Need Help! My Allergies Are Driving Me Crazy!

[VegasRed66]

My allergies are chronic and it's driving me crazy. I'm on Allegra. I've tried all other allergy meds. It's not helping much now. I'm on Flonase nose spray and it really doesn't help much. A Nettie Pot to flush my sinuses helps but after a while my allergies get bad again (I do it everyday). The worse is it all drains to the back of my throat constantly. I'm also coughing or clearing my thought because of it.

I'm thinking of getting allergy tested, again, and getting allergy shots once a week. I'm also considering getting two air purifiers, one for the living room and the other for the bedroom.

Does anyone else have any ideas on alleviating this issue? I'm sick of it.

 

[KaraBulut]

Do you recall what things you tested as reactive to on your last allergy testing?

 

[VegasRed66]

Yep. Dust, certain trees, plants, newspaper print and other things. But it can change which is a reason why I need to get tested again and get the shots.

I got a Honeywell Air Purifier. It was a display model, which I didn't know at the time. Had to get the paint off the body of it (got it at Home Depot) and the washable filters were dirty. It was the last one. I washed the filters . Thank God I purchased a two year extended warranty. It's quiet. And it oscillates. Which I like.

 

[KaraBulut]

Generally speaking, people who complain about perennial (all year) allergies are most likely to be reacting to things inside their home - dust, molds and animal dander.

Saline irrigations, steroid nasal sprays and antihistamines help, but usually it requires changing things in your home that is going to make the big difference. Some of the changes are minor- like rinsing off pollen from your hair and skin before getting into bed. Other changes require more effort - like removing carpet and adding dust mite covers to mattresses and pillows.

HEPA air filters will help but they are only good for filtering air at ground level. A lot of dust is generated by decaying fabrics and air conditioning systems that circulate dust.

This article goes over the causes of indoor allergies and the basics of reducing indoor allergens.

You should make an appointment with your allergist and if needed, get retested to see if anything has changed. If you test as strongly allergic to dust mites, molds and animal dander, then you'll need to make changes to remove these allergens from your home.

 

[ShadowCat]

Ok here I can help you as having asthma and allergies for me go hand in hand and I have been battling both for a LONG time! I like you am on Allegra I take it every day as I am also allergic to dust pet dander (but have none) and pollen. So am around dust everyday as no matter how much I clean there will be dust! I can't take Flonase or Nasonex as I get horrrid nosebleeds on both I actually had to put a tampon in my nose to stop it! I use Rhinocourt and that Really really works well! The neti pot and me we do not jive well it never works for me and I have tried the pot the irrigation bottle and all of them are just a no go so I don't bother! I instead got a facial steam sauna and drape my head with a towel and steam for 15 minutes (bonus using a good facial clay mask will clean those pores right out!) then take the nasal spray! For the post nasal drip, drink drink drink drink! Water is ABSOLUTELY essential! Also peppermint tea, it thins secretions and mucus usually the allergies trigger the asthma so my lungs wanna get started too and this helps. A gel eyemask that wraps around the head is great if pressure is making your face swollen and giving you a headache! Cough drops also are good for trying to stay open plus they cool the throat so thats a win win!

 

[PrinceCory]

I do not have bad allergies but have been tested and confirmed for a tree pollen, outdoor mold, and pet dander. I've always had a cat and it would take a extreme deep cleaning to get rid of the dander. So i never gave up the cat. I have used Budesonide in the vials (generic of of Rhinocourt) for years. The vial is mixed into a irrigation bottle with normal 6 to 8 oz of saline rinse solution and 1 ounce of the mixture is snorted up each nostril, back into the throat, and spit it out. It's basically a steriod you snort. It is not fast acting like nasal spray. My allergist prescribed it about 15 years ago. Walmart has it for $73 with the GoodRx.com discount card (nearly half what my pharmacy changes with my insurance discount).

 

[neditesjamais]

Hope you've found some relief. Mine had gotten so bad that I was taking 4 antihistamines (2 pills and 2 sprays) at allergist's suggestion. Still not perfect.

So, I moved. Got away from the house (old, full of dust and god knows what else), the valley (desert valleys are dirty sinks that never get really rinsed out), the pollen (it has been particularly high since last fall), and a bunch of annoying people, too. Took the dogs with me. One of them had runny eye which has improved--so he likely was affected, too.

I moved up to 3300 feet and away from many trees. It let my ears open up after about 9 months of feeling like I was under water. When I go back to the valley (1x a week or so), my ears close up, my eyes get itchy and I become a real crank within a couple of hours.

Not sure if that solution would/could work. I do feel for you. It wrecked my not altogether good life. Hope you feel better!