"seasonal allergies"

i'm sorry? what was that? you'll have to repeat it into my good ear.

I do hate it though when they weather is nice and everyone is going on about how nice it is and I am suffering.

I've only ever gotten it with a prescription, I can say that much, so probably.

The worst is that I get so stuffed up that I get really nauseous and can't stand to eat anything other than toast with jelly or sprite. And I HATE soda. Or if I've remembered to buy ginger root, sip some ginger tea. My doctor doesn't fully believe me that the nausea is from allergies, but I've gotten it every spring- I blame some kind of post-nasal drip action. :-P

I irrigated my nose late this morning by about 3:30PM I was getting a sinus headache (while remaining indoors most of the day).

Spittle, you do change the a/c filter I hope?

I think what's outside gets in anyway. I woke up very congested this morning, to a degree that is unusual, even though my windows were closed.

Nasal irrigation is great. It is not a cure, but it's effective treatment. (As I've alerady posted, I do it with a Grossan tip attached to a Waterpik.)

Can't for the life of me remember why I agreed to buy a house next to a farm :-(

Wait, there's supposed to be a filter?

yeah, I do, but probably not as much as I should.

I spent most of the day inside my apartment, not to avoid allergens, but just because that's how it turned out. I finally briefly left my apartment late in the afternoon, walked several blocks, stood around outside for about five minutes drinking iced tea and enjoying some shade, and then ended up going back home soon after. For that amount of exposure I have slightly itchy nasal passages and a headache.

Not as much pollution as London, though - I was amazed how my nostrils filled up with black goo when I was in London last week.

I've been buying my advil cold+sinus from drugstore.com because Rite Aid around here wants a drivers license to buy a single box. I think it's been handed down to them, but it's stupid.

OTM. I was outside to go from my apartment to the gym and then back again (with a short detour to a drug store), about 12 blocks in total. Now I have a headache. We are being told it will be a very bad month for ragweed.

Haha, really?

robble. i never noticed this one.

Sinuses=fucked. Mold count still very high, but late summer grasses at high now as well, plus I think the changes in the weather at the moment might be as much a part of the problem as my allergies. Plus I have a stiff neck, I must have slept funny.

(Weeds not grasses. Whatever.)

here we go again

my mold allergies + suspect hvac system at work = i have a radar o'reilly-like ability to tell when the ac is coming on seconds before anyone else knows.

got em today, flowers have felled me once more

fuck these, seriously. I thought I was getting a cold a week and a half ago until I realized that the pollen level just got cranked above the level that pills will neutralize for me. fuck.

http://pollen.com/images/usa_map.gif

OM NOM NOM NOM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/pollen/

flowers have felled me once more

I used to think this, too. But I was wrong.

Pretty much anything with a flower evolved that flower in order to attract pollenators, such as bees or wasps. The U&K thing about being pollenated by an insect is that you (the plant) can make a much bigger grain of pollen, packed with more genetic information, and then let the bee carry it hither and yon for you. Bees are strong critters.

Before flowers evolved, plants had to pollenate by dumping their pollen grains into the air and letting the wind carry them. Big drawback there, because you (the plant) must be contented with less genetic info exchange.

Small pollen grains on the wind are the real culprit in seasonal allergies. That means non-flowering plants like grasses and some kinds of trees (e.g. alders) are doing the damage. If you see a big, showy flower display, it means insect pollenation, big pollen, and not to blame for your or my misery.

I like how, on that map, there's this little extended kick right into Arkansas.
I feel so crappy -- dang you, ragweed!

ugh i love how this came on just as i have a whole bunch of work to get done that my brain will not now allow me to do because it's so fuzzy.

I'm through the worst of it, but see a lot of people struggling. I was really bad a few weeks ago.

claritin is cutting most of my symptoms down by about half but i still hate life right now

The meds are just awful!

was there a big spike in pollen today? is this why i have a sore throat maybe?

