Apparently I'm special.

[XxMerlinxX]

So if you look at my join date, I've been a member of the board for some while, but haven't really gotten to post much. The reasons for this are legion, but the biggest among them is that I seem to suffer from chronic sinus problems of some sort or another. Most recently I've had issues with my allergies picking up since we're getting into that season. Everything starts blooming so I start sneezing and clawing my eyes out. Now I've taken a lot, probably all as a matter of fact, of the over the counter medicines with varying degrees of success. It seems that after a while, the OTC meds become less and less effective, leaving me to my sneezing fits and what have you. This year I decided I would be a victim no longer and went in to go see the doc. He prescribed Allegra, Flonaise, and some eye drops. I thought to myself, "Wonderful! The flowers have no hold on me now!" And so far that seems to be true. Now here's the kicker. I recently developed some very specific lower back pain. It really felt as if my kidneys were bulging out of my sides, so back to the doc I went. Apparently around 2-3% of people have this specific side effect and I will no longer be able to use Allegra, though it did remedy the allergy problem completely. Now I don't know what to do as the doc said to try the OTC meds again, as if I hadn't been through that before.

So basically I have a prescription for 3 months worth of a drug that I cannot take. If things start to get rough, I may try to start it back up for a couple days, just to give the OTC meds a rest. My other plan is to try and get my prescription changed from the generic form of Allegra, which is what I've been taking, to the namebrand form. Seems silly, I know, but apparently people who have had the same problem switched and no longer suffered from that side effect.

Anybody else have terrible allergy problems?

 

[Jimmyhaze]

Ever use Claritin? My brother has bad allergies to everything and it seems to work for him.

 

[Sportster]

I grew up and continue to live in a town that will give just about everyone hay-fever and other breathing related troubles due to the pollen from the forests, and everything else...I've met folks that have moved here, that only after a couple years had to move because its so bad, and they would claim they never ever had allergies before in their lives unil moving here...

I use to suffer just about the same as you've disclosed, and over the years I have found only 2 allergy meds that helped dealing with pretty much everything you suffer from... one is over the counter and doesn't knock you out, or make you cranky or both and its been around for a long time (and maybe you've already tried it... and thats A.R.M. works great, and has just about everyone I've suggested to give it a shot....

The next magic potion was (and I know I am going to spell this wrong....so, I'll use good ole pho-net-ics ) CHLOR-TRY-MA-TON been alot of years since I used that, so it would be smart to ask your GP or whatever specialist your seeing if thats an option.....now I get along just fine with OTC... ARM

All I know is these 2 work very well....with very little side effects and what a relief it finally was to NOT have swollen eyes and a very raw nose...

Good Luck, I hope you get something worked out!!!

 

[DesertRat]

I have pretty bad allergies. I am highly allergic to all types of common grasses; fescues, bermuda, rye etc... I'm also deathly allergic to cats. Sometimes just sitting in a room with another person that has a cat at home is enough to set my allergies off from whatever remnants of cat dander are on their clothes.

I too have tried all the OTC stuff as well as Allegra, Flonaise, Nasonex and the works. The best thing I have found is to take a 24-hour Claritin every 12 hours and chase it with an OTC extra strength Benadryl as well. That seems to keep the problem under control sufficiently enough to function through the worst of allergy season which for me is spring and late summer. Put me in a room with a cat though and I'm toast.

 

[Kingantz]

Oh man, don't even get me started on allergies. At a very young age I was allergic to a number of things, the worst being dander. If a cat even came around me I would break out in hives. I believe I was around threeish when I had to be rushed to the ER from a severe allergic reaction, almost didn't make it (I remember it well). I also remember going to the hospital a city over and having tests run (where they inject you with a needle right below the skin to see what you're allergic to). Yeah, that was fun. For over three years I had three shots, twice a week, in both arms, which made my upper arm swell up like a softball. It worked. No longer allergic, at least to the amount that I had been. Back then, I was prescribed Actifed that I took twice a day religiously. It too helped.

As of late, I too have been having a LOT of health issues. I had a sinus infection as well and was given Allegra D and Nasacort, which both worked. I also started getting a fairly sharp pain in my left side, however I'm pretty sure it was because I don't drink a lot of water. And when I say I don't drink a lot of water, I mean I really don't drink a lot of water. One or two cups of coffee in the morning, and MAYBE a small glass of Dr. Pepper in the evening. Every once in a while I'll stop at the water fountain at work and get a sip. My wife gets on me all the time that I need to drink more (she's always got a bottle of water in her hand). So, I've been trying to drink more water lately and sho' nuff, side stopped hurtin'.

