I've recently started experiencing respiratory allergies in a bad way. I'm not sure what I'm allergic to, but since mid-March or so, I've had severely irritated eyes, and mild sneezing, cough and runny nose. If if weren't for the eye problems, I wouldn't be a bit concerned, but I'm going nuts with all the itching, redness, tearing etc.
I've consulted with 3 different doctors, and tried several different OTC and prescription eye drops, but they have some nasty side effects. Oral antihistamines and decongestants seem to work best. I take loratidine (Claritin) and phenylephrine (Sudafed PE) most of the time, with pretty good results. But when the wind is bad (like yesterday, when hurricane Flossie was threatening) I need something stronger, so I take loratidine and pseudoephedrine (Sudafed, the old stuff that is now restricted, but still available OTC).
My problem is that I'm really sensitive to the effects of Sudafed. I get very jittery, and don't sleep well for a couple of days after a single dose. I have difficulty concentrating and heightened anxiety.
So I have to balance between soothing my eyes and the side effects of drops or the "strug out" feeling and lack of sleep caused by Sudafed. I discussed the problem with my new physician (I just changed insurance providers from one HMO to another) at my most recent appointment, and she said that if the prescription drops didn't work for me (they really didn't - I couldn't take the side effects), she could prescribe Allegra, which I guess is more effective than Claritin. I just called and hope to hear back from her today or tomorrow and get a prescription.
I know some of you have mentioned allergies in the past. Have any of you used Allegra? Have you had similar problems, and if so, did you find an acceptable solution?
I'm at the end of my rope <- me rubbing my itchy, watery eyes
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
I had good luck with Nasacourt, which I spelled incorrectly but it's close enough your doctor will know what it is, when I couldn't tolerate the side effects of most OTC stuff. It's a prescription nose spray that you use once or twice a day, and it's the only thing before allergy shots that worked for me.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I usually do Beandryl with Sudafed. Benadryl generally puts me to sleep - think Thanksgiving day on a tryptophen overdose - and Sudafed gets me wired. So the two tend to balance each other out. At least for me.
If I don't need the decongestant, I stick to Alavert.
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
I take a zyrtec every morning, and a singulair every night. They are for my allergies, and also in turn my asthma. They are both fantastic drugs.
However, drugs vary from person to person. Obviously. Claritin actually exacerbates my allergies, and my mom can't take zyrtec without passing out. It doesn't even make me drowsy, unlike benadryl, which I only take in the evenings when I am particularly bad.
See if your doctor/pusher can get you some samples of zyrtec.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Maui, have you tried taking a half dose of the Sudafed? I used to use it a lot, but it had the same effects on me that you mentioned, plus I started to believe that it was actually making me more congested.
I've tried them all. Anything that has a remote chance of making me drowsy, will. These days I just use Alavert (loratadine) and when I'm really stuffy, I'll take one Sudafed, not two. the Alavert only knocks out my symptoms when the are mild; when they are severe, it takes the edge off them a little bit. I find that showering and washing my hair frequently helps, as well as washing my face periodically, but I know that my allergies are pollen-induced.
I also found this amazing stuff online called Sinus Buster. Google it, you'll find it. It's a pepper spray that really did for me what it claims to do, if used as directed. It's not an antihistamine, so it won't really help with the itching, but it does seem to calm a lot of my nasal/sinus symptoms.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Zyrtecs made me too tired to get through the day, so the doctor gave me Allegra and had me buy a HEPA filter. Which, in combination, work pretty well. I need to get another Allegra prescription ASAP.
-pH
Posted by Liz B (Member # 8238) on :
I used to use Allegra. It worked about as well as Claritin for me.
I've also tried a nasal wash system, which did a nice job when I had a cold. (I have glaucoma, so I'm not supposed to take most decongestants.) I can't remember if my allergist recommended it for allergies, too, or if he just gave me a sample because I had a cold.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Claritin was completely useless for me. I wonder if it depends on the particular allergy...like maybe pollen vs. mold vs....pet hair....
-pH
Posted by Valentine014 (Member # 5981) on :
You mentioned that you have seen three different doctors, were any of them Ear, Nose and Throat doctors?
Posted by Lamarque (Member # 10825) on :
I take Aerius (Desloratadine) pretty much daily during my allergy season. I also take an over the counter Eye Drop called Naphcon A(Naphazoline hydrochloride, Pheniramine maleate)that stings when it goes in but seems to help my itchy eyes a lot. Also, when necessary I do use the Nasacort nose spray which was mentioned above. It doesn't work immediately but after a few days of repeated use it clears out my nostrils wonderfully.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Zyrtec was my miracle after trying everything else.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
Allegra has worked reasonably well for me. You can get it with or without decongestant (Allegra-D has decongestant). I've also had good luck with the eyedrops. I think they were called Opcon. Also, you might try a steroid nasal spray. They apparently are pretty effective.
The thing that works best for me, though, is staying inside as much as possible during allergy season. It sucks being stuck indoors during the nice part of the year, but I will feel awful if I go out.
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
<- me rubbing my itchy, watery eyes
![[Smile]](smile.gif)