I'm doing a little better this year; I'm preemptively taking meds (about two months early) and doing occasional neti pot. But yeah; it's bad today.

i am dying :(

Ever since Sunday I've been in absolute fucking AGONY. I've never tried Claritin before. Is it any good?

The generic version of Claritin is called loratadine. One dose is generally for 24 hours. It works pretty well and doesn't have drowsy side effects for me when I stick to the suggested dose.

However, I do take some additonal Benedryl (generic: diphenhydramine) at night to help keep the symptoms down when pollen counts are high. That knocks back some of the histamines in my system and the drowsiness doesn't matter.

FUCK THIS. yeah, put me in the "thought i had a cold OH WAIT" pile. :( :( :(

xpost to map: that map has changed!

the claritin is doing nothing for me at the moment, and i even took extra!

yikes!

i've found using saline solution really helps, i flush my nostrils out 3 times a day. it immediately alleviates the itchiness in the nose, clears out any existing congestion, and is um..a really involved process.

my mom keeps recommending i do this but i am ascared.

totally considering it, in fact i checked a local pharmacy today but they didn't have it

Neti pot + 8 oz warm tap water + 1/2 tsp plain salt + 1/4 tsp baking soda is my lifesaver. I don't know how exactly but running saline through my nose helps keep my eyes and ears from itching like mad as well.

i saw a neti pot at whole foods this afternoon but i was too afraid to buy one. this looks enticing, though, cause my nose and ears and throat have been totally itchy!

They are freaky to use, especially the first couple of times, but really worth it imo. Great for dry winter places, dusty air (I was working in a coal yard 2 weeks ago), and washing out the allergens.

damn

If'n y'don't have a neti pot, it is possible to simply place some warmish, slightly salty water in a shallow bowl, dip your nose into the water and snort it up into your nasal passages. I do this frequently.

I used to do that, but got more sinus infections. Then switched to that Ocean saline spray, then neti pot 3 years ago. In one side and out the other seems to be U&K for me. ymmv. You can use a teacup or a measuring cup, or a gravy boat too. But using something with a spout helps.

Tza, get the neti pot. it works. It's fucked up but it totally totally works.

misery

such misery

http://www.pollen.com/fimages/std/9.8.gif

Not usually susceptible to this shit, but I spent yesterday with kleenex noseplugs.

mine have been really mild recently

http://www.drudgesiren.com/siren.gif DEVELOPING... http://www.drudgesiren.com/siren.gif

I don't know if I have seasonal or mould allergies, but whichever it is, I'm having weirdly severe congestion this year, with sinus headaches, optical migraines, and difficulty reading computer screens I might actually consider going to a doctor, except I'm in a foreign, non-socialized-medicine country and have no idea how to deal with it. Ugh.

Thanks for providing a place to complain, ILX.

Throat-affecting allergies?

I've had a wacky throat irritation since late May, which my sister (from 100 miles away) diagnoses as allergies. Well, I've never had a persistently touchy throat like this before...Went to the doctor a month ago, and he felt a cyst on my throat -- which mercifully turned out, after an ultrasound, to be "nothing" -- but, see, he was so distracted by the "lump" that HE FORGOT TO LOOK IN MY MOUTH!

So now I'm going back to him next week cuz, hey, I'm spitting up *minute* amounts of blood. Anyone have that from allergies?

oh god, could someone please bring me a scouring pad for my eyeballs!!

MOTHERFUCKER!

<3 u Mr. Snrub, take care of yourself

I am about ready to take my eyes out and put them in the freezer. Guess it's time to remind myself which antihistamines result in pounding headaches and which result in constant nausea.

I should remind myself to write down exactly which antihistamine or loratadine works with me, because I forget all the time. Not that matters though, it varies every year. Have tried three different ones this year already. Sadly, no dice...

