About 3 years ago in April, I suddenly developed a constant runny nose and sneezing that didn’t go away until August. According to my doctor, I had allergies, even though I never did before then. The first summer, I was given Claritin, which worked great. The next summer, Claritin didn’t work at all. So last summer, I went to my doctor and complained, and we started switching medications around. Claritin had no effect; Allegra worked great for about 3 days, then stuffed me up so bad I couldn’t sleep at night; Zyrtec only lessened the symptoms but couldn’t get rid of them. I was going to try Nasonex, but the allergy season ended before that.
So now it’s November, and I’m starting up again with the sneezing, and it is most definitely not allergy season, and I’m so frustrated I could cry.
So what are your suggestions for “what do I do now?” And since allergies appeared suddenly, is there a chance they might disappear just as suddenly? Can stress bring this on?
Well, depends on lots of things, including the nature of what you’re allergic to and what your typical symptoms are (IANAD, but I have allergies from Hell). Personally, I’ve found relief for the nasal portion of allergy symptoms with Rhinocort Aqua. And Claritin to me is the nectar of the gods, so YMMV. If you don’t mind being knocked on your rear with severe drowsiness, Benadryl does the trick for me every time.
Some people say that if you eat a couple of tablespoons of locally produced honey (within 50 mi. of your home) a day, your allergies will diminish or disappear. I’m skeptical, but it couldn’t hurt to give it a try.
Have you tried the OTC stuff yet? I have finally found, after giving up, that DayQuil mangaes to dry up my nose just enough, and keep my throat from getting all gunky and sore from the snot dripping down (and the subsequent coughing). I just have to slug down some every hour and a half or so. As always, YMMV. (And oddly enough, NyQuil doesn’t seem to work as well.) Another alternative would be plain ol’ saline nasal sprays, but that usually doesn’t do me any good. (How on earth can I get the stuff up there, when it’s completely blocked off by snot?)
Did something change, three years ago? New office? New home/apartment? New pet? New car? Anything new in your life that could harbor something you hadn’t been exposed to before? I’d recommend some detailed allergy testing, to see if whatever is causing your reaction can be tracked down. (If it’s something like dust, well, at least then you know and can make some adjustments to hopefully help.)
Has your doctor done any allergy testing to find out what specifically you’re allergic to? If it’s pets or dust, time of year isn’t going to matter. If it is one of those, changes around your house (encasing pillows and mattresses, cleaning kind of obsessively) can make a huge difference. Of course, it all depends on what you’re allergic to.
Yes, allergies can appear at any time of life, even if you never had them before.
They can also go away, but that’s really really really really really rare if the allergies are adult-onset (like yours).
“Allergy season” only applies to seasonal allergies, like an allergy to ragweed or maple trees. There are year-round allergies.
Just throwing medications at this is clearly not working to your satisfaction. You need to find out WHAT you’re allergic to. Once you know the what, then you can
avoid the thing whenever possible
reduce or eliminate that factor in your life
find the proper medicine to deal with it
Not all allergy medicines treat the same sort of allergies. Which you’ve sort of already found out.
Also, it’s possible you DON’T have allergies - other things can cause runny/stuffy nose for a prolonged period. If it’s not an allergy, then allergy remedies won’t help (much).
In other words, you need to find out what’s really going on here.
Pigs in Space’s suggestion is sensible. Find out to what you’re allergic. I suffered very badly when I was a child - I used to lose my voice for two months of the year. I eventually had desensitising injections over a period of a couple of years and now the worst it gets is the sniffles and the odd wheeze. That was a while ago, and I don’t know whether they even do that sort of treatment any more.
You must find out what irritates your allergies before you can medicate them. I have found that I’m allergic to animals and all sorts of fur, feather, wool, and hair that come from them. No wool sweaters, no feather pillows, etc.
I’ve been very lucky in that plain old Benadryl (or the generic, even) works for me in most instances. If I am immersed in the allergen, though, forget it. Therefore, our cats now live with Venoma’s husband.
If you are miserable, then I think it’s worth a serious effort to find the right medicine that works.
I am currently NOT using the Nasonex I have been prescribed because I HATE spraying crap up my nose. But my doctor tells me it takes three weeks for the medicine to really get on top of those allergies. I need to start it up again; I just loathe it so.
I’ve got enough random adult-onset allergies that it isn’t worth testing for which ones. I suspect I’m allergic to cat hair (in high enough quantities) and I know perfume bugs me. I find that being well-rested helps a lot–my immune system does okay until it gets tired. If I start missing sleep, the runny nose comes on with a vengeance. So if you’re pooped out on drugs, you might try taking care of yourself as best you can.
Well, I’ve never done allergy testing. I’m pretty darn sure it’s something to do with plants–probably pollen that I’m allergic to. I live at school and over these three years, I have had different dorm rooms, different roommates, different houses, different pillows, etc., etc. and the allergies stay just as awful regardless every summer. But what does knowing (or at least being reasonably sure) that pollen causes allergies get me? Does that lay out a specific course?
Thanks for the advice so far, I’m gonna try the honey thing, even if it is a long shot. And I’m gonna dust like crazy this weekend, I’m guessing I was sneezing because some plant, um…stuff is still in this room. I just need to do something, because I know when April comes I’ll be miserable again, and I have more (outdoor!) weddings to attend this summer, and I would rather not be a snotty mess for these ones, like I was last summer. Mebbe I’ll ask the doc about this Rhinocort Aqua…
Yes. If you’re allergic to a specific pollen, or something specific like cat hair, you can undergo desensitizing shots. They aren’t fun, but they can reduce or even elminated your reaction (they usually work, but not always, so be warned about that). They aren’t comfortable, but the effect is more or less permanent, unlike drugs.
OK, dusting for an allergic can cause MORE problems. Use a damp cloth to dust furniture. If you have rugs you have to vacuum, but if you have tile or wood use a mop instead - it kicks less dust into the air. And go and buy one of those dust masks (ask at a hardware store) and WEAR it while you’re dusting. It will look dorky, but you will feel better.
aaaaarghhh. I flew from the United Kingdom back to Australia on the weekend. About half way through the filight I started to sneeze, runny nose and eyes watering and itchy. The flight takes 24 hours, so it was pretty uncomfortable. I arrived home on the Sunday and got some Clarantyne from the chemist which helped slightly. By this time I could hardly see as my eyes had half closed and the glare really hurt. Anyway I trotted off to the doctor and he prescribed Prednisolone which fixed it up very quickly. However it can only be taken in short doses- and it does half some strange side effects- disturbed sleeping patterns, and stimulates the appetite. You can’t stop eating.
Sometimes prednisolone is your friend. I’ve taken it for a few days at a time twice, to treat severe asthmatic flareups, and it worked like a charm. Sometimes breathing, but having a bad case of the munchies, is a helluva lot better than the alternative.
As always, YMMV. (And oddly enough, NyQuil doesn’t seem to work as well.) Another alternative would be plain ol’ saline nasal sprays, but that usually doesn’t do me any good. (How on earth can I get the stuff up there, when it’s completely blocked off by snot?)