Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsD
First off.... Is this only in the morning? Any attacks during the day? If only in the morning, I'd get an allergy pillow cover... they work really well. I bought ours at WalMart... $10.00 for the deluxe ones.
There are several drugs (some OTC) that are adrenergic in that they are vasoconstrictors.
1) Sudafed (OTC).. real Sudafed you have to sign for.
On the shelf sudafed is phenylephrine and a close second.
2) RX...Albuterol comes in a tablet form. This may be a bit stronger than Sudafed. need an RX from a doctor.
3) if you have post nasal drip issues, which are worse at night, then using guaifenesin tablets or liquid during the day. Walgreen's has a generic tablet that is convenient, and there is always Robitussin (the plain original one). This helps move mucus all thru the respiratory system, and may help if you dry out during the night. (mucus thickens then) Make sure you drink alot of water to help this. I have an container of ice water at night on the bedside table and sip it if I wake up dry during the night. You don't need much of this at a time to hydrate your throat.
4) Afrin nasal(original) is also decongestant. Some may be absorbed and get into the blood stream.
5) herbal ephedra -- you have to be careful with this and not go overboard. Best to take your blood pressure if you try this. Monitor before and 1 hr after taking.
If you suspect silent reflux, you could try AlkaSeltzer Gold (this is not the one with aspirin). I find one tablet of this late at night
helpful as it blocks acidosis and keeps my feet from burning, too. They come in foil packets of two so I only use one and save the other for the next night. This neutralizes the excess acid from dinner in the stomach and is milder than drugs, but works well for me.
You have to get this specific AlkaSeltzer online. I get mine from Amazon. I have come to believe that many PN symptoms may be due to a mild acidosis .. at least mine are. I started the Gold when my knee went out recently. It was a quick turnaround from agony to its current mild stiffness. Use as little as possible of this so as not to mess up your acid/base system. The AlkaSeltzer gold is used by some doctors to break allergic reactions, that they elicit in the treatment room, mostly for children. After they give an elimination diet, they may provoke the patient in the office where they can see reactions first hand. They used to use a product called K-salts but AlkaSeltzer Gold is a close second formula.
You can discuss with your doctor a trial of prednisone, this time, a low dose daily like 5mg or 2.5 mg or every other day.
These low doses do work for some patients, and since higher doses don't agree with you, these lower ones might just work enough to allow you some comfort times.
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Thanks so much Mrs. D
I do have the allergy pillow cover and very fabulous air purifiers in my house, hardwood floors, etc. I think I'm controlling what I can from that end pretty well.
The difficulty breathing can happen at random times when there is an air temp or moisture change drastically, but its almost religiously in the mornings about an hour after I get up that all the allergy type stuff happens. I believe that it is a combination of vasomotor, and mild allergies, but I think I might have mast cell involvement between the EDS and the autoimmune stuff. I also have anti smooth muscle antibodies which correlate with all of the issues of respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, so it's a combination of so many things and I'm looking for a way to treat it with minimal intervention.
1. I have both meds at home. The sudafed tends to make me tachy, so I usually only use that a few times a year if I feel the threat of a sinus infection. The phenalephrine I use if I have terrible allergies or a cold, but just for 2-3 days tops. I am going to ask my docs who have a pretty good understanding of dysautonomia what they think about taking a tiny dose daily- but I want to make sure it isn't a bad idea.
2. I didn't know albuterol came in a tablet. That is an interesting possible option and I will study up on what else that particular med does to see if I think it would be beneficial to my overall issue of vasodilation.
3. I definitely always have a glass of water at my bedside along with a giant zipper bag of all my remedies. For some reason guafenesin doesn't ever seem to do anything at all for me. I've tried it several times with no luck.
4. Afrin- I've never tried it because I heard it was one of those things you can get addicted to and your sinuses get so used to it that you feel terrible if you stop. The ENT said not to use it for more that 2-3 days, but I am betting it would make me feel amazing. I started putting a little vision in with my allergy eye drops and it is extremely helpful for that sore swollen eye feeling. It helps my contacts slip right on. I'm assuming the its because even my darn eyes are suffering from vasodilation. So this just adds to my theory that if I could find one little pill, maybe I could get the benefit everywhere instead of my current routine as of a few weeks ago.. pulmicort, ventolyn, alaway drops, and flonase.
5. herbal ephedra. I think I'm too much of a wimp to try it because I'd be so unsure of what dose to take for the first time. I am beginning to be willing to try some other herbs for this neuropathy though
maybe
6. Alkaseltzer gold is in my zipper bag at my nightstand. I find it very interesting that it helps a bit with your neuropathy as well. I probably use it 3 times a week. It seems to calm what ever fires my enteric system up and helps calm my symptoms down a bit. Do you know why it does that? My theory is it has to do with mast cells in the gut lining and their communication with nerves. Zantac also has a very similar effect and it turns out that its an h2 blocker.
7. As far as a prednisone oral form, I don't think I will ever be able to tolerate it on my stomach. The burning after just two days even on the lowest dose is a nightmare and it makes me shake like crazy. I feel that the steroids I get from the pulmicort and flonase are probably the only way I can handle them besides maybe in IV form.
8. What is you opinion on northera? It's method of operations seems to be a little different that midodrine, and also different that ephedrine I think, but it has the same purpose. I wonder if that is another option.
9. I also wonder about a small dose of nicotine