Teh Fever has been not too bad for me in UK this year until yesterday, when usually reliable loratadine did absolutely fuck all and the whole afternoon and evening was rasping, streaming, bleary eyed horror. Strangely, am back to ok today so not sure if it was a freakishly high pollen count or just random weirdness.

yeah, also in UK and last night was my first bad hayfever this year. I don't think my hayfever is all that bad, just lots of sneezing, watery eyes and really itchy ears. Piriton does the job for me, only problem is its really soporific and knocks me the fucked out.

It's a bit of a lark, but have you guys considered trying raw, local honey?

I don't know if I have seasonal or mould allergies, but whichever it is, I'm having weirdly severe congestion this year, with sinus headaches, optical migraines, and difficulty reading computer screens I might actually consider going to a doctor

Wow, very same thing I'm experiencing. :-(

I'm okay now, but a couple of weeks ago, I was experiencing the worst allergies attacks I've suffered in a decade (which is saying something). This has been a brutal season.

Raw local honey hasn't worked for me this spring, but the most "local" I could get it was from Maine, so it could be from 300 miles away for all I know. It IS incredibly tasty, more so than regular honey or sugar, though.

Nathalie I hope you can get to a doctor...I was pretty miserable all last summer, wouldn't wish the same on you :(

I blame it on colony collapse disorder. No bees to catch the pollen, it goes right into your eyes and nose.

has anyone being getting weird night allergies? im ok during the day but as soon as i get sleepy the top of my mouth hurts and i get sneezy. very weird.

Thx for the honey tip, Alex (v. amusing blog post too, I was getting sympathetic sinus twinges just reading it). Am tempted to track down some local honey if I can, though as you say might be a bit late to start spooning it down now. Would this year's be effective next year, or do the bees use different plants annually?

No night allergies here, but I do sometimes have sneezing jags as soon as I get up, which is great fun at six in the morning.

it doesn't seem too bad this year (yet) but yeah, i'm sneezy when i get up and when i get tired at night

So I've been plagued by these seasonal allergies for the past 7 late springs/early summers. Tried every single OTC allergy med there was to offer, nothing worked and I inevitably spent 7-9 days in total misery - watering, sneezing, dripping. Finally sucked it up and went to the doc this year. He explained that antihistamines work for 85% of the population, but some people need topical steroids. He prescribed Flonase and it has worked like a charm. I'm breathing through both nostrils for the first time in 2 weeks!

collony collapse is a good theory, it does seem like everyone's season allergies are way worse in the past two years than they ever used to be, despite the new antihistimes available.

i was using zyrtec for the past couple of years and it worked great until the past few months. useless now.

dying here

been eating raw honey + cayenne pepper

taking otc claritin by the pound

do they make everyone feel super tired?

When you are hard core on the antihistamines their drowsy effects wear off after a time. But the effect of the pollen itself can leave you tired, as if your body has been fighting an infection.

def, in my experience they fuck with your energy level

i didn't take any antihistamines! trying to find the box of otc meds i thought i had. i feel like a zombie, i've never had it this bad

do they make everyone feel super tired?

everyone = i dunno. me = for sure.

gonna try the local honey/pollen trick when I return to the jersey burbs for the summer.

i took some store brand clorpheniramine maleate and phenylephrine ("compare to sudafed PE") and *now* i'm tired

grrrr why now?? spring's 2/3rds done already!

Fuckin bad at the moment innit? I dont get as bad hayfever since I moved to Melb but geesh, my EYES.

it's fall over here but why do my eyes itch? jeez

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

This is affecting my sinuses and making my face hurt wtf.

Today is "extreme" pollen count. "Stay indoors" says the weather page. Yes, I shall somehow get to work in a hermetically sealed bubble.

Ugh.

uggghghghhghggghhghg

I hate my left sinus so much

Should I take these Benedryl that expired in November 2009?

God, just realized that is such a "Yahoo! Answers" question. Nevermind. I'm just going to eat them. See you in the next life.

Hm... That didn't taste so good.

