Controlling seasonal allergies

[bookgirl]

I take Claritin 24 hour dose.

When I'm really bad I've been adding benedryl.

However my allergist just added singular and Flonase to my regime. I'm in the middle of a allergy/asthma flair now but it's been way less then past problems.

Talk to your doctor about Singular (it blocks leukotriene which is the other allergy symptom producing chemical in the human body).

 

[Disneyplanners]

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences. Going to put an air purifier in his room and keep the windows closed. We had the windows open for the first time this year over the weekend, and that probably made things worse ...

Don't change medication doses or combine medications without talking to your allergist/family doctor first. Benadryl may help with the skin reactions, but again, check with the doc to make sure that it's OK.

I just want to say, though, that there comes a point where you just have to accept a certain level of symptoms. If it's affecting his sleep, his schoolwork, or his favorite activities, it might be time to go back to the doctor and try some stronger meds. If he's wheezing, it's time to go back to the doctor.

But you're probably not going to be able to medicate every symptom out of existence, especially the nuisance stuff like itchy eyes and skin. I've been walking around with that every spring and fall for most of my 54 years. Could I make it go away if I took prednisone for 6 months out of the year, or Benadryl round the clock? Probably, but I wouldn't be able to function. I just deal with it. My meds are focused on the symptoms that really impact sleep, work, or activities - wheezing, sinus problems. It tamps them down enough that I can work and enjoy life, but I still feel lousy enough to take a sick day a couple times during allergy season. It just goes with the territory.

The ads for meds like Zyrtec and Claritin and Flonase make it sound like they're magical things that make every single symptom go away. It doesn't work that way. They can go a long way towards reducing symptoms, for sure, but for many people that's about the best they'll do.

And I know that moms don't want to see their kids in any discomfort at all. I really do understand that. My mom still wrings her hands when she sees me with red eyes during tree pollen season.

Now for some useful tips......it's great that he's getting a bath before bedtime, that's really important. He should also wash his face when he comes in from being outdoors. Even changing clothes can help, especially if he's been playing outside and on the grass. If you have a pet that hangs out indoors and outdoors, brush them frequently to get pollen off their coat.

Cold, wet compresses help a LOT with the itchy eyes. Just wet a washcloth with really cold water, squeeze the excess water out and have him put it on his eyes till the itching calms down. An aloe cream around the eyes helps a lot, too, as the skin gets irritated easily.

Thanks for this. He doesn't seem to be overly affected by his symptoms, but I really don't like sending him to school with swollen eyes and red splotches. It may be something we have to get used to though. This morning his throat hurt too, but I'm not sure if that is an allergy symptom.

Turns out that our dog has seasonal allergies too. I took him to the vet yesterday to get treatment for an ear infection, and allergies can cause this. So now he's on claritin for a while.

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

I dont have the runny nose itchy eye problem, I had the OMG my sinus' are so swollen my head feels like its going to explode. I literally have felt dizzy, huge swollen head and sinus pressure for the past 2 months at least with almost no relief. it is getting so annoying. I also find that a lot of my drainage goes through my ears so I had ear aches too. I took zytrec for a really long time and just wasn't seeing any relief yesterday I bought some allergra for me and my DBF who also suffers from them to try. I am also thinking about trying the local honey.

I have the nasal rinser, but I find that it doesn't help so much with the swelling of my sinus' but it does help when I am runny.

This is me! I have a tree pollen allergy that only started about 4 years ago. I first took Claritin which worked but the following year my allergies went into full blown sinus infection & bronchitis. Did I mention this happened the week of my wedding? I went to the immediate care center on Wednesday and was getting married on Friday. I walked in and told them how I felt and that normally I would wait it out but I was getting married in 2 days. Every single doctor, nurse, physicians assistant in there was analyzing my symptoms to find the best fix. I had a two or three shots (I think steroid and something else), antibiotic or z pack (maybe both, I don't remember), cough medicine, with a pain reliever (to help me sleep), inhaler and prescription for Allegra. They gave me so much stuff I had to wait so they could check my vitals and make sure I didn't have a reaction to the shots. It was all brought on by allergies. By the morning of my wedding I was almost a new person (thank God). Now when I get the first sniffle in spring I start the Allegra. This year it started in February.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences. Going to put an air purifier in his room and keep the windows closed. We had the windows open for the first time this year over the weekend, and that probably made things worse ...

