General Hay Fever Complaints

[Darkforeboding]

Here in Texas I get hit with hay fever every year in the last half of February and first half of March. I never had an allergy test but from the time of year and is worse when we have a south wind I figure it must be Mountain Juniper pollen. Today it's nastier than usual. I took my Zyrtec (generic) this morning and now I've had a couple of nostrils full of Nasacort but it has only improved marginally. I quit taking Benadryl years ago and Allegra after it didn't do anything for me 2 years ago.

Short of moving to another state, does anyone else out there find something to get some relief?

DFB

 

[thirdcoastdiver]

Make an appointment with an allergist. If you are suffering from allergies, there may be shots to desensitize or new medications that my help you to control your symptoms. I use a combination of prescription and over the counter medications to control my symptoms.

 

[JohnN]

Here in Texas I get hit with hay fever every year in the last half of February and first half of March. I never had an allergy test but from the time of year and is worse when we have a south wind I figure it must be Mountain Juniper pollen. Today it's nastier than usual. I took my Zyrtec (generic) this morning and now I've had a couple of nostrils full of Nasacort but it has only improved marginally. I quit taking Benadryl years ago and Allegra after it didn't do anything for me 2 years ago.

Short of moving to another state, does anyone else out there find something to get some relief?

DFB

So what bothers you the most on the seasonal allergies? Your nose, your eyes, general puffyness?

Every year I get hit what the pioneers used to call "Valley Fever" (Willamette Valley, Oregon). I have a major grass pollen allergy


When it's bad:

Claratin (Loratadine) for general symptoms
Flonase (Fluticasone propionate) to help clear the nose
Acular (ketorolac trometamol 5 mg/mL) for your eyes (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory)

I've even tried prednisone (but one of its side effects can be 'roid-rage' and I would not recommend it unless you really really need to)

 

[Kevrumbo]

Prednisone now for me . . . 10 to 20mg qod to control Allergic Rhinitis & Dermatitis (Asthma at least is under control with Advair 100/50 alone). Gonna try & resume the allergen immunotherapy -allergy shots- again. . .

Last resort is Imuran (Azathioprine) - a powerful immunosuppressant drug.

 

[DandyDon]

Where in the huge Lone Star state are you, to get hay fever in winter?

I get similar problems year around, allergic to a lot of things, altho I could clean house better I suppose. Anyway, you are taking antihistamines, and that's great - find the one that works best for you and stay on it. To treat the symptoms directly tho, you need a good decongestant - and nothing beats Pseudoephedrine if it doesn't bother you. It is a stimulant and not for everyone, so read the cautions and try it first on a day off.

It's getting harder to find and more expensive since sales and marketing have been controlled so, as it's used to make meth in the lawless world, but it's still available. I'm always shopping for it so my daughter and I can stay supplied at reasonable prices. I paid too much for an order shipped from Canada once when I hit a dry spell, but United groceries in west Texas and Walgreens all over carry generic Actifed in their own labels: Aprodine at United, and Wal-act at Walgreens. Each pill contains 60 mg of Pseudoephedrine plus an antihistamine, but the extra antihistamine shouldn't be a problem. Take one to four a day as needed...!!

 

[iluvtheocean]

Where in the huge Lone Star state are you, to get hay fever in winter?

I get similar problems year around, allergic to a lot of things, altho I could clean house better I suppose. Anyway, you are taking antihistamines, and that's great - find the one that works best for you and stay on it. To treat the symptoms directly tho, you need a good decongestant - and nothing beats Pseudoephedrine if it doesn't bother you. It is a stimulant and not for everyone, so read the cautions and try it first on a day off.

It's getting harder to find and more expensive since sales and marketing have been controlled so, as it's used to make meth in the lawless world, but it's still available. I'm always shopping for it so my daughter and I can stay supplied at reasonable prices. I paid too much for an order shipped from Canada once when I hit a dry spell, but United groceries in west Texas and Walgreens all over carry generic Actifed in their own labels: Aprodine at United, and Wal-act at Walgreens. Each pill contains 60 mg of Pseudoephedrine plus an antihistamine, but the extra antihistamine shouldn't be a problem. Take one to four a day as needed...!!

check your local laws (by asking your pharmacist) on how much/often you can buy it and be careful crossing state lines to buy it

---------- Post added March 6th, 2014 at 09:59 AM ----------

check your local laws (by asking your pharmacist) on how much/often you can buy it and be careful crossing state lines to buy it

and i used to Wal-Act all the time -- but now i use something else.. it's either 12 or 24 hr? and it does have Pseudoephedrine so have to get it behind the counter. i'll look when i get home to see what it is.. but think it's the prescription strength Claritin.

 

[DandyDon]

check your local laws (by asking your pharmacist) on how much/often you can buy it and be careful crossing state lines to buy it

Yep, they've really gotten carried away. Some states require prescriptions for behind the counter meds containing pseudoephedrine, but Texas is still fairly reasonable, Lubbock having its own limits which I've heard are a little stricter than the state or US regs - but no one I've talked with really knows the details. They just go by the computer after putting your DL# in.

I do not want to run out, so I stock up within limits when I go to Lubbock. I'm allowed to purchase 48/day (2 boxes of 24 at United or 1 box of 48 at Walgreens), and if stay overnight with the kids - again the next day, but not on a third day even tho I am allowed 150/month in Texas. I've noticed that Oklahoma only allows 120/month, but that's 4/day so plenty. I don't guess one can even buy for a spouse, unless maybe if they get a prescription. Quite a hassle just for hay fever meds! Some states also have a limit of 300 in possession, but while I can't find such for Texas - I stay below that. I do keep almost that much around tho, in case the supplies change again - and I keep a box in my car and one in my laptop bag, just in case!

Now I am talking about the 60 mg pills of generic Actifed. Some stores around here are carrying straight pseudoephedrine, but only in 30 mg pills for some reason - and charge as much for them as the 60s. More money, more pills to keep up with, twice as many to take at a time, and I think there is also a 2 box purchase limit/day so more trips to the store. I've had some difficulty getting my daughter to read contents on boxes to ensure she was getting pseudoephedrine ok, and taking 60 mg at a time when needed. 30 mg is the kid dose I think.

and i used to Wal-Act all the time -- but now i use something else.. it's either 12 or 24 hr? and it does have Pseudoephedrine so have to get it behind the counter. i'll look when i get home to see what it is.. but think it's the prescription strength Claritin.

Great for dive days as you avoid the risk of running out during a dive and a reverse block, I know - but pricier. One 60 mg/6 hour dose is all I need for all day most days, sometimes two, four on bad days.

Except that Claritin is a brand name, originally for an antihistamine - not pseudoephedrine, but now used on all sorts of mixes. Sudafed got its name from pseudoephedrine, but now they use the name on boxes than contain none. Got to read what's in the boxes for sure.