FUCK MY LIFE

hayfever is destroying my WILL TO LIVE

*shakes fists at sky*

Woah, hayfever is plaguing you now? Are you in Australia? Never heard of anyone having hayfever this time of year in the western hemisphere

fine, call it ALLERGIC RHINITIS.

We don't need to name names or label it, if it's that allergic reaction it's the motherfucker we have learned to hate. Feeling for u bro

i just took some flonase and a benadryl. maybe i can get some relief from said motherfucker.

Double treatment like that should kill off the motherfucker, if only for one night.

I've found that when the going gets tough, nothing helps, for me. Hayfever/season allergy treatment still seems so hit and miss it bugs me to no end. Ffs ppl, gather 'round and make a cure that actually always works.

All the best to you, sir.

that would be miss, not sir, but thanks.

Apologies, all the best to you miss!

Just that seasonal allergies floor me every year for two to three weeks, so I think I know what you are going through.

still do nasonex and one tab of zyrtec a day, year round. keeps it at bay. if I go off either for any longer than a few days I'm a runny nosed mess.

Hayfever mojo bad today. Everyone on the train was sneezing like mad. Thankfully, I dont get it bad here like I did back home in Canberra (I'm more allergic to native plants such as wattle and gum, much less of which is around me in Melb). If this rainy weather segues into weeks of hot windy weather we're all in for hell tho.

is the late arrival of autumn attacking anyone else's nose and throat?

Just the pressure point between my eyes. Ouch.

apparently this is one of the worst season for ragweed in recent memory, or so a friends allergist told her

me too - have had a nonstop runny nose and have gone thru a whole box of tissues in 3 days.

usually i only have allergy problems in the springtime, this caught me off guard.

claritin only here (besides chemo pills; I dont want more pills)

possibly ironically, I took a giant horse-sized antihistamine this morning for "photodermatitis" (according to my GP, who prescribed the antihistamines) and now my eyes keep watering and I feel like the top of my nose is going to explode, which I did not feel like before

(I started taking the antihistamines on Sunday but forgot yesterday's, so I feel like they're a possible trigger, but even if not, isn't this exactly the other thing I might take them to prevent? ugh. well either way I guess my skin bubbling up because I went outside in the sunlight is on-topic for this thread, or maybe there's a rolling vampire chatz thread I can take it to, I dunno)

Every once in a while I go a whole day where I can't stop sneezing and it feels like my brain's been replaced by a small furry mammal intent on clawing its way out of my head through my face. For a long time I thought it was a hay-style allergy or brought on by dust but it's been known to happen at quite random times in the year, plus I just got back from a spell away staying in some very dusty houses in the south of france and only had to take antihistamines twice in two weeks. So I'm stumped.

fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

i am getting "i feel like the top of my nose if going to explode" as well (i have been taking flonase).

is this really colony collapse? i hate and fear bees but i understand they're supposed to be bros. i am gripped with ambivalence.

sneezin' is the reason for the season

it's been bad this year. the sudden cold snap doesn't bode well for the pollen return.

idk if i have a cold or allergies. either way i got sudafed today. i think it's criminal that they actually sell the phenyelphrine based "sudafed pe" to unsuspecting customers who don't know to ask for the real stuff behind the counter. phenylephrine is basically a placebo.

a few months ago i had an operation to have a nasal polyp removed and some of the cushions at the back of my nose reduced, and since then i'm a MUCH happier bunny than I used to be. I'd been convinced of hay-fever but apparently it's a strong reaction to housemites that was making me sneeze. Strange though, that it varies from day to day. I still sneeze a bit and get an itchy nose from time to time, but it's nothing like the onslaught I used to deal with some days.

get bent, have you had a blood test for allergies yet?

lately i've been feeling extremely tired, like more than usual - waking up but unable to physically get out of bed and then feeling fuggy and abstract all day. used to get this off cetirizine but i'm starting to think that loratadine is causing these side effects.

