Does anybody feel like this?, Is it allergies? (Cool: pharmacy, live)

[wehotex]

I feel really tired and really need a strong 2 jolts of coffee in the morning to get going. I sneeze a lot and my eyes are itchy. Bottom line is that I'm more tired than normal. I also check out pollen.com and notice that it predicts that cedar counts are going down on certain days, yet I still feel miserable. Does anybody else feel this way?

[sapphire]

Yes, I would think it's cedar fever. Even though the counts go down, the counts are still freaky high. The itchy eyes--Zyrtec makes a great eye drop, available at Walgreens, CVS and other drug stores. I also recommend taking Zyrtec tablets, along with the eye drops, simply because it helps ME with the sneezing and congestion.

Good luck....I am hoping it's almost over.

[majormadmax]

Yep, there's been a couple of threads about this already but it is the cedar. And don't let the pollen counts fool you, they rise and drop so fast that I have a hard time believing that when they are down it's actually happening as I too still feel lousy.

Stronger coffee does help!

Cheers! M2

[coffeepotbend]

Count me in on feeling lousy. I have cedar right outside my doors. I can touch them from my deck!!!! They have orange stuff all over them. I was wondering about the mold counts though. On the days that cedar is high, I usually feel fine. When mold is high, that's when I feel lousy. Usually mold is high on wet days. I felt bad yesterday as well as today. It was wet outside yesterday too. I really think it's mold for me. Anyone know a good source for mold count numbers? I can't seem to find the reports. I lost my link.

[SA08]

I agree with Sapphire, the ONLY way I'm moving at all here is due to zyrtec. The kids & I are taking it every day....gets pretty spendy but it's better than being miserable.

[MockingbirdHill]

Does Zyrtec make you sleepy at all? I have a lot of driving to do...

To Wehotex: YES!! The older I get, the more I'm convinced that the WEATHER dictates how awake and on top of things I feel. If I wake up in the morning and the pavement is wet simply from the humidity, or it's foggy with solid low clouds, I'm probably gonna' have a hard time waking up all day long... But as soon as the sun breaks through and the humidity goes down, I start feeling better. I'm not sure if it's humidity or barometric pressure that is the culprit for me.

I don't think most people are like this. Just us extra-sensitive types. Maybe it's 'cos we're more "in touch" with nature!

[coffeepotbend]

Originally Posted by MockingbirdHill

Does Zyrtec make you sleepy at all? I have a lot of driving to do...

To Wehotex: YES!! The older I get, the more I'm convinced that the WEATHER dictates how awake and on top of things I feel. If I wake up in the morning and the pavement is wet simply from the humidity, or it's foggy with solid low clouds, I'm probably gonna' have a hard time waking up all day long... But as soon as the sun breaks through and the humidity goes down, I start feeling better. I'm not sure if it's humidity or barometric pressure that is the culprit for me.

I don't think most people are like this. Just us extra-sensitive types. Maybe it's 'cos we're more "in touch" with nature!

I know what you mean. It's called Vasomotor Rhintitis

Nonallergic rhinitis - MayoClinic.com

My husband thinks that this is my condition, and that is why wet days bother me. I found the mold counts for today and they are low ...yet I am miserable. If the cedar is high, yet it is sunny out, I'm fine. I don't know if he's right, but he swears that he is. I suffer bad with allergy symptoms yet all allergy tests come back negative. This does coincide with Vasomotor rhintitus.

[MockingbirdHill]

Hi, Coffeepot! I haven't heard the term "vasomotor rhinitis" in a LONG time. But my ear, nose, and throat doctor told me I had that condition twenty years ago at least. It's a bummer, isn't it?!?!?!

Stuff doesn't drain out when your sinuses are swollen all the time. But for some reason, between 4 and 5 every day, a LITTLE finally starts draining down the back of my throat and I walk around trying to clear my throat--- i sound like a chain saw.

Thanks for the link!

[coffeepotbend]

YES!!!! It's miserable! I read the Mayo clinic link write-up on it, and it sounds like me. It even said that allergy meds don't work....that explains a lot!!! The best solution for me is Sudaphed and excedrin migraine, plus saline nose spary. I get the real deal Sudaphed. You have to sign for it. They sell it over the counter in the pharmacy. It's the best stuff ever!!! The open shelves have Sudaphed, but it's not the real deal. The real deal is behind the counter.

What is your favorite meds?

[MockingbirdHill]

I used to take the HEB brand of sudaphed. They started stocking it back in the pharmacy a couple of years ago (as you know). It wasn't really helping me much so I stopped taking it. I also had a prescription coritsone spray (Rhinocort Aqua) that helped the inflammation in my nose, but honestly, it cost so much (even the co-pay) and each bottle only lasted a couple of weeks.

So basically, I just live with it... until it turns into a headache; then I'm forced to deal with it.

My best remedy for a sinus migraine or sinus headache is Nyquil. It usually helps a lot, but of course it'll put you to sleep. So if I get one during the day, I take HEB's "Allergy Sinus Pain Relief-- Cool Ice" (which is their brand of Tylenol Allergy Multi-Symptom Cool Burst) with a half a No-Doz. (No-Doz is just caffeine, a vasoconstrictor; it also makes the Sinus Pain Relief medicine work faster and with more OOMPH.)

I have a friend who swears by Alka-Seltzer Cold medicine for sinus pain/pressure. It doesn't have alcohol in it like Nyquil does.

Having sinus problems AND bad headaches for the last 25 years has made me creative in my remedies! Thankfully, they've become much easier to deal with over the years.