Turns out that our dog has seasonal allergies too. I took him to the vet yesterday to get treatment for an ear infection, and allergies can cause this. So now he's on claritin for a while.

Yes definitely keep the windows closed and if it is windy out, keep him inside. Wind just blows all the pollen around. Right after a rain storm is the best time for him to be outside. Nasal rinses help me but I don't know if he is too young or not. I also clean my ears in the shower (just let water run in them and back out) to try an wash out the allergens.

My dog has allergies as well. Baths help her and I try not to keep her outside for extended periods. She takes Claritin and Benadryl when it gets bad.

 

[Lynne M]

Thanks again to everyone for sharing your experiences. Going to put an air purifier in his room and keep the windows closed. We had the windows open for the first time this year over the weekend, and that probably made things worse ...






Thanks for this. He doesn't seem to be overly affected by his symptoms, but I really don't like sending him to school with swollen eyes and red splotches. It may be something we have to get used to though. This morning his throat hurt too, but I'm not sure if that is an allergy symptom.

You're welcome. Yes, the sore throat could well be an allergy symptom. If it comes and goes throughout the day, or from day to day, it probably is.

And if it's any consolation, there are probably a couple dozen kids at his school who are just as itchy and splotchy as he is.....

You say he doesn't seem to be overly affected by these symptoms....a lot of times, it looks worse than it feels. And you do learn to 'tune out' the random itches and watery eyes and irritated throats after awhile.

 

[Lynne M]

I dont have the runny nose itchy eye problem, I had the OMG my sinus' are so swollen my head feels like its going to explode. I literally have felt dizzy, huge swollen head and sinus pressure for the past 2 months at least with almost no relief. it is getting so annoying. I also find that a lot of my drainage goes through my ears so I had ear aches too. I took zytrec for a really long time and just wasn't seeing any relief yesterday I bought some allergra for me and my DBF who also suffers from them to try. I am also thinking about trying the local honey.

I have the nasal rinser, but I find that it doesn't help so much with the swelling of my sinus' but it does help when I am runny.

Have you tried a nasal steroid? NasaCort is over the counter now, you don't even need a prescription. It really does help reduce the sinus inflammation from allergies.

The thing is, it's not going to be instant relief, it takes up to a couple of weeks before you start seeing real results. Ideally, you start a couple of weeks before your typical pollen season, and then keep using it every day through the end of pollen season. If you skip days, or use it only when your nose is stuffy, it won't work.

 

[aaarcher86]

I didn't develop seasonal allergies until I was an adult. Over the years it was annoying, but over the last couple of years it has became more intense. Last year I had asthma with it and was on an inhaler and a steroid for about a week.

This year was heading the same way. I missed 1 1/2 days of work because of the symptoms. I'm just finishing up another steroid pack, and while I hate the way it makes me feel, I do enjoy breathing and having a clear head.

My son (7) also has seasonal issues, but they seem to be controlled by Zyrtec.

I'm the same. Didn't start having horrible allergies until I was an adult, and now they're just out of control. The symptoms can get crippling.

I'm considering seeing an allergist and trying those shots if he thinks it'll help. I need to do something. I had so many sinus infections last year that started as allergies.

 

[mickey&arielsmom]

For those of you taking Claritin, do you just take the regular Claritin that is on the shelf or the Claritin D that you have to sign for?

 

[bookgirl]

For those of you taking Claritin, do you just take the regular Claritin that is on the shelf or the Claritin D that you have to sign for?

I take the generic Claritin that they sell at Walmart. Loratadine 10mg. Not the D.

