time to time,but that other stuff is gone. Just late summer ,huh? Mine was in the spring, short break,late summer,short break ,then the autumn. You may just have to give up being cowgod and switch to frogs or fish or or some other non hay eater.
“…”-Marx
Here’s a thought: studies have shown that people who have had parasitic worm infections rarely get allergies. Apparently, the antibodies that cause allergies are the same ones that kill the worms; without worms to attack those antibodies go after YOU.
If your hay fever is really severe, you might consider picking up a few tapeworms or pinworms. 
Interesting, mr john. I’m 38, and I used to suffer from May til October, and only Benadryl would allow me to breath, although I kept falling asleep at work. But for the past two years I no longer need anything, almost as if I was cured somehow. I don’t recall the symptoms gradually fading over the last several years. Do people just grow out of their allergies?
Maybe you have worms.
…Poor Cow God, I have it too. The only thing that works for me is 60 mg. of pseudoephedrine HCI,…(I don’t know how to do the quote thingy)
My family suffers from allergies that throw them into asthma attacks and this is what we use…it works for us;that and my husband gets weekly allergy shots, surprisingly inexpensive and insurance picks it up after the deductable,you might want to talk to your doctor about those too.
Well, at work they do think I must have a tapeworm.
I thought that pseudoephedrine HCl was a decongestant, not an antihistamine, and wouldn’t do much by itself for hay fever, but is often added to antihistamines; so you can take either Claritin or Claritin-D (or whatever brand). But whatever works for you.
The brand-name I take used to be called Sudafed Plus, I think it’s now called Sudafed Allergy & Sinus. It’s the only over-the-counter drug that works for me; Claratin did nothing.
I’ve noticed my autumn hay fever has gotten less severe in the past few years, but my spring hay fever has gotten worse!
“That’ll be quite enough out of YOU, Mother Nature!”
I can’t really recommend any specific product because we have totally different brands here in Germany, but I have a few general points:
-
The stuff you get over the counter is only for the light cases. If you really suffer, a visit to the doctor is inevitable. He can also find out what your specific allergens are. Maybe there’s a way to avoid them.
-
There are different drugs, mostly anti-histamines (?), that work for medium cases. Although they’re all comparable in strength, they don’t all work for a specific person. You’ll have to experiment a bit before finding “your” cure. In other words: If one doesn’t help, you don’t have to go for the hard drugs like corticoids yet.
-
Hyposensitization has helped me a lot. You get your favorite allergens injected (under the skin) in increasing doses so your body learns to tolerate them. The whole process takes several years, but may be worth it. Success rates vary, and total desensitization is rare. But it has certainly shortened my hay fever season by some two months, and for the rest of the time it’s less severe now.
-
The psyche plays an important role. Try to reduce your level of stress. My wife cured herself just by learning a relaxation technique. (Of course, it may just have been coincidence.)
-
Large doses of magnesium are said to reduce sensitivity. You have to start eating it a couple months before your season begins.
-
Allergies abate with age because the immune system slackens. Don’t know if 30 is a typical turning point.
-
You’re more susceptible to allergies if you haven’t had many infections, especially as a child. (Don’t know if it has to be tapeworms.) Supposedly, a bored immune system will overreact. Won’t help you much now, of course.
That’s all I can think of at the moment.
Whoa…a cow god that’s allergic to hay…is that ironic or what?
(I can’t BELIEVE I’m the first one to make this smart-assed observation!)
Live a Lush Life
Da Chef
I’m still reeling at the irony of a cow god having hay fever.
The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik
You should see my friend HorseGod, man does he have it bad!
“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”
– Calvin and Hobbes
(__)
\/-------\ | |-----| |
…c.c…c.c…
To COWGODMOO: My doctor prescribed some eye drops called Vasacon-A a few years ago. It relieved my itchy eyes and runny nose in seconds. But it gets even better! You can now get it over the counter at your drug store with all of the other eye drops! For my sinus headaches, I use SINE-OFF.
And as I age, my attacks get less and less. In my 20s, I could hardly finish a round of golf without the distracting sniffling, sneezing of an attack. Now in my mid 30s, I hardly notice the symptoms.
Where you live is a factor, too. While living in Wilmington, NC, I never had an attack while in college nor while living on the coast.
Gesundheit!
“Quoth the Raven, ‘Nevermore.’”
E A Poe
The first 20yrs of my life i lived in a drug stopor. Everything that came out i tried. My current fav is Drixorell (wow that dosen’t look right) least side effects longest lasting so far. Vasacon here i come.