[smarino]

The last week I thought I caught a cold from my wife, but now I'm wondering if it's allergies. Just looked at the pollen forecast, and right now it's in the red zone, 10.5 out of 12, w/ no letup in the near future. I've been taking your basic cold stuff which should work, or at least help w/ allergies, but does anyone have anything that has helped them?

So far it's been basically avoiding fatty foods and anything else that might contribute to mucus production, lots of Vit C, E, echinacea tea, various other herbal teas, making sure to wash off well after being outside, keeping the clothes and bedding clean, getting exercise, a Benadryl at night in the hope it might help me to sleep, etc. Sorta out of ideas at this point. Cold or allergies, these things should help, but not so much so far.

[kyle19125]

I highly recommend Flonase which is an over-the-counter steroid nasal spray that works to open nasal passages and block histamines from causing the allergic reactions. It doesn't have the side effects associated with traditional nasal sprays (dependency, etc.) but sometimes can cause excessive dryness which can lead to bleeding in your nasal passages (not like a regular nosebleed though). You can combat the dryness however with saline nasal sprays like Ocean, which can be used as much as you want. Also, Flonase can take a few days before you feel full effectiveness as it has to build in your system before it starts to fully combat the histamines.

[smarino]

Thanks kyle. I had totally forgotten about Flonase. A combination of allergies and other stressors actually put me into the ER about 6 months ago, and Flonase helped considerably. In fact, that's what they gave me there.

That's the trouble w/ allergies....when you have them you can't think clearly, and it had slipped my mind (what's left of it anyway). People used to complain about their allergies, and I often wondered what all the fuss was about? When you get hit hard by them, you know first hand how bad they can be. Steve.

[FromCTtoFL]

Have you gone to see an allergist/MD? A lot of insurance plans will cover testing. If you know what you are allergic to you can take measures to reduce exposure +/or triggers. Some insurance will cover treatment with sublingual drops or shots to "desensitize" you, which can significantly improve your quality of life! Be careful with the flonase - some people experience side effects. Some can be mild like nasal dryness, sore throat or more severe like infections, loss of sense of smell or changes in taste. Good luck!

[upgrader]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I highly recommend Flonase which is an over-the-counter steroid nasal spray that works to open nasal passages and block histamines from causing the allergic reactions. It doesn't have the side effects associated with traditional nasal sprays (dependency, etc.) but sometimes can cause excessive dryness which can lead to bleeding in your nasal passages (not like a regular nosebleed though). You can combat the dryness however with saline nasal sprays like Ocean, which can be used as much as you want. Also, Flonase can take a few days before you feel full effectiveness as it has to build in your system before it starts to fully combat the histamines.

Great suggestion as it sure feels like allergy season. If you have a Dr. you can get a generic prescription.
Fluticasone propionate nasal spray. Costs me half as much as OTC Flonase.

[GrouperK]

Call me crazy, but have you thought about seeing a doctor?

Seems like the most logical thing to do rather than to ask a bunch of strangers who know absolutely nothing about your medical history.

[chickenoodle99]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I highly recommend Flonase which is an over-the-counter steroid nasal spray that works to open nasal passages and block histamines from causing the allergic reactions. It doesn't have the side effects associated with traditional nasal sprays (dependency, etc.) but sometimes can cause excessive dryness which can lead to bleeding in your nasal passages (not like a regular nosebleed though). You can combat the dryness however with saline nasal sprays like Ocean, which can be used as much as you want. Also, Flonase can take a few days before you feel full effectiveness as it has to build in your system before it starts to fully combat the histamines.

Yes, Flonase is the best! I take this along with zyrtec. At one point a Pulmonologist had me taking azelastine with everything else but I didn't like the side effects and stopped.

[bmw335xi]

My GF and I recently moved to Florida and her allergies were previously bad, but now they are really bad. Flonase hasn't completely brought relief, but it has helped a decent amount.

Try taking a teaspoon of LOCAL raw unfiltered honey twice a day, it should help you build an immunity to the local allergens. You can increase this amount to two tables spoons per day and hopefully after 6 months, your allergies should be less severe.

Good luck!

[Fredesch]

Sinus rinse, look for a neti pot or squirt bottle. Mix a salt packet with water and pour though the nose. You should be able to flush everything out.

[smarino]

The honey won't help I'm afraid. Unfortunately, that is just a firmly entrenched urban legend. The scientific facts on it speak for themselves, and putting a little bit of local pollen into your gut is not going to affect your sinus cavities. Stomach acid will kill it the instant it hits the stomach.

Good advice on the sinus rinse and neti pot/squirt bottle. I use a cheapo salt water sinus spray and it helps, but you have to do it throughout the day and evening. Helps to wash off everything that was exposed the minute you come indoors too. Every year allergies are different, as some plants bloom worse or better than previous years. Going to the doctor is a waste of time and money. Most GPs know very little about allergies, and all a specialist can do is either start you on allergy shots (which require a lot of expensive lab tests and years to have any effect) or give you something strong to counteract the symptoms, not the actual cause.

Everyone needs to figure this out for themselves, as everyone reacts differently. The things people have mentioned so far are a great place to start though, and from there one can fine tune things to fit their own personal needs. The Flonase has helped me a bit, along w/ the other tips here. There won't be any big turn around, it's a matter of trying this and trying that to see what works, which is why I asked here. The more info one can gather from actual allergy sufferers, the better the odds of finding something that may work, if even a little. Avoiding grain foods, sugar, etc help too, and anything that boosts the immune system is good.

I also switched from the Benadryl to Kava tea to help w/ sleep at night, but you have to read the labels carefully. The first box contained Stevia leaf, something I am violently allergic to. I bought that once, in a well intentioned hope of getting away from sugar in my coffee, and after breaking out in huge itchy welts all over my body and spending hundreds of dollars at doctors who had no idea what was wrong, finally had to figure it out myself by surfing the web for days until the cause of the problem became apparent. The welts had coincided w/ the switch from sugar to Stevia. Not many people are allergic to it, but I am it turns out. I love these simple ideas like "go see a doctor". Most doctors are really not good at most things. Specialists are highly trained and often know something, and if you end up in the ER you often see the pros. That's why they're in the ER. I used to work in the medical field, so this is fact not opinion.