Hayfever, anyone?

[Ionto]

I quipped in chat a few days ago that the French open tennis fortnight (generally the last week of May and the first of June) was when my annual bout of hayfever peaks (and this year is proving no exception), when a British participant said no, it’s the Wimbledon weeks !



Is this just because of a difference in latitude, or is there something in vigorous tennis activity (even without Federer) that stirs up the pollen ?

 

[col1974]

Yes, I thought I'd avoided it this year some how. Usually in the swing of itchy streaming eyes, nose, itchy throat, and sneezing by late April.
Only really started with definite symptoms, although mild this past week.
Been on all of the over counter stuff over the years. Nothing prescribed has been much better (never been offered fexofenadine - circulating catalysed drug of pro-drug terfenidine - commonly marketed as Triludan in the UK and Sildane in the US and now discontinued).

Eye drops - meh!
Nose sprays - nose bleeds!
Tennis - no effect...

 

[Northland]

It started up a while back- late March or early April. My main problem is tree pollen (although other pollens also bother me), especially early morning and just after dusk. I rinse my eyes several times daily with cool water, and it eases things for the eye burn, still get an itchy throat and nose though. Usually ends in early September.

 

[D_Relentless Original]

Tree pollen is the worst for me. I also make the mistake of having all the windows open which does not help.

 

[Meniscus]

For the past few weeks we've had such heavy pollen that my car was quite visibly covered in it, and yet I was fine. The past few days it's been humid and we've had some rain, but the pollen seems to have washed away. Today was sunny and mild, and yet all day I've been sneezing, congested, had a runny nose, and my eyes are itchy/watery. I'm baffled as to why it hit me today of all days.

Alas, my prescription for Allegra (one of the brand names for fexofenadine) has expired. What over-the-counter meds have worked well for people without making them drowsy? Thanks.

 

[rob_just_rob]

Hayfever, anyone?

No thanks. Had it from age 14 to about age 35, and I don't miss it.

 

[D_Felix the Bat]

I seemed to outgrow it by the time I turned 20. Up to that point, sneezing, runny nose was so bad I took prescription pills for it.

 

[aetherael]

I've got every allergy in the book. If there is a god, it doesn't want me to eat much food, have pets, or leave my house...

 

[HiddenLacey]

loratadine is over the counter, its the generic claritin

 

[ksupimp]

I end up getting a Kenalog shot every three months. That seems to help me the most.

 

[Ionto]

Yes, I thought I'd avoided it this year some how. Usually in the swing of itchy streaming eyes, nose, itchy throat, and sneezing by late April.
Only really started with definite symptoms, although mild this past week.
Been on all of the over counter stuff over the years. Nothing prescribed has been much better (never been offered fexofenadine - circulating catalysed drug of pro-drug terfenidine - commonly marketed as Triludan in the UK and Sildane in the US and now discontinued).

Eye drops - meh!
Nose sprays - nose bleeds!
Tennis - no effect...

Yes, it does seem to change from one year to another - depending on where you are and what the weather is like. I find the beginning of the season around April easier to take, as it's mainly just watery eyes and a runny nose.

As for meds, I think that Sildane was marketed in France as Teldane, and it worked fine for me, really the best antihistamine with the fewest side effects, but it was banned here for some reason and seems to have disappeared everywhere. I find Allegra and Claritine send me into a nervous frenzy (talk about non drowsy - I don't sleep all the time I'm taking them) so I've gone back to old Polaramine, which you get generic here as Chlorpheniramine. You take it at night, sleep like a log, and then you are fit to face the day.

As for Kenalog, I had heard great things about how that gets rid of all symptoms, but my doctor refuses to give it to anyone - says it's poison.

I was also told I would probably outgrow hayfever, having started in my mid teens, but I've hit forty and it seems to be getting worse these last few years.

 

[SpeedoMike]

year round. last week I had a completely clear head was the third week of january in 1979.

 

[MASSIVEPKGO_CHUCK]

Don't have hay fever. Extremely allergic to poison Ivy, so I steer clear from woods/brush.

 

[798686]

No thanks.

 

[sdbg]

I get brutal hay fever when the Santa Ana winds kick up. Want hay fever relief without side affects? Go to your nearest Chinese herb store and ask for PE MIN KAN WAN. They are little green tablets that are a great alternative to drugs. 50 in a bottle for about $3. Take 5 at a time. I've been using it since the mid '90s and swear by it. If it's not available in your area, you can order it on line. Won't raise your blood pressure like over the counter remedies.

 

[HiddenLacey]

You can also go to an allergist get tested (which doesn't hurt) they make little dots on your back and prick you with needles with different allergins and wait to see which you have a reaction to, if that doesn't work they do the subdermal injections on the back of your arms (those do not feel very nice at all.) I've had both I get a shot every two weeks. It's worth it now though because I don't have hayfever anymore.

 

[Pandora77]

Same here
I am alllergic to 43 things.......no wait, now it's nuts as well, so it's 44 things.
I've had allergies and asthma since I was 4 years old. We had to give away my beloved cat too back then, which totally broke my heart.
I've had the hyposensibilization done when I was 12 years old I think. For 2 or 3 years. My hayfever was better for a couple of years afterwards, but now it's back full force.
I am allergic to almost all pollen that fly from February until late summer/fall.

I've got every allergy in the book. If there is a god, it doesn't want me to eat much food, have pets, or leave my house...

 

[thetramp]

Same here
I am alllergic to 43 things.......no wait, now it's nuts as well, so it's 44 things.
I've had allergies and asthma since I was 4 years old. We had to give away my beloved cat too back then, which totally broke my heart.
I've had the hyposensibilization done when I was 12 years old I think. For 2 or 3 years. My hayfever was better for a couple of years afterwards, but now it's back full force.
I am allergic to almost all pollen that fly from February until late summer/fall.

Not as bad here, but i too am allergic to all pollen all year and a few other things, but somehow i just never cared much. I recently did allergen immunotherapy and it got a little better, but i never let that stop me anyway, when i felt i have a hard time breathing i react in trying to improve my lung capacity.

 

[Pandora77]

Na ja, wennst nen Asthmaanfall hast, dann hilft keine Lungenkapazität mehr......

Not as bad here, but i too am allergic to all pollen all year and a few other things, but somehow i just never cared much. I recently did allergen immunotherapy and it got a little better, but i never let that stop me anyway, when i felt i have a hard time breathing i react in trying to improve my lung capacity.

 

[thetramp]

ja das stimmt zwar, aber ich habe den Eindruck das es die Anfälligkeit verringert, und zudem für viele atembeschwerden unterhalb des Asthmaanfalls eine tatsächliche Lösung darstellt.