Zyrtec. just. stopped. working. ARGH!!!!

[disfan07]

I am on Zyrtec in the morning, Allegra in the afternoon, Benadryl at night, Zetonna twice a day and patanol eye drops. I'm still having symptoms. Allergy season is horrendous.

My allergist wants me to add patanase in addition to the Zetonna but our insurance won't cover both. I am also on steroids right now for another condition (Entocort) and its not helping either.

I anaphylaxis out of cluster allergy shots last year so we are waiting until this summer to start a slow schedule of regular allergy shots.

But for now, I'm suffering as well. It's terrible.

We have been through every allergy med in the book. This is the best combination we have found. But it still won't lower my IgE which is around 2000 right now....

 

[msjprincess]

It's been really bad the last few weeks. I've been taking zyrtec at night and Allegra in the morning.

 

[LindaG4458]

I take Allegra in the morning and Benadryl at night. It's worked OK for several years. I get the runny nose, sinus congestion, and itchiness.

DH does OK with one Zyrtec in the morning. His symptoms are similar but not as severe.

 

[disfan07]

I take Allegra in the morning and Benadryl at night. It's worked OK for several years. I get the runny nose, sinus congestion, and itchiness.

DH does OK with one Zyrtec in the morning. His symptoms are similar but not as severe.

Are you using a nasal spray? That is usually the best things for nasal symptoms and congestion

 

[Nancy]

Take some sudafed for congestion. Try Allegra-D.

Mt youngest DD no takes the Allegra D, she used to do Zyrtec and same thing, it just stopped working as well. I use a prescription nasal spray that works like magic most days...there are days when I use the Zyrtec on top of it.

 

[erincon23]

DS20 had been on Zyrtec and Singulair -- the Zyrtec stopped helping. We tried him on the generic Allegra (from Costco - Allertec), and I had bought some real Allegra -- he felt the real allegra made a big difference but the generic didn't. But if he doesn't take the Singulair as well, nothing helps. Ask your doctor about adding Singulair -- at Walmart, the generic (which is new) is $10 a month on our insurance.

 

[Mkrop]

During the height of allergy season, my boys add in Nasonex (Rx) but that is something that needs to build up in your system like Zyrtec. Dr has us use Afrin for 3 days to get the relief until the Nasonex kicks in.

Do NOT take anything with D at night.

 

[HeatherC]

My DD has done the allergy shots...which have helped, but this year her seasonal allergies are horrible.

What seems to be working in "managing" them is:

uses the 12 hour Allegra...24 hr. isn't as effective for her.
takes a 12 hour Sudafed with it...Sudafed is the same as the "D", but she doesn't have the congestion every day.
Saline Rinse...does this a couple times a day which helps.
Eye Drops...Ketofinen? (spelling.) uses twice a day with Visine A in between if needed.

This morning she was miserable. I told her to text me if she can't make it through the school day and I"ll go get her. Her room has an air purifier so that is her "safe haven".

Allergies stink!!!! Hope you find relief soon!!!

 

[MickeysMommy]

Right around the first of March my itchy eyes kick in. They are so bad that when I get home at night and take my contacts out I feel like scratching my eyes out. I have used Claritin every allergy season and it seemed to help but this year it's driving me crazy. Maybe I'll try the Zyrtec.

So sorry everyone is experiencing this. It's horrible

 

[mom2rtk]

I am on Zyrtec in the morning, Allegra in the afternoon, Benadryl at night, Zetonna twice a day and patanol eye drops. I'm still having symptoms. Allergy season is horrendous.

My allergist wants me to add patanase in addition to the Zetonna but our insurance won't cover both. I am also on steroids right now for another condition (Entocort) and its not helping either.

I anaphylaxis out of cluster allergy shots last year so we are waiting until this summer to start a slow schedule of regular allergy shots.

But for now, I'm suffering as well. It's terrible.

We have been through every allergy med in the book. This is the best combination we have found. But it still won't lower my IgE which is around 2000 right now....

I'm amazed you are able to stay awake all day! One welcome side effect of the Zyrtec for me at bedtime is that it helps me sleep so soundly.

Maybe I'll try the Zyrtec.

So sorry everyone is experiencing this. It's horrible

Just be sure to take the Zyrtec if you can.

Oh..... and you can keep the flower.

 

[MickeysMommy]

Oh..... and you can keep the flower.

Yeah, that was a bad choice for me. Those stupid flowering trees all around me are a big fat pain to my eyes right now! How about a instead?

 

[mom2rtk]

Yeah, that was a bad choice for me. Those stupid flowering trees all around me are a big fat pain to my eyes right now! How about a instead?

Much better.

Everything here is covered in a fine green dust (pollen?). I'm guessing that's not a good thing?

 

[cybrkitn]

OMG, I've been dealing with that for about a year now. There are so many things that can cause itchiness and breakouts - and not just the typical food allergens like wheat, soy, and milk, either. And what makes it tricky to diagnose is that many times it's not an allergy per se, but rather a food sensitivity which cannot be diagnosed by traditional allergy testing. The only way to figure it out is by process of elimination, which isn't easy because it's not as simple as just eliminating say, dairy or wheat. I think I've finally figured out my trigger (tannin), so it's much better now, but it's been driving me crazy this past year.

