Allergy Relief Suggestions? (sinuses, pain, cold, doctor)

[Zzyzx]

My wife who has never had allergies before is getting hammered pretty hard right now. Last night she could not sleep because of the pressure in her head was so intense.

She has tried, Advil Cold & Sinus, Sudafed,Allegra & Ocean Spray. Nothing is working for her. Anyone have a suggestion on what else she might try?

Thanks!

[Lisa_from_Debary]

I use flonase, its perscription but it comes in a generic so its not going to be expensive...I have to use it pretty regularly.

[love roses]

Zyrtec and flonase are what me and my daughter were prescribed. Flonase works pretty good.

[jessdine]

1) Go to the Dr. The best stuff is all prescribed
2) I use benedryl and one of the sinus meds that are now behind the counter. Ask your pharmacist. They can direct you.
3) Get a netti pot or a bulb (the one like you use on babies...if oyu know what I am talking about) Both do the same thing. You rinse your nose with warm salt water. It is the BEST thing to do when you have that pressure. It really helps.
4) Buy three cold compress that are long and you can wrap around your head. WHy three? One for right now, one for when that one gets warm, and a third as a back up or for you...

Hope this helps! I have suffered from sinus issues all my life and the only thing that helps is prescribed meds. I have been off them for a year (baby) so I am the queen of alternatives.



Jess

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Man, I feel for her. I have bad allergies myself. Hot compresses work better than cold compresses. The heat helps to loosen the gunk inside of your sinuses and allows them to drain better. Bring a large pan of water to the boiling stage....Remove it and place on the table (protect your table with a hot pad or towel!). Lean your face over it and wrap a towel loosely around the pot and your face. Breathe the steam in...it loosens all that junk. Meanwhile take an OTC (over the counter) NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) such as Ibuprofen or motrin...start with about 400-600 mg. (each tablet is 200 mg--so 2-3 tablets!) I always take 800 mg right off the bat. I also take an anti-histamine along with the NSAID, such as benadryl.
Of course the prescriptive drugs are wonderful, but not everyone has access to them or can't get a dr's appt at night time when they are in so much pain and misery. So these are some quick methods of relief that I found work well for me.

[twange]

Flonase rules for sinus pressure. My wife is a massage therapist and when I'm struggling with sinus issues, facial massage is amazing...of course that might not be available to everyone

I agree that heat and steam are great for loosening that stuff...but I like soft ice packs for those subsequent headaches.

[Lisa_from_Debary]

You know what else I LOVE...if you can go to the health store and get you some REAL eucalyptus oil, then put her in the shower with the oil...the aroma of it will open her right up. Don't put it on her skin, just let the steam expand it.
If you can't find the oil, Sudafed makes these HUGE tablets, closer to the size of a hockey puck then a pill and you put them in the shower while your soaking up the steam...both of these are very soothing too me.

[Miaharpel]

Stay away from ice-cream

[aiangel_writer]

Once upon a time, I was on allergy shots. Hated them so decided to figure out what worked best for me. Went through Claratin, Allegra and found Zertec worked, just too good and I felt as if my brain was drying up!

Baby that I am, I switched to Children's Benedryl, it is liquid and I have been using this for 5 years with much success. You can control how much you take at a time if it makes you drowsy. I also take Advil with the Benedryl when I have a allergy/sinus headache, it works much better on me than the sinus meds since they make me feel as if I am on a three day drunk.

I have most of the people I know on this remedy and all swear by it.

Tell your wife to see a doctor to find out what she is allergic to. This will also help you by giving you an idea of what to avoid as much as possible.

I am also using a prescription called Nasonex, this is a mist to spray up my nose, it works wonders when the pressure around my nose is very bad, it shrinks the tissue and clears your nasal passages.

the hot water vapor with or without added scents works great as well.

[Zzyzx]

Thank you very much for some suggestions. I'll go ahead and run this information by her