I use to take a ton of decongestant type meds cause I couldn't blow my nose and felt stuffed up, but the doctor finally told me that I wasn't helping. The swelling of my nasal/sinus tissue from the histamines was my problem. I thought I was stuffed up but I wasn't. The antihistamine stopped the swelling and I stopped feeling so stuffed up.

 

[Lynne M]

For those of you taking Claritin, do you just take the regular Claritin that is on the shelf or the Claritin D that you have to sign for?

Depends on whether you need a decongestant. Claritin D is an antihistamine (loratadine) + decongestant (pseudoephedrine) combo.

 

[bcla]

I dont have the runny nose itchy eye problem, I had the OMG my sinus' are so swollen my head feels like its going to explode. I literally have felt dizzy, huge swollen head and sinus pressure for the past 2 months at least with almost no relief. it is getting so annoying. I also find that a lot of my drainage goes through my ears so I had ear aches too. I took zytrec for a really long time and just wasn't seeing any relief yesterday I bought some allergra for me and my DBF who also suffers from them to try. I am also thinking about trying the local honey.

I have the nasal rinser, but I find that it doesn't help so much with the swelling of my sinus' but it does help when I am runny.

If you've got sinus swelling, an antihistamine isn't going to do anything. You'll need a decongestant. Those sprays work, but they don't recommend them for more than 3 days because of a bounce back effect. An oral decongestant works fairly well, although pseudoephedrine sales are limited and must be kept behind the counter. There's phenyephrine, but it doesn't do anything for me when I have issues. You can get these as part of a combined medication (like Allegra-D, Claritin-D, or their generic equivalents) but I prefer separate meds since I rarely have congestion with allergies. I usually only get runny eyes and an itchy nose with sneezing. I typically only need a decongestant for common cold symptoms.

As for the common antihistamines, diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and chlorphenamine are very effective but cause drowsiness. About 15 years ago when I first went to a doctor for this, he recommended Allegra before he'd recommend anything else. The prescription version came in pink/white capsules containing a powder. They worked great because I could use one during the day and then take diphenhydramine at night. Then my insurance company took Allegra of its approved list (I'd have to pay for it myself at $120 for 60 60 mg 12-hr capsules). Claritin was still on the list and he prescribed it even though he didn't believe it was terribly effective. There are some studies that suggest that it's barely any more effective than a placebo because the dose is too low.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/magazine/the-claritin-effect-prescription-for-profit.html

So I went home and tried it. The little white pill was easy to swallow and had to be taken only once a day. There was just one problem: it didn't work. It didn't relieve my runny nose and red-rimmed, gunked-up eyes. When I told my allergist, he didn't seem particularly surprised. Only about 30 to 40 percent of his patients, he said, found the drug helpful. And, he added, that estimate was ''generous.'' I was surprised, perhaps naïvely, by this remark. I figured a ''blockbuster'' drug would be efficacious in more than 50 percent of the people who took it. The percentage he mentioned, incidentally, is certainly debatable; in fact a debate broke out later between my allergist and his partner, who thought 50 or 55 percent was more like it. Even so, it made me wonder: $80 for a drug that works only half the time?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8092558

Abstract

The efficacy of loratadine as prophylactic therapy for seasonal allergic rhinitis was evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study. One hundred eighteen subjects received either loratadine, 10 mg once daily, or placebo for 6 weeks. Treatment was begun prior to the onset of grass pollen seasonal symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Total symptom-free days occurred more frequently in subjects receiving loratadine. More loratadine than placebo subjects (65% versus 49%) had no symptoms or mild rhinitis at the end of the study. In contrast, the differences between loratadine and placebo in symptom scores did not achieve significance. The incidence of sedation and anticholinergic effects were comparable between the groups. Prophylactic loratadine therapy was effective in suppressing symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis and providing patients with symptom-free days throughout the pollen season.

