[tkrik]

My allergies have been so bad this year and nothing seems to be working well. I was checking out Singulair and found that it has antiinflammatory properties, which makes sense as it is an antiasthmatic. So I did a little more checking and found that they have done a few studies regarding leukotrienes and MS. I thought this was pretty interesting and well worth sharing. Maybe this is my magic 2 for 1 ticket I've been looking for.

Despite them knowing about some of this for years, these two links are newer information (01/11 and 2010). I have never heard of this and thought it was interesting and thought of sharing it. (BTW - I am going to see my PCP about my allergies and finding different ways to take control of them as the meds I have been taking/trying don't seem to be working that well. I will be asking about Singulair as I know many allergy sufferers who have benefited greatly by taking it, including DD20 who had asthma when she was younger)

http://www.jimmunol.org/content/187/5/2336.abstract

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20298145

[SallyC]

Thanks, Trish

Let us know how it works, if you decide to try it..

[mrsD]

I took Singulair for about 2 or 3 yrs. The only real downsides are:

1) it may suppress your immune response to viral or bacterial invasion. Those are signaled by the receptor to call the white cells into action. Hence you may get more frequent colds/ etc.

2) What really rather killed Singulair was the depression/suicide warnings.
http://product-liability.lawyers.com...epression.html

I stopped taking it when that latest information came out.

So keep in mind the long term effects.

[tkrik]

Originally Posted by mrsD

I took Singulair for about 2 or 3 yrs. The only real downsides are:

1) it may suppress your immune response to viral or bacterial invasion. Those are signaled by the receptor to call the white cells into action. Hence you may get more frequent colds/ etc.

2) What really rather killed Singulair was the depression/suicide warnings.
http://product-liability.lawyers.com...epression.html

I stopped taking it when that latest information came out.

So keep in mind the long term effects.

Oh no! That might not be good. But was it something that you have to take everyday or did you take it just during allergy season? Of course, my allergy season is all year long but there are times when they are worse.

I didn't know that Singulair had the depressive/suicide warnings. I'll read the article. Thanks for posting that.

Sally - I'll let you know. All I know right now is I need to get the allergies under better control. When they act up like they have been, my MS acts up as well. The hug never leaves my side. (Pun intended.)

[mrsD]

I took it almost every day.... there were many allergens in my workplace...sulfa and penicillin etc.

Thinking back, I don't know how much it really did do. But I was getting pretty down at times...but the job was doing that to me too.

It was heavily promoted to children. I used to get lots of Rxs for kids. More so than adults.

[tkrik]

Originally Posted by mrsD

I took it almost every day.... there were many allergens in my workplace...sulfa and penicillin etc.

Thinking back, I don't know how much it really did do. But I was getting pretty down at times...but the job was doing that to me too.

It was heavily promoted to children. I used to get lots of Rxs for kids. More so than adults.

So what did you end up taking for your allergies? So far I've tried Zyrtec, Claritin, and Benadryl. Flonase for my nasal passages, which I stopped as it seems it was making things worse. I upped my Neti pot up to twice a day. I like the Claritin best as it doesn't make me groggy and doesn't interact with any of my other meds. The Neti pot is great but I don't know how many times a day I can use it. I do have Zantac and thought of that as well as that is a histamine blocker but I'm not sure if it would be anymore effective than the Claritin.

BTW - I tried the shots before and stopped as I was working and it was taking up a lot of time. I went 3 times a week, 4 different shots per time and then you have to sit there for 1/2 hour afterward. That 1 hour lunch went by fast! I know that eventually it would have dropped down to 2 times a week and then once a week, etc. but I didn't have the nicest boss at the time and when she wanted me there, she wanted me there even if it meant cancelling my appointment and/or taking a different lunch time.

[mrsD]

Using a neti pot? Are you using sterile saline in it? If not, you can be introducing bacteria into your sinuses each time!

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...cal&id=6046064

It is best to use sterile water or sterile saline. Once this organism is in your sinuses, it is difficult to get rid of.

One has to be careful with neti pot use.

for antihistamines I use Zyrtec now. I find Claritin useless.
I take one at night, and it lasts me into the next day. Not much drowsiness from it.

Another good way to control allergies is using grapeseed extract.
About 200mg a day tends to work for us too.

The new OTC Allergra is good but weak I find. But the absolute worst is Claritin. You know there are studies on it that found it equal to placebo?