There is some crazy pollen here in Louisiana. I've been getting some allergy symptoms, and in the past when this has happened, if I've gone to Florida it's cleared up instantly. Whatever tree it is, it needs to go.
But it's not really a stuffy nose kind of thing. It's eye allergies (wearing contacts becomes a real hassle), plus dizziness/ear aches and itchies. Plus absolute and completely exhaustion. I've been sleeping eleven hours a day. When I'm awake, my main thought is how badly I want to get back to sleep. The only allergy medication that's worked so far (Zyrtec) has drowsiness as a side effect. So I can be exhausted from allergies, or I can be medicine-sleepy.
I know plenty of other Hatrackers have allergy issues; how do you handle them? And is there a medication I can ask for that isn't Claritin (doesn't help) and that won't make me sleepy?
I shall return to check this thread later because I feel like I'm about to fall on my face.
-pH
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
12 hour nondrowsy sudafed from behind the counter gets me through the day. The stuff in the aisles without suphedrine is worthless. The 60mg sudafed I order from Canada is even better, but the last package I ordered never got to me. I think customs intercepted it.
Posted by calaban (Member # 2516) on :
I feel your pain. I have allergies to grass and certain trees that are pretty intense. I also have general animal dander allergies, and food allergies to tuna, rice, corn, and coconut.
Allegra is the only thing that cuts it for me. I stay alert and it is very effective at suppressing allergies. It's problems are that it is the kind of drug that needs to be taken consistently over time for best effect, and as a perscription drug it is rather expensive. Fexofenadine is the active ingedient.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
quote:Originally posted by calaban:
Allegra is the only thing that cuts it for me. I stay alert and it is very effective at suppressing allergies. It's problems are that it is the kind of drug that needs to be taken consistently over time for best effect, and as a perscription drug it is rather expensive. Fexofenadine is the active ingedient.
I was on Allegra D for a good while, and it did work. While in Canada for a vacation I stocked up on it. It is sold for the same price as sudafed there, no prescription needed. Makes me wonder about our FDA sometimes.
Posted by calaban (Member # 2516) on :
I'm not a fan of D becasue I was experiencing side effects like elevated pulse and dizziness. Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: 12 hour nondrowsy sudafed from behind the counter gets me through the day.
But that's a decongestant, and pH said it's not really a stuffy nose kinda thing. (It is a stimulant, though -- one that I'm really sensitive to. I don't know if it's still in Nyquil, but it used to be, and the drowsy stuff in there would put me to sleep, and then the pseuphedrine would wake me up an hour or so later!)
pH, I have the same problems with allergy-related fatigue this time of year. Zyrtec definitely made it worse. I normally don't drink anything caffeinated, but during allergy season I have at least one Coke to get me through the roughest parts of the day. I use Alavert (loratadine, same as Claritin), which takes a little bit of the edge off, but on high pollen days doesn't seem to do a lot.
Sorry I don't have more good advice. I actually almost started the same thread today! I didn't get functional until about noon, and this was not a good day for me to be that sleepy.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
There's some antihistamine that my mom can't use but I can, but I don't remember what it is. Go talk to a pharmacist, I bet they'll have great recommendations if you tell them what does and doesn't work for you and what you want.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Thanks, guys.
Uprooted, I have been drinking SO MUCH green tea and diet coke in an effort to stay awake. I don't understand why it's not helping at all.
I talked to the school clinic and dragged myself out of bed to see a doctor really quick. Seriously, I feel like driving is a bad idea. He said Allegra was a good idea (but expensive, sheesh!). I had to do my best to keep from cracking up while he was trying to check my circulation. He was worried about how pale I am, so he tried pinching my fingers to see how soon the color came back...but I'm so pale that I guess there wasn't any color to come back. Further proof that I am indeed a vampire.
Edit: Oh yeah, he told me to buy some kind of HEPA air filter or something. Um, what's a good one, and is it expensive?
-pH
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
pH, I stayed home from work today because of Extreme Exhaustion Due to Sinus and Allergy Issues.
I asked my doc for a prescription for a nose spray, which has worked before, because I tend to get sinusitis, and it keeps that at bay.
So, now, I am on Nasonex and Claritin. I also flush my sinuses with saline. Someone wonderful gave me a recipe, but you can also use the Ocean saline spray, turn it sideways, and squirt a stream in your nose until it drips down the back of your throat. Yucky, but it feels so much better when you are done,especially if you do it every day.
Drink loads and loads of water, and avoid dry heat if you can.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
You can buy HEPA filters to use in place of your regular air filters in your vacuum cleaners and air ducts. Look for a filter with a serial number and test results on it (look for test results at .3 microns that are 99.97 percent or above).
I'm not sure how well various stand-alone "air purifiers" actually work, but if you have serious allergies you can get whole house filtration systems (although they are pricey, similar in price to air conditioning systems).
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I don't have central AC though...I have one window unit in the bedroom. Can I get some kind of filter for that?
-pH
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Good question - I live in the land of insane hotness and so I'm only familiar with central air. I would think/hope window units also have filters...
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I have misread this thread both as "allegory-related fatigue" and "anger-related fatigue".
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
pH, there are decent HEPA air purifiers that should be available for less than $40 at your local Home Depot. I used one in HS when my allergies were acting up, and it did help some.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Wow - one of my LJ friends who lives in BC just asked the exact same question today. I wonder if the two are related.
The only answer to my atrocious allergies that I've found is to live in the arid Rocky Mountains. Depressing for one with wanderlust, I tell you. But my year and a half in Japan was absolutely miserable. (allergy-wise) The only drug that is helpful is Benadryl, and it makes me unavoidably drowsy. It's awful.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Drowsy isn't the word for what Benadryl does to me. Comatose is more like it.
I'm hoping that my trip to Utah in a little over a week is going to give me a respite from the relentless pollen here; it's been a long time since I was out there in springtime, but as I recall my bad month out there was May, not April. And then, of course, in my little fantasy world I will have missed the remainder of the worst part of pollen season here.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
Uprooted, does Benadryl give you weird dreams? It gives me creepy dreams the likes of which are only topped by opiate painkillers.
I got a filter thing that, according to the box, can handle about half my place (I have a small place with an open front room/living/office area). So when I'm going to sleep, I'm going to put it in the bedroom, and during the day, I'm going to put it between the bedroom and my work area ('cause lately I mostly work from home). I'm hoping this will cover most of the places where I spend a lot of time...the kitchen and bathroom get left out, but I'm not there much anyway.
How long until I know if it's helping?
-pH
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
It's been so many years since I've gone near a Benadryl, I don't remember if it gives me weird dreams or not.
Pollen count in my town: 5499/cubic meter yesterday, 5208 today. Somebody wanna just shoot me?
I hope the air purifier works for you. I would think you should start noticing a difference in a day or two if it was going to help, but what do I know?
![[Frown]](frown.gif)