Allergy season killing us!!! Help!!

[TENIA66]

Anyone have any non prescription tips to combat seasonal allergies? I'm afriad i'm killing my and my kids kidneys and livers with all of this allergy crap.................we run a/c, i have a hepa filter, i've minimized carpet, what else? otc's, special diet, what else? no indoor pets.........

 

[maxiesmom]

I must admit that I do take a prescription, but it is just generic Claratin, which you can buy over the counter. If you allergies are really bad at night take Benadryl. It can make you very sleepy, so don't take it during the day.

A tip I learned recently was to take showers before you go to bed. That way you do not bring any allergins into the bed with you. Also, have everyone take their shoes off before they come in to your house. Less nasty stuff brought in that way.

If you have to do any outdoor chores, get one of those face mask filters. I know they are stylish but it is better than suffering needlessly.

Good luck!

 

[alloyd1170]

Ive had luck with the much cheaper generic form of Claritin (loratadine) sold at Walmart under the Equate brand label. One tiny pill a day does the trick for me. I only take it when Im having problems though. Doesnt make me drowsy which is a must with two little ones! I used to use Tylenol for sinus & allergies, but needed to take two pills a few times a day. Same with Sudafed. Plus the 12 or 24 hr relief claim didnt work for me either.

alison

 

[Perditamarie]

Hang in there Tenia66...hopefully it is almost over. I have seasonal allergies right now too, when trees are leafing out, so April and May are miserable.
I have a little luck w/otc clariton or generic clariton, however I am starting to think it is a placebo.

Here are a few things that work for me: I drink a ton of club soda, which the strong carbonation seems to help. Also, I like to nurse a box of Nerds candy for an itchy throat. If the eyes itch, DONT touch, it will only get worse and the allergy eye drops sting, so then I have stinging and itchy eyes. I think showering at night works. I also stay in more, don't mind a little rain and DONT go out if you see white wispy things (pollen?) floating through the air like snow! I hope you get more helpful answers!!

 

[pbharris4]

-Encase pillows, mattresses, box springs, etc.
-Use the dryer and don't line dry your clothes
-Allergy Shots (my DH has bad allergies-did 4 yrs of allergy shots and now he's much better)

My allergist/asthma Dr. recommended I get some products from this site: www.missionallergy.com . I can't remember everything they have, but I bought a comforter from them and it made a HUGE difference. I'm not sure if it helps keep pollen out but they may have other things that are helpful for you like face masks. HTH

 

[Beth E. (NJ)]

Wish I had some good ideas for you. My younger dd has allergies (like I do) and she suffers so.

before we started her on medication (back when she was 4) she looked like she lost a fight. Her eyes were all swollen and she was miserable -- I felt so sorry for her because she was my easy going, noncomplaining child.

Now she takes eye drops, nasal spray in the morning and a prescription liquid at night. Luckily her allergy season is very short.

 

[Tigger&Aidan]

My allergies have flared back up again in the past 2 years - apparently due to my pregnancy - who knew? I was recently tested for about 60 different things and was only not allergic to 2 of them! I do find that as PP metioned, showering at night helps a lot. Do your kids have stuffed animals? If so, might want to get rid of as many as possible and wash the others often. Same with curtains/blinds.... Hopefully, the season will be over quickly!

 

[meandtheguys2]

We've been using a Neti pot to rinse out our sinuses, and canals. It has cut our use of Claritin, Zyrtec, and the sprays to a minimum. It took a bit to adjust to, but I swear by them now.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I hear ya! We are suffereing horribly over here! I can't even take anything because I am pregnant. I do give the kids Dimetapp. It works great. I had allergies so bad as a kid that I used to take Dimetapp before it was OTC. I have also had to use cleareyes allergy eye drops on my son. They help alot as well. This season is by far the worst it has been in years.

 

[WildGrits]

I know you asked for OTC suggestions but I swear by Flonase. It works for everyone in the family and you only take it once a day. Pseudonephrine gives me chest pain so I don't use OTCs.

 

[polkadotladybug]

Allergies have been really bad for the past two months here for me - I take Zyrtec every day. I just discovered something called "NasalCrom" - got it at Target - it was next to the Afrin, and Simply Saline type sprays. It supposedly blocks the cells that make your nose itch and run. It's non-addictive. I liked it so much - I bought another bottle so I could have one at home and one in my car. You can use it up to 4x a day (1 squirt in each nostril). It made a big difference! I was waking up at 4-5 am with a totally stuffed nose or with my nose just running like a faucet (yuck - TMI I know - but if you have allergies you know what I mean!) - that spray has really helped!

Good luck!

 

[HeatherC]

My 10 year old dd is suffering...and I mean suffering. We have now done allergy testing and have decided to go ahead with the shots beginning this summer.