Drink lots of water!

I don't know about you Nathan, but just looking at the yellow pollen makes my throat want to close up. Good thing it's rained the past couple of days.

 

[XxMerlinxX]

Yeah, I'm very glad it's been raining a lot here lately. What's also weird is that while I've always had bad allergies, it seems like it got worse after moving up here. Back when I lived in Hartsville, my allergies weren't quite so bad and I could get away with OTC meds and never had to take a trip to the doctor. Maybe there's something that grows up here, that doesn't back home, that is giving me the most trouble.

DesertRat, you mentioned being allergic to different types of grasses, I think I might be able to do you one better. Not only am I allergic to grasses, but I'm allergic to Aloe as well. Means I have to watch what sort of sunscreen I put on and even what kind of herbal/life drinks I drink. Sobe makes a drink that actually has Aloe in it. Ask me how I know.

 

[xRanger]

I'm allergic to walnuts of all things. No other nuts affect me, but if I eat anything with walnuts or walnut oil in it, the inside of my mouth breaks out in blisters, and my airway starts to close off. My wife bought some mudslide mix one time that apparently had walnut oil in it. That was an almost Emergency Room trip. I took probably three sips of the drink and I was done. Could barely breath, mouth all blistered, good times!!

It also makes Christmas and other holidays a treat trying to find something to eat when we are at other peoples homes. Everyone cooks with those damn nuts!

 

[Anthem]

I am no doctor, but it seems like you have a very chronic condition there. Have you seen an alergist and expolred the idea of getting the shot Greg had mentioned. It is a hassel for time, but I know there are progrmas that allow you to give yourself your own shots now, and it is an extremely successful treatment.

 

[MoeCizlak]

Oh man, don't even get me started on allergies. At a very young age I was allergic to a number of things, the worst being dander. If a cat even came around me I would break out in hives. I believe I was around threeish when I had to be rushed to the ER from a severe allergic reaction, almost didn't make it (I remember it well). I also remember going to the hospital a city over and having tests run (where they inject you with a needle right below the skin to see what you're allergic to). Yeah, that was fun. For over three years I had three shots, twice a week, in both arms, which made my upper arm swell up like a softball. It worked. No longer allergic, at least to the amount that I had been. Back then, I was prescribed Actifed that I took twice a day religiously. It too helped.

As of late, I too have been having a LOT of health issues. I had a sinus infection as well and was given Allegra D and Nasacort, which both worked. I also started getting a fairly sharp pain in my left side, however I'm pretty sure it was because I don't drink a lot of water. And when I say I don't drink a lot of water, I mean I really don't drink a lot of water. One or two cups of coffee in the morning, and MAYBE a small glass of Dr. Pepper in the evening. Every once in a while I'll stop at the water fountain at work and get a sip. My wife gets on me all the time that I need to drink more (she's always got a bottle of water in her hand). So, I've been trying to drink more water lately and sho' nuff, side stopped hurtin'.

Drink lots of water!

I don't know about you Nathan, but just looking at the yellow pollen makes my throat want to close up. Good thing it's rained the past couple of days.

Except for the ER thing, this sounds like me as a kid. I vividly remember getting 80 shots in my back seeing what I was allergic to. Massive fun. I too took three shots in both arms three times a week for a couple of years and then it diminished to one shot in each arm for the next couple of years until I stopped. I still can't be in a house that has a cat for more than an hour without sneezing my head off. The last week has been miserable as things start to bloom. My eyes water and I'm congested as hell and will be for about another week. Sudafed helps dry me out while I go through my yearly spring ritual.

 

[Rodrigo de Jerez]

Allergy medications (Claritin, Allerga, Flonaise, et cetera) do not treat the allergic disease process. Rather, these medications treat symptoms. There are many patients who walk into an allergist's office who have much more difficult allergies to treat as a result of their extended use of common allergy medications. Immunotherapy is the only effective technique to treating the underlying causes of the allergic disease process.

If you choose to go the immunotherapy route, be careful to select a competent allergist. Should your allergist attempt to test you for allergies via a blood test then pack up your allergies and leave. A skin test is the most effective, safe means for testing allergies. An actual challenge would probably be more accurate, as different types of skin have tendencies to present different levels of reactivity, but not as safe. Also, be sure to inquire if your allergist's office mixes the allergens specifically for you. Some less scrupulous practitioners will use a very general mixture of the most common allergens.

Nobody has the same allergies. Go see a doctor and get treated.

-Mark