Oh, and also, be careful with zyrtec. Your body can become physically dependent upon it and when you try to stop, the itching is worse than before.

Oh great just what I need. I asked my allergist about that prior to her telling me to keep taking it. She said it shouldn't be a problem. I hope she is right.
I've done the allergy testing (blood work) and it came back as fine. I've tried to do the process of elimination and still can't pin-point it. It just starts out of no-where. But thankfully, it's not every day.

I have no idea what triggers the itching. One day I just had my leg against the metal of our computer desk and it triggered it. I can be anywhere and all of a sudden I will start to break out in an itch. I started with this last summer and thought it had to do with the humidity, but it wasn't. During the colder months, my hands get very dry due to the lack of humidity. Right now, my hands are finally healing since the humidity is coming back. Reason I'm saying this is b/c I also thought my itchiness was caused by the dry skin. Again, it's not. I'm beginning to wonder if it's environmental in nature b/c that's the only thing left that I can think of that is causing it.

 

[msjprincess]

OMG, I've been dealing with that for about a year now. There are so many things that can cause itchiness and breakouts - and not just the typical food allergens like wheat, soy, and milk, either. And what makes it tricky to diagnose is that many times it's not an allergy per se, but rather a food sensitivity which cannot be diagnosed by traditional allergy testing. The only way to figure it out is by process of elimination, which isn't easy because it's not as simple as just eliminating say, dairy or wheat. I think I've finally figured out my trigger (tannin), so it's much better now, but it's been driving me crazy this past year.

Oh, and also, be careful with zyrtec. Your body can become physically dependent upon it and when you try to stop, the itching is worse than before.[/QUOTE]



Oh great just what I need. I asked my allergist about that prior to her telling me to keep taking it. She said it shouldn't be a problem. I hope she is right.
I've done the allergy testing (blood work) and it came back as fine. I've tried to do the process of elimination and still can't pin-point it. It just starts out of no-where. But thankfully, it's not every day.

If it makes you feel any better I've been taking zyrtec daily for more than 15 years and it still works for me. Once or twice a year I switch to Allegra for a week or two to give my system a break.

 

[disfan07]

I'm amazed you are able to stay awake all day! One welcome side effect of the Zyrtec for me at bedtime is that it helps me sleep so soundly.



Just be sure to take the Zyrtec if you can.

Oh..... and you can keep the flower.

Yeah staying awake all day is a challenge sometimes. I might be the only college student I know who actually gets at least 8 hours of sleep a night!

My body has kind of adjusted to the meds at this point. I guarantee I would have a lot more energy without the meds but my body has figured out how to work around it. And I'd never be able to leave the house (or really my room) without my meds because things are so bad so it is what it is.

When I was taking Zyrtec twice a day it actually did not help me sleep at all. There are even times where I can stay awake on the benadryl.

I've tested positive for 12+ food allergies plus about 30+ environmental allergens. I also have chemical allergies and a ridiculously high IgE. Without these meds I'd never be able to do anything.

 

[laughinplace199]

DD13 has been taking Zyrtec daily for years. Every once in a while, it seems to stop working for her. When this happens, she switches to Claritin. If she needs something extra, she'll take Benadryl at night. Her dr said that sometimes your body gets too used to one type of allergy med and you may have to switch it up every now and then.

 

[aVASTGrl]

I had been using Claritin for many years, starting back when it was still prescription only, but it stopped working for me last spring, almost overnight! I switched to Allegra and that works much better...for now! I rarely have side effects from medications, so I haven't noticed any from Allegra.

My vet actually recommended Zyrtec for my dog! She gets really bad skin rashes from her allergies, and Zyrtec is mild enough for canine use, I guess. It does help!

 

[Imzadi]

You need to switch out your allergy medication occasionally, because you will eventually (well, usually) experience "rebound", in which the medication becomes progressively less effective. It's the same thing as you see with shampoo, which is why the higher end brands now subtly change their formulation on a regular basis -- so that the shampoo still gets your hair clean. And no, I have NO idea why shampoo acts this way!

Stay on an alternate medication for at least a couple of weeks, then try your favorite again.

OP, my husband has year round allergies and he has to rotate meds every few months because they are effective. I believe he takes 3. The good thing is that each one becomes effective again after he has been off of it for a few months.

If it makes you feel any better I've been taking zyrtec daily for more than 15 years and it still works for me. Once or twice a year I switch to Allegra for a week or two to give my system a break.

I'm hoping this is the case that my body just needs a break from Zyrtec.

I'm on Day 2 of Allegra, and it really does seem like I took a sugar pill. I may take something else in addition, as other people said they've been doing.

Imzadi - so sorry to read this.

Hey PIO! Good to see you!

Right around the first of March my itchy eyes kick in. They are so bad that when I get home at night and take my contacts out I feel like scratching my eyes out. I have used Claritin every allergy season and it seemed to help but this year it's driving me crazy. Maybe I'll try the Zyrtec.

So sorry everyone is experiencing this. It's horrible

Oh, do try the Zyrtec. Until I tried it, I really though it was all advertising hype whenever an allergy medicine said it relieves burning, itchy eyes. Yeah, right!

Oh..... and you can keep the flower.

 

[shortbun]

See if you can get a script for Xyzal. My son has taken it for several years after Zyrtec stopped working for him.