not sure what is worse - feeling allergic or feeling like a weird sleepy ghost

also - fun heart palpitationy stuff which i've just realised is probably brought on by antihistamines. joy

My daughter has never really had issues before, but this season her eyes were getting so red, itchy and watery that she started using drops. They say this is the worst allergy season ever, at least in the US, so I imagine all these little allergy sleeper cells are waking up from coast to coast.

pro tip: anyone who has taken Zyrtec (Cetirizine) might want to know there's a new drug that's supposed to be a more effective version of the same thing, Xyzal (Levocetirizine). works pretty well for me so far. as always, it's been available in europe for a long time, so old news for some of us

Have tried xyzal in the past few months and it seems to work. Have to take right before retiring as it makes me extremely drowsy.

that's what the box says. I typically took allergy meds first thing in the morning so it's a switch, but seems to work

I've never had much luck with antihistamines. tried loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine, and diphenhydramine - none of them work for me.

i found one that works several years ago - chlorpheniramine - but it makes me extremely drowsy (and apparently due to its anticholinergic properties increases my chances of developing alzheimer's).

this allergy season is absolutely killing me regardless, though the chlorpheniramine is fairly effective when it comes time to take another dose (i take it 3 times a day) my sinuses are just on fire.

pseudoephedrine 12-hour extended release tablets are pretty amazing ime

in most of the US you have to go through the hoopla of showing ID at the pharmacy counter bc it can be used as a meth precursor but it is very worth it, works way better than most antihistamines

surely as it's just a decongestant this will only be effective for nose and sinuses? (i mean tbh that's where most of my troubles are but itchy eyes are a thing too)

it is also a vasoconstrictor so it helps with the redness in eyes for sure, for the itchiness i find astringent eye drops help a lot

Guy told me to use Zaditor for that. Seems to help somewhat

thanks for the info. i will give those a whirl.

my current routine:
xyzal before bed
zaditor in eyes when I first wake up, then wait a bit before showering and putting in contacts
pseudoephedrine 12 hour pill when I get out of bed

I make sure to shower when I get back indoors if I've been outdoors doing yard work or wandering around during heavy pollen times. Also flonase once per day.

fwiw that's a shitload of stuff but I have very few problems now unless I'm wandering around the wilderness for a long time

the season has began for me, it's muggy out, which is usually worse for me. I havent got any antihistamines in the flat but will go out for some after work. kill me!

Only tree pollen allergy for me, so this nonsense is going to be over by the end of the month. It's the last two/three weeks that are the most difficult though. And whoever made that Optrex advert where everyone has bits of tree/flowers sticking out like overgrown eyelashes knew their target audience.

I can taste the pollen in the air.

I’m so tired of sneezing and itchy eyes, my usual generic Allegra isn’t helping much this year.

Woke up gasping for water several times last night. All I've been on is claritin and it isn't working either.

ugh

I AM FUCKING DYING.

seriously, i feel worse now than i did when i had covid— head full of snot, sinus pressure poinding 24/7 even with meds, endless tissues, just abysmal time to be alive tbh. i wished out loud today for death.

It's bad this year.

i feel like i can barely move and that my body is filled with rocks and i can't breathe and there is something really wrong with my throat and my eyes are all fucked up but other than that i feel fine.

burning throat, sinus headaches, runny nose - it's all the perks of having a bad cold except that it never gets better

medicine makes it better for me. flonase and the meth one. claritin-d.

but if nothing works you might want to get those shots that doctors give.

definitely worse for me after it rains.