I remember my insurance company started approving Allegra again, but stopped once Claritin became nonprescription along with several generic versions. I tried those, and it barely worked.

As for Xyrtec and its generic equivalents - they're actually quite effective and even approved for pet dander. However, they call it "low sedating". I tried it once (at least a generic OTC version while vacationing in Asia) and I was feeling sleepy for most of the day.

Once Allegra became nonprescription (along with several generic versions from India and Israel) I thought it was great. However, they're almost always in 180 mg "24 hour" doses. I tried this once. I didn't feel drowsy but I got "the shakes". I talked this over with a pharmacist, and he said it should be OK to split the pills since they're not time-release. I don't split them perfectly, but I get a decent dose. I've seen nonprescription versions of the 60 mg pills (CVS branded or 12 hour Allegra) but they're generally pretty expensive at maybe $10 for 12 in a blister pack. I the 24 hours version cheaper as a Wal-Mart or Target house brand, and even cheaper at Costco. They're the same Israeli-made pills from Teva. I would prefer to find the ready-made 60 mg pills rather than splitting, but it's been working well for me. Of course if you're thinking of this, ask a doctor or pharmacist if they think it will work.

Of course I'm talking about my results. Claritin might work for some people, but I know an allergy specialist who doesn't care for it an won't recommend it. If you read the NY Times article I linked, the key for Claritin was that the dose had to be small enough to be "nonsedating" since they had to compete with Seldane. While it doesn't cross into the brain (which causes drowsiness) much in lower doses, supposedly the more effective doses (for treating allergy symptoms) they tested were causing higher incidences of drowsiness.

When it was his turn to speak, Straus engaged in a little bureaucratic soft-shoe, complimenting the Schering team's presentations as ''a tough act to follow.'' Then he tried to demolish the heart of Schering's application. Straus didn't doubt that loratadine worked as an antihistamine, he said; he just doubted that it worked at the 10-milligram dose. In fact, at one point he claimed that ''10 milligrams is not very different than placebo clinically.'' The reason the dose was so low, he argued, is that evidence of sedation began to crop up at higher, more effective doses.

What he didn't say -- but what everyone understood -- is that using a higher, more effective dose of Claritin would affect how the drug was described on the label. The term ''nonsedating'' was considered a critical marketing point. A single adjective or phrase contained in the F.D.A.-approved label -- no more sedating than a sugar pill,'' for example -- can form the basis of claims made by company salesmen to doctors, the basis of words that throb in the bold type of advertisements, even the basis of lawsuits filed against competitors. Those seemingly eye-glazing, hairsplitting distinctions provide the foundation for multimillion-dollar marketing campaigns.

** ** **

Although the F.D.A. advisory committee recommended approval of loratadine, Straus remained skeptical. In the conclusions of a 321-page ''medical officer review'' dated Nov. 9, 1987, he described the proposed 10-milligram dose of Claritin as ''minimally effective versus placebo'' and added that 40 milligrams appeared to be ''the minimum effective dose.'' He also argued that the label ''must include sedation as an adverse reaction and include warnings to this effect.'' A former F.D.A. official, who requested anonymity, said that the agency informally asked Schering to test a higher dose of loratadine but lacked the regulatory authority to mandate it.

Apparently how Claritin took off was when Seldane was linked to heart problems when taken at the same time as some antifungal meds or a certain antibiotic. Eventually Seldane was replaced by Allegra, which is chemically what the human body metabolizes after taking Seldane. However, it didn't have that same drug interaction that Seldane had. I would note that Clarinex is also a metabolite of Claritin. It's been suggested that Schering brought it on the market because the patent for Claritin was expiring and they wanted to market it as better. My understanding is that it hasn't done all that well in the market because doctors and patients aren't buying it.

 

[riley2008]

I'm a Zyrtec at night, Claritan in the morning person during flare-ups. (Molds in the air affect me something terrible and there's no allergy shots for that.)