She had a flare up I guess you'd call it really bad since last Saturday night. She has been on prednisone, zyrtec, rhinocort aqua, and patanol for the eyes. Nothing was working!

We were back at the allergist yesterday and he now switched her to Singulair once a day, Allegra 2x's a day, Elesta 2 x's a day for her eyes.

Then we will start the shots over the summer.

I agree..it is horrible and I hate her having all this medicine in her body. I think we will be safer with the shots since they contain only the pollen she's allergic to.

Good luck to you. Let's hope they lessen soon for everyone.

HeatherC

 

[jamesmommy]

Ive had luck with the much cheaper generic form of Claritin (loratadine) sold at Walmart under the Equate brand label. One tiny pill a day does the trick for me. I only take it when Im having problems though. Doesnt make me drowsy which is a must with two little ones! I used to use Tylenol for sinus & allergies, but needed to take two pills a few times a day. Same with Sudafed. Plus the 12 or 24 hr relief claim didnt work for me either.

alison

OT, I don't know how much the Equate Loratadine is, but wanted to mention that it is one of the $4 prescriptions on the plan at Walmart, all you would need to do is get a prescription from your doctor.

Amie

 

[DJT]

My ENT said this has been the worst year for allergies. The physician's assistant told me to get saline solution spray and use that. She said you can use it as often as you want. Also, to use the saline solution every time you come inside the house from outside because it will wash all the pollen/allergens out.

I also take Singulair and Nasacort AQ nasal spray at night.

 

[jamesmommy]

We've been using a Neti pot to rinse out our sinuses, and canals. It has cut our use of Claritin, Zyrtec, and the sprays to a minimum. It took a bit to adjust to, but I swear by them now.

Same here, and I have had allergies my whole life. It hasn't cured them, but has certainly helped reduce them, and lowered my need for allergy meds.

Amie

 

[HeatherC]

Loratadine is actually Claritin. Loratadine is the drug and Claritin is the brand name. Kind of like cola is the soda and Pepsi or Coke are the brand names.

HeatherC

 

[Twingle]

You've gotten some great advice so far, the only thing I can add is if you/your child is outside and can't wear a filter - like for sports or such, use a q-tip to put a very thin layer of vaseline inside your nose. You don't want to clog your nostrils (hard to breathe through vaseline, duh), but by putting a thin layer in your nose the pollen/allergens will stick to the vaseline. Just blow your nose when you get back inside.

I've had two rounds of allergy shots, and now I just occassionally need to use nasal sprays/medication.

To the PP that was suffering from allergies and pregnant, ask your doctor about Sudafed. When I was pregnant with my twins my allergies were horrible, and I could take it. Kept me up at night, but I was able to breathe and see!

Good luck - hopefully whatever your triggers are will be done growing soon!

 

[Rustysmom]

I like the vaseline in the nose idea! We're dying with allergies over here too. I take Claritin sometimes, and Zyrtec other times. I like the Zyrtec better but my prescription is running out. I also love Rhinocort Aqua at night when I get the bad postnasal drip. It always helps in a few days.

 

[3princesses+aprince]

Me and my dd7 have bad seasonal allergies. My dd7 takes clariton, and I take singulair and nasonex. Ours started really bad a couple of weeks ago, I had headaches, watery eyes, and my nose would run for hours every morning. and my dd7 couldn't stop coughing, it really bothered her throat. We're doing good now though with what we're taking.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

I used to have severe allergies as a child. Became immune to almost all allergy medications due to taking them for so long. When I was in High School I used the highest dosage of shots for years and still needed to take other medicines to just get through the day, then one day in college my allergies were so severe I went to a day clinic and the Doc was horrified at what he saw when I told him everything that I take and still had severe allergies he gave me some antibiotics to heal the infection and told me to come back in 2 weeks. He gave me some sort of steroid shot and within a few days I stopped taking all of the medications. It was like living in a whole new world. No more going through boxes of Kleenex everyday, no more black circles around the eyes. For the next 3 years I went every year to get my shot and never had a problem with allergies. When I became pregnant with the boys I did not get a steroid shot and was still fine until now. This year is the first year my allergies have been horrible, where I can't even go outside without covering my nose and mouth with something. I am really thinking about going back to that doctor to get another shot.
This is going to sound strange but this is what I used to do to help relieve some of the symptoms, I would soak a paper towel with cold water and just lay it over my entire face. When it got warm I would just run it over cold water again. If you have been outside at all near pollinating trees make sure you change your clothes before you travel all over the house. The thing I am most allergic to are Pecan Trees and my parents happen to have 10 giant pecan trees in their yard. My guys keep asking me Mommy why do you keep crying, you look happy but you keep crying. My son also has severe allergies and has to take zyrtec everyday, it just breaks my heart knowing he is going to go through the same crud I went through.