Any Allergy Sufferers Out There?

Donnysgirl

Donnysgirl

Cathlete
Hi Guys!

Do any of you out there suffer with the miseries caused by ragweed pollen? I live in Nebraska and this seems to be an incredibly bad year for it here at least. Does anybody have a similar problem with this and, if so, what do you do or take for it? Any and all suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.

Sharon
 
You are not alone. I live in Ontario, Canada and it is bad here too.

I use Claritin when necessary but really try not to take it that often. I try and drink lots of water, take vitamin C supplements and drink orange juice. This is how I am getting by. I can't wait until it is all over.
 
Have you tried any of the over the counter antihistamines like Claratin or Zyrtec? They usually work pretty well.
 
Don't know if I have a ragweed issue! But since moving from Southern Cal to Northern Cal my allergies started and got worse. I take Allegra-D year round at this point. I have also used Zyrtec-D which worked well. Claritin worked for awhile but not any more for me.
 
I don't take allergy medicine b/c I haven't found one that worked while not completely weirding either me or my body out. I do, however, use a neti pot. It clears out your nasal passages and sinuses. I will still feel allergies coming on, of course, but this keeps them from impacting me so much. If you don't know what a neti pot is...it is a strangely shaped pot - sort of like a genie bottle - and you fill it with a saline solution and run it through your nose, sinus passages, and out the other side of your nose, then repeat for the other side. It is an odd sort of thing to think about, but I finally gave it and tried it. Even my 8 year old daughter uses it when her allergies are bad.
 
I've been dealing with it all year long, not just in the spring, so I know it's been particularly bad where I am :(. I usually take Claritin and it works wonders! I also do acupuncture, and ever since I started doing that, my allergies have become a mere nuisance. I hardly ever have to take the Claritin anymore, unless it's a particularly bad day.
 
Sharon ~

For many years my oldest son suffered seasonal allergies. We did the claratin, then zertec thing & finally I read somewhere to eat a kiwi a day. So we gave it a try & you know that was probably at least 4 maybe 5 years ago & very rarely does he takes any meds for his allergies. He no longer eats a kiwi a day but if they start to bother him we start.

Also a firm believer in the power of garlic in general not necessarily for allergies.
 
I'm just the same as Carole. Born and raised in So Cal and never had an allergy. A year after I moved up here to No Cal they came and have apparently decided to move in permanently ! :mad:

I use an OTC antihistamine/decongestant due to having MVP and told to always add the antihis. Typically like to use pseudofed (now using the replacement since they took it off the shelves) with chlorphenermine maleate (sp?). That usually works for me when I start getting the sinus pressure. When it gets horrible and I am nearing a migraine, I don't use a neti pot but a bottle of nasal saline to "flush" my sinuses. And sometimes resort to adding extra "heat" (wasabi, jalapeno, etc) to whatever I am eating to help drain what's in there. :p

HTH a bit - though pretty much what the others said.
 
I suffer from year round allergies and finally about 4 years ago, dragged myself into see an allergist. They tested me and found out that I am pretty much allergic to everything - dust, mold, grass, trees, weeds, cats... My doctor stressed how important it is to take care of allergies, because if they are bad enough, they can develop into asthma. So anyways, I now get allergy shots (one in each arm) every few weeks. It has made a world of difference! I am even able to cut the grass now without my eyes becoming an itchy mess and my nose swelling shut. I do not need to take medicine while I am on the shots, but if the pollen count gets really out of control, I will take an Alavert (it's over the counter, but you have to get it from the Pharmacist). Allergies suck! :(
 
I forgot to mention that I did allergy shots too, like Liann, and they made a huge difference! Like Liann, I'm allergic to pretty much everything--dust, mold, and basically, anything that's green and grows from the ground LOL. But years of shots made the effects less intense and I can get away with not taking anything unless it gets really severe. After I started acupuncture, there was even less of a need to take anything; my acupuncturist can usually keep me symptom free for weeks.
 
I definitely am reacting to something out there (sniffly, congested in the a.m.), but I avoid drugs, so I just make do.

Nasal irrigation (with a Neti pot, or just snorting up a handful of salt water) can help, as can vitamin C (a natural antihistamine). I have a vitamin C powder that is just concentrated acerola cherry (which I should start taking!).
 
I'm here and feel everyone's pain 100%. I suffer from April until the first frost (at least) :( I take Allegra every morning, have a prescription for nasal spray and eye drops. This fall has been exceptionally hard to deal with. I ended up with sinus infection from my allergies and now sneeze all the time with a runny nose - it's just sad.

I hope everyone finds relief soon (myself included :p) !!!

Take care
Marcia
 
Liann said:
I suffer from year round allergies and finally about 4 years ago, dragged myself into see an allergist. They tested me and found out that I am pretty much allergic to everything - dust, mold, grass, trees, weeds, cats... My doctor stressed how important it is to take care of allergies, because if they are bad enough, they can develop into asthma. So anyways, I now get allergy shots (one in each arm) every few weeks. It has made a world of difference! I am even able to cut the grass now without my eyes becoming an itchy mess and my nose swelling shut. I do not need to take medicine while I am on the shots, but if the pollen count gets really out of control, I will take an Alavert (it's over the counter, but you have to get it from the Pharmacist). Allergies suck! :(
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How long have you been getting shots? I've been getting them for about three months and my allergist said it may take several YEARS for the shots to have built up enough immunity in my system so I no longer have issues. Once a week every week... for several years... Oh man.
 
SirenSongWoman said:
How long have you been getting shots? I've been getting them for about three months and my allergist said it may take several YEARS for the shots to have built up enough immunity in my system so I no longer have issues. Once a week every week... for several years... Oh man.
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I have been taking them for 4 years now. I really noticed a big change after the very first year, maybe even less than that. If it had taken years, I think I would have already said screw it. I will say that I was under the impression that after a few years, my body would build up the necessary immunity to where I wouldn't need to continue with the shots. That hasn't happened. If I miss a few shots, I know it. In fact, I took a hiatus from my shots starting in mid June to see what would happen. I've been so miserable since them that I am now back on them. It looks like I will be getting stuck in the arm for the rest of my life. It's better than living on medicine though and once you have worked up to your maintenance dose, you only need a shot every 3 weeks. Small price to pay to not live my life on nasal sprays, eye drops, and prescription meds. For those of you suffering through all of that every year, I would REALLY recommend seeing a good allergist and looking into shots. I'll never go back to all that again!
 
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