When it's REALLY bad - not able to sleep because of the drainage, coughing, water-eyes - I get to add Benadryl up to 50mg at least 2 hours after taking the Zyrtec. It's rare, but it does happen.

Typically, brand-name Zyrtec about an hour before bed works just fine.

(All that and regular appts with the allergist.)

 

[Maggie7313]

If you read the NY Times article I linked, the key for Claritin was that the dose had to be small enough to be "nonsedating" since they had to compete with Seldane. While it doesn't cross into the brain (which causes drowsiness) much in lower doses, supposedly the more effective doses (for treating allergy symptoms) they tested were causing higher incidences of drowsiness. Apparently how Claritin took off was when Seldane was linked to heart problems when taken at the same time as some antifungal meds or a certain antibiotic. Eventually Seldane was replaced by Allegra, which is chemically what the human body metabolizes after taking Seldane. However, it didn't have that same drug interaction that Seldane had. I would note that Clarinex is also a metabolite of Claritin. It's been suggested that Schering brought it on the market because the patent for Claritin was expiring and they wanted to market it as better. My understanding is that it hasn't done all that well in the market because doctors and patients aren't buying it.

Oh this brings back sad memories. It's been decades and I still miss Seladane - the only allergy treatment that ever truly worked for me.

I have had horrible allergies to most tree pollens, grasses, and mold since I was a child and consider my treatment successful if I make it through Spring without a hive attack.

My current regimen keeps me mostly comfortable and at work most days. I take Zyrtec at night year round and use nasonex spray once a day about 9 months a year. The sprays work best of you use them every day - not just when you think you need them. And they do take a few weeks to build up in the system. With my doctor's approval (and I'm not this would be OK for a child), I keep Allegra on hand to use during the day when pollen or mold levels see really high. I do notice that if I use both the Zyrtec and Allegra, I get a lot of weird muscular skeletal pain so I try to avoid the double dose. I also go through a good amount of Benadryl on weekends and sick days.

Lifestyle remedies also help a bit. I almost never open my windows. I have a good air filter and a sealed vacuum. I shower both morning and night, including at least rinsing my hair both times. I'll add a third shower after spending a lot of time outdoors. We have a small dehumidifier in the bathroom and wipe down all surfaces with bleach weekly to inhibit mold and mildew. My cat gets a bath every week.

 

[bcla]

Oh this brings back sad memories. It's been decades and I still miss Seladane - the only allergy treatment that ever truly worked for me.
* * *
My current regimen keeps me mostly comfortable and at work most days. I take Zyrtec at night year round and use nasonex spray once a day about 9 months a year. The sprays work best of you use them every day - not just when you think you need them. And they do take a few weeks to build up in the system. With my doctor's approval (and I'm not this would be OK for a child), I keep Allegra on hand to use during the day when pollen or mold levels see really high. I do notice that if I use both the Zyrtec and Allegra, I get a lot of weird muscular skeletal pain so I try to avoid the double dose. I also go through a good amount of Benadryl on weekends and sick days.

I'm an outdoor lover, so I don't know if I could go to your lengths. However, my symptoms are typically mild. I heading for Yosemite this summer, which is a veritable collection of assorted allergens.

I don't believe the Seldane lost its FDA approval. However, the manufacturer took it off the market when they put Allegra on the market. I think they were concerned about getting sued by people who came down with heart arrhythmia. For most, Allegra is supposed to be as equally effective as Seldane (it's the same drug in the bloodstream), but of course that doesn't apply to everyone. I'm guessing for some people Allegra is broken down too heavily in the gut.

I noted that I tried a 24-hr dose of Allegra once and had mild tremors for the first few hours. The 60 mg dose never gave me those issues and neither has split tablets (probably anywhere from 70-110 mg).

The thing that really irks me is that there needs to be a better way to dose these medications. At least childhood liquid meds can be dosed according to weight (as well as children's pain meds) but somehow a small 110 lb woman is supposed to receive the same dose as a large 250 lb man. I weight 175 lbs myself, so I'm in between.