"When rain hits grass and weed pollen, it can break up the pollen into smaller particles. This makes the pollen spread more easily and can lead to worsening allergy symptoms, particularly with heavy downpours. Rain can also increase mold and dust allergy symptoms, as mold and dust mites thrive in warm, humid conditions."

fyi several pharmacists and RNs have told me that claritin is a pretty mediocre antihistamine and is actually only effective for 25% or less of people at the normal dose. at an effective dose, it's not non-drowsy. so they market claritin-d hard

zyrtec/xyzal are a bit better (I use the latter) and I believe they're both available in generics now. you can always supplement them with a generic sudafed decongestant

I try to not take all the things all the time but xyzal+sudafed every morning and maybe a little generic flonase to supplement

if I do yard work or spend a bunch of time outside I obviously shower later and burn my clothes (j/k)

i just buy claritin-d for the meth properties. it keeps me upright. it mostly works. the flonase does seem to help with my nose/eyes/throat.

stuff like zyrtec make me sleepier. allergies make me VERY tired. like, falling down tired.

this is the dustiest town i've ever lived in. tons of trees. tons of dirt. they don't really clean the streets. we had boxes of books out on tables Saturday and Sunday at the store and I was going through them inside here this morning and they were just covered in dust/dirt. so, you know, i'm surrounded.

xp I hear that. I get this weird fatigue by evening some days this time of year and every time I'm just "why do I have no energy? I must be old or dying"

what's weird - it IS fatiguing but I have a hard time sleeping when I'm going through it.

I've had fairly good luck with cheap generic Claritin (loratadine) - I had absolutely horrible allergies as a kid when there was only Dimetapp and Benadryl, the meds today are much better
Cheap generics mostly keep it at bay until some unknown tree comes online in June, but that generally lasts just a week or two - no idea what's the source, but no amount of pills will save me

bad this year. yeesh. i feel like i'm in the poppy fields with dorothy and the scarecrow. this town is so fucking fecund. its like a jungle out here. i swear everything just became impossibly green and lush in one week. which, you know, is a good thing. just complaining. nobody else wants to hear it! i nap a lot when i can. go home early. its so nice out and i feel crap. oh well.

At least one study has indicated that the more carbon there is in the air, the more potent the pollen itself is.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/13/opinion/allergies-climate-change.html

The top 10 most challenging places to live with seasonal allergies are:

Wichita, Kansas
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Greenville, South Carolina
Dallas, Texas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Richmond, Virginia
Des Moines, Iowa
Raleigh, North Carolina
Fayetteville, Arkansas

now i'm not moving to des moines!

Least challenging (#96) on that list is Cleveland! I live there and would probably die if I lived in Wichita.

brutal right now

here you can type in your zip to find out what's causing the itchy eyes and sneezing

https://www.pollenlibrary.com/

Ragweed has always been my chief nemesis

ooh, this one has a sinister name: Five-Horn Smotherweed

It's highly toxic to horses, not sure about grasshoppers though xp

Brownie - my birthday twin iirc - I work for a big employer based in your city and someone brought me buckeyes recently! They are DELICIOUS. I have nothing to add about allergies - don't have any. Sorry for all who are suffering tho.

damn Crack Willow!

https://www.pollenlibrary.com/Local/Significant/Allergens/in/Franklin%20County/MA/

Nodding Fescue needs to be a band.

Ha! Yes enbb, power to the 28th! I’ve had a buckeye or two in my day :)

now i'm not moving to des moines!

― scott seward, Monday, May 13, 2024 1:51 PM (yesterday)

can confirm, not a great city for avoiding allergies

this year is starting early... I think it's these acacia-like trees with bright yellow blossoms (silver wattle?), plus the winds

I have some Claritin lozenge things that seem to be working

Ragweed pollen, why u break sinus?

truly one of the worst pollens

fwiw the reason I tested myself for covid a couple of weeks ago was because I *don't* have seasonal allergies but had a relentlessly stuffy nose. I sort of figured, hmm, with global warming and weird weather in general, maybe there was something in bloom in mid-October that I don't usually encounter, and my nose was reacting. But no, it was covid. In fact, it's remarkable how many people I know that have had similar allergy-like symptoms the past week or so, too, though as of yet none of them have tested positive for covid. Just strange stuff in the air all around. Pollen, smoke, covid, tear gas, etc.

It is happening again!