Help! My allergies have gone insane! (San Antonio, Anton: insurance, live, price)

[Surfgly89]

I moved here to San Antonio a few months ago and for the past 2 weeks have been hit hard with allergies! I cannot get any relief! I feel like I'm doped up on over the counter medication that's not helping whatsoever. Anyone have any advice on how to handle these SA allergies or any good allergists? Thank you!

[rattle axis]

Right now, oak pollen is at it's peak. That's the yellow dust you see on all the vehicles. A few months ago, January, it was the ashe juniper (mountain cedar). This will happen every year at these times.
I don't have any OTC medication or allergist recommendations, but I will say that although I don't suffer as near as much as I used to, (Either I've built a tolerance over the years, or I can attribute it to healthier lifestyle/diet changes) I find a neti pot with saline solution to be my best releif when I do experience allergy symptoms. Also, it's a good idea to wear a dust & pollen mask if you're to do any yardwork.
Good luck, hope you can find some releif.

[huckster]

Two sprays, Astelpro, Nasonex and one more- in pill form- Nasonex D, has performed very,very well for me.
A good allergist could prescribe these for you. I used these for one year and it was unbelievable. So.
I went to my regular Doctor for refills of these same three Medications the following year for a repeat from the onslaught of snot and watery eyes and sneezing..
"Why... these meds. all do the same thing " the doctor exclaimed unbelievingly. "There is no use in prescribing all of these meds. to you at the same time. NO. - I won't refill these for you."
He is not an allergy sufferer and so does not understand this at all. It is very bad, can be life altering, these very severe symptoms.
Back to the allergist I went for refills of these three meds.These do not work 100% but if taken before the season arrives, in advance, they have relieved 90% of the symptoms for me.

This allergist that prescribed these meds to me suffers from severe Rhinitis himself. So, knows firsthand what it feels like and so knows first hand from experience what works and what does not. Has figured out how to treat the symptoms, not the causes, (as with the injections of allergen distillates directly into the bloodstream). All those Allergy skin tests and then--That stuff in those injections ---never helped me.

I told this allergist that " You are the best Doctor I have ever had, this is amazing- the relief from
the rhinitis symptoms is nearly complete. He beamed with pride and then shook hands. I have followed his advice ever since.

Originally Posted by Surfgly89

I moved here to San Antonio a few months ago and for the past 2 weeks have been hit hard with allergies! I cannot get any relief! I feel like I'm doped up on over the counter medication that's not helping whatsoever. Anyone have any advice on how to handle these SA allergies or any good allergists? Thank you!

[justiciability]

"You have the worst allergies I've ever seen." - Dr. Rebecca Bowen, ENT Clinics of San Antonio, an allergy specialist (whom I recommend).

That's what she said to me a little over a year ago. I, like you, suffered horribly during this time of year. This year I'm not suffering at all.

I'm on a treatment for my allergies being cured. They are called sublingual drops and they are the same concoction that is made if you get allergy shots. The difference is that I don't have to go to the clinic every week and get a shot, I simply drop the drops under my tongue every morning.

It's expensive and the process is long. Overall, it's supposed to take 3 to 5 years and I have to order a new vial at $200 about every 3 months. It's obviously worth every penny. Insurance does not cover it because the FDA has not caught on and they have yet to approve it. Right now it's an "unapproved method" of taking the concoction in allergy shots. These drops have been used in Europe for over 70 years, however. Look it up, there are recent articles and advertisements about them. Also, contact Dr. Bowen. She is simply the nicest lady I've ever met and she makes me want to go to the doctor.

[robinita]

I feel your pain! I was like a zombie during cedar season, the only thing that helped was OTC nasonex. I don't like taking it because it makes me hyper, but during cedar season it was the only thing that worked for me. My old standby, Zyrtec, was worthless, as was Allegra.

I also recommend the neti pot and I have also started taking allergy drops, hoping that they will ease me into cedar season next year (I plan to take them everyday no matter what for the next year). I'm taking Allergena drops, from Whole Foods, and my reaction to the oak pollen that's been blasting around is not nearly as bad as it was to the cedar a couple months ago. I still take Zyrtec if I plan on being outside for an extended period of time, so not sure if the drops are helping, but seems like an improvement.

Good luck and hang in there!

