I am starting my annual spring allergy fling- i was on prescription allergy medicine last year from march till june, and didnt want to do that again, because i still ended up with 2 sinus infections. But after having a fit in several public places i quess i will be back on something!! I take flonase, but still suffer. I know alot are in the same hell as me, i feel pitifull with my eyes watering!!!

I know what you mean. I take Allegra, but I still get some bad allergies. I tried Flonase, but that didn't help at all, nor did Claritin.
My eyes water so badly at times, I look like I'm crying!
Good Luck!

I am in the same boat. I have year round allergies, but they are much worse this time of year. I have tried everything....Zyrtec, Claretin, and now and on Allegra....nothing is helping me. I feel so awful i don't know what to do. My head is so congested and my nose tickles so much...not to mention that I sneeze every two minutes!! I'm so fed up I don't knwo what to do!!!

Nikki

Has your Doctor ever suggested Rhinocort Nasal spray?
It has worked for me for roughly 5 years but just recently It doesn't seem to be doing the trick. I have been waking up in the morning and my nose is filled with heavy mucous. My eyelids are very itchy and raw. When I get to my office I start recovering.

But once Im outdoors Im doomed. I also think Im allergic to a new Oak bed frame I just purchased from the Amish as this is the only change I have made in our home.
Buffalo

I hate the yearly "which drugs will work this year?" roulette.

I'm on Allegra, which is working OK this year. Last year it was Zyrtec. I tried the nasal steroids but all of them burned.

For my itchy eyes, I find Patanol (antihistimine eye drops) does a good job of keeping the watering & swelling down enough so I can comfortably wear my contacts.

Is Patanol prescription or over the counter? It seems like even if I get my head congestion under control, my eyes still itch and burn like crazy. Thx.

Unfortunately, the "good" allergy eye drops are prescription only. Your optomotrist can prescribe them. There are 3 allergy drops now (pretty much the same, difference is price and/or insurance coverage):

Patanol
Zaditor
Optivar

If your eyes are REALLY swollen and red, ask for Lotemax. It's a cortiosteroid you use 4x daily, but it works well to bring the swelling down so you can switch to an antihistimine.

Hope this helps. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif

I use to sneeze uncontrollably, running nose, anxiety and irritability big time. I had to take allegra which gave me severe back pain. Found out later that the allegra (gel form) had milk in it, and that is what I was allergic too. Also, goose down, I was sleeping with a comforter filled with duck feathers. Allergic to that too. Got a rast test to determine what I was allergic too. Got rid of the comforter and I then eliminated all dairy from my diet for 2 long years. No longer. There are products that you can buy to irrigate the nose with salt water and baking soda. NO DRUGS! I use 1/2 tsp of common iodized salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda (my allergist recommended the baking soda) for each 1/2 cup of warm tap water. My allergist gave ($20) me this nasal irrigator which is a syringe type device with a soft silicon tip which you lightly press against your nose and the whole process is painless and takes less than 2 minutes.
I have been using it for 3 weeks now and have had no allergic reactions to dairy, chicken, or coffee. I can eat anything and my life is back to well normal. No running nose, sneezing, anxiety, irritability, flush face. I feel great! I feel like I have 30% more energy everyday.


[This message has been edited by kitaki (edited 06-11-2003).]

Hey n7ynk,

I just tried that home remedy you posted & can't believe it, but it actually helped! I've had a constant sinus/face/eye/head ache for the past week and although my eyes still hurt and it burned my nose a little going in, the pressure and pain have definitely subsided..

It's great to finally get some relief.. This last week has been pure torture! Thanks a million for the suggestion!

Take Care,
Melanie

NASARAL is a god-send....wonderful nasal spray. Talk to your dr. about it.

Hi, glad you are doing better and the irrigation is helping...it's the best course of treatment to start and stay with even if others are added. One word of caution....don't use the iodized salt....not safe, use non-iodized or natural sea salt. Go on the net for more info on this...but trust me, don't use iodized salt for this.
take care
Originally posted by n7ynk:
I use to sneeze uncontrollably, running nose, anxiety and irritability big time. I had to take allegra which gave me severe back pain. Found out later that the allegra (gel form) had milk in it, and that is what I was allergic too. Also, goose down, I was sleeping with a comforter filled with duck feathers. Allergic to that too. Got a rast test to determine what I was allergic too. Got rid of the comforter and I then eliminated all dairy from my diet for 2 long years. No longer. There are products that you can buy to irrigate the nose with salt water and baking soda. NO DRUGS! I use 1/2 tsp of common iodized salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda (my allergist recommended the baking soda) for each 1/2 cup of warm tap water. My allergist gave ($20) me this nasal irrigator which is a syringe type device with a soft silicon tip which you lightly press against your nose and the whole process is painless and takes less than 2 minutes.
I have been using it for 3 weeks now and have had no allergic reactions to dairy, chicken, or coffee. I can eat anything and my life is back to well normal. No running nose, sneezing, anxiety, irritability, flush face. I feel great! I feel like I have 30% more energy everyday.


[This message has been edited by kitaki (edited 06-11-2003).]