[BestintheWest]

we lived with the allergies for 4 years with no relief, and finally moved from SA.

[hillcountrywinefan]

Originally Posted by justiciability

"You have the worst allergies I've ever seen." - Dr. Rebecca Bowen, ENT Clinics of San Antonio, an allergy specialist (whom I recommend).

That's what she said to me a little over a year ago. I, like you, suffered horribly during this time of year. This year I'm not suffering at all.

I'm on a treatment for my allergies being cured. They are called sublingual drops and they are the same concoction that is made if you get allergy shots. The difference is that I don't have to go to the clinic every week and get a shot, I simply drop the drops under my tongue every morning.

It's expensive and the process is long. Overall, it's supposed to take 3 to 5 years and I have to order a new vial at $200 about every 3 months. It's obviously worth every penny. Insurance does not cover it because the FDA has not caught on and they have yet to approve it. Right now it's an "unapproved method" of taking the concoction in allergy shots. These drops have been used in Europe for over 70 years, however. Look it up, there are recent articles and advertisements about them. Also, contact Dr. Bowen. She is simply the nicest lady I've ever met and she makes me want to go to the doctor.

Sublingual drops (such as Allergena brand) DO work and I'm fairly certain big pharma in the US will lobby hard to prevent their adoption/approval by the FDA. Over-the-counter meds, like most medications in this country, only address the symptoms, not the underlying cause.

Sublingual drops, when taken in conjunction with Omega-3 supplements, Vitamin D-3 (Cholecalciferol) and Curcumin and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC, a precursor to Glutathione, a powerful antioxidant), can greatly minimize your allergy symptoms. Allergies are an inflammatory response by the body's immune system. Curcumin, NAC and D-3 can help minimize the body's response to these allergens as they're anti-inflammatory. NAC has the added benefit of being a mucolytic, meaning it thins your mucus and promotes drainage.

NAC is an excellent alternative to decongestants, without any side effects. I also recommend Quercetin and Bromelain; Quercetin helps to modulate histamine release while Bromelain acts as an adjuvant to help the body absorb Quercetin. Bromelain also has the added benefit of reducing tissue swelling as well as breaking down mucus and helping with overall respiratory congestion.

My entire family followed this regimen during the recent Juniper/Cedar allergy season and barely experienced anything beyond sneezing! Also the Allergena drops only cost about $20 per bottle. I'm not sure what is going into your vials that cost $200, but that price seems a bit extreme IMHO.

All of our treatments were natural and the amounts taken by each family member were discussed with our health practitioner. I highly recommend that anyone wishing to follow this regimen talk with their healthcare provider first before taking any natural supplements.

All of the supplements I mentioned above are available in places such as Whole Foods, Central Market and Sprouts, as well as being available (often for less $) on Amazon.com.

I can also report that while on this regimen we did not get sick once over this past winter and none of us got a flu shot.

Your mileage may vary depending on underlying & existing conditions and other variables, but anyone who suffers from allergies will want to look into this more natural and effective method for relief.

[Lee W.]

A pharmaceutical company that spent hundreds of millions of dollars on developing a new drug is NEVER going to try to delay FDA approval of that drug in the U.S.! If it's not FDA approved, it must still be in clinical trials in this country and only available to the few U. S. patients who are participating in those trials. So they're not really going to make a profit (at least, not in the U.S.) on it until it's FDA approved!

[hillcountrywinefan]

Originally Posted by Lee W.

A pharmaceutical company that spent hundreds of millions of dollars on developing a new drug is NEVER going to try to delay FDA approval of that drug in the U.S.! If it's not FDA approved, it must still be in clinical trials in this country and only available to the few U. S. patients who are participating in those trials. So they're not really going to make a profit (at least, not in the U.S.) on it until it's FDA approved!

Where did I say the FDA was going to delay over-the-counter big pharma drugs?????

If you re-read my post and fully comprehend it, my statement is in reference to FDA approval of natural treatments such as the ones I outline in my previous post. For the FDA to approve natural (and cheaper) solutions that have few or no side-effects would be unlikely due to the influence of big pharma.

[need4speed2012]

The over-the-counter junk is a waste of money.

Go see a doctor and have your cholesterol check, then change your diet !!

Remember that wheat causes a lot of these problems because today's wheat is harder to digest.