Today, I just got sick and tired of the constant drainage running down my throat. Off to the medicine cabinet I went and came up with a combination Antihistamine and Nasal Decongestant.

After reading about some on these, I note that they can also cause drying, which plays a big part in the Sjogren's I may or may not have.

In one Internet article, I saw some mention of newer products that don't seem to have as much drying effect. Does anyone happen to know the name of any of anything that fits this description, or maybe I am just dreaming... It sure seemed to help...

I would guess there must be some sort of allery component that goes along with the sinus/lung/ears issues...

Cathie

are mostly non drying.

However, decongestants are ALL drying. (phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine)

Claritin is OTC now, Allegra still RX.

Singulair is not drying.

All of the first generation antihistamines (Benadryl, chlorpheniramine, brompheniramine, hydroxyzine) are all drying.
They are also more efficient as antihistamines. Claritin and Allegra are second generation along with Zyrtec (more drying)
and rather useless IMO.

Well, I must share what I have been taking for my cold for two days. I have been on Zycam Nasal Swabs. Nifty little things and so easy to do. No side effects, no nothing. You just swab your nose, hold the nostrill for five seconds, and throw the swab in the garbage. Every four hours.

Been doing this for 2 days. This morning I was able to go out for Breakfast and my voice is clearing up. I am still blowing my nose but it's clear (always has been). I do have a cough but I take that awful Buckleys.

I know a cold (whether or not you do anything for it or not) will take a week to 10 days to run itself through, but if this darn swab thing reduces the symtoms, I figured "what the heck".

Alan said I'm sounding better, not so nasally and people don't mistake me for a man on the phone anymore. So that's a good thing.

Alan has an ivig thing on Tuesday. When the visiting nurse comes, (she's very nice), I'm going to take out my stethescope and have her listen to my lungs). I'll feel much better after I know they are clear. I don't foresee any problems, but if you think I'm going to have a nurse in my home and not ask her to please listen to my chest, well forget it.

She likes my muffins and she's a doll.

lol

Melody

I suggest you get that zinc.

Here are the ingredients for Zicam swabs.
Now let's back up a bit. Why are there swabs now? Well the original Zicam nose spray (also containing zinc) was shown to damage the sense of smell (in some cases permanently).
This is because Zinc should not be applied to mucous membranes. It can damage nerves.

It would be more effective to take zinc orally every day, and prevent the cold. Since you use an ACE inhibitor, and have done so for a long time, these drugs have been shown to deplete zinc from the body.

I am sorry I cannot endorse any Zicam product. Besides the nasal application,
It is basically a homeopathic remedy and limited by the dilutions to very minimal effect.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar...am_anosmia.htm

Ah, well I knew it was too good to be true!!!

I slowed down my symptoms, but I don't want to damage any mucous membranes. So I'll eat the $10.00 and go to gnc and buy some zinc.

How about cold-eze? or those losenges that contain zinc and C??

That any good??

Melody

Zinc sulfate is very nauseating. The only really good forms that are
not expensive are Zinc monomethionine or Zinc picolinate.

The oral lozenges do not have documentation of hazard associated with them.

However, I used a Cold Eze lemon last spring for a bad sore throat I had at work (we had samples). It worked fine. But it dried out my mouth severely and I couldn't taste anything for 2 days. Patients with Sjorgren's might have a rough time with that effect-- the drying. The lozenge really knocked out that viral sore throat tho, and I never got any follow up "cold" or anything upper respiratory.

Well, maybe I will just struggle alone with this OTC combination, until I can get to a point where I can begin the Singular again. I have a way to go, before I can get down to the lower Prednisone doses. I remember that it did help with lung issues, I don't recall if it did anything for sinus drainage or not.

This drainage is awful and there is fluid behind the eardrums. If I am in the store, my husband has no problem finding me from listening for my nearly constant throat clearing... I sound like an untreated TB patient... Cough Cough!!! Hack.. Hack... Harumph... Harumph... Sooo embarrassing...

MrsD, do you have any idea at what point the Pulmonary Doc might be able to start me back on this?

Many thanks,
Cathie

By the way, I am using the sinus irrigator religiously. I think the correct name for it is "Sinus Rinse" by NealMed. It does help a lot, but I could not stand the smell of the Akolol-proably because of the eucalyptus. Maybe later, I can try it again...

I had begun a cough, so last night I had the most horrible experience of my life. I tasted Buckleys Cough Syrup.

My god, I do not know how anyone can take this stuff. It's made in Canada and the label actually says: "it tastes terrible, but it works".

It's like liquid vicks in your mouth. I held my nose as I swallowed it, but that made no difference, and when I let my nose loose, jeeeeezz, my mouth was on fire.

Won't do it again.

I feel much much better today (gotta love those swabs).

But I bought some sugar free Tussin cough and chest thing.

Took a little bit in CVS.

Oh, you'll love this story.

As I'm purchasing the Tussin syrup, the pharmacist's assistant is telling him "I got bit by something the other day, I hope I don't get lyme disease". At exactly the same time I blurted out the following, so did the pharmacist.

We both said "did you notice a bulls eye rash". The guy looked clueless. I simply said "they say to look for a bulls eye rash to see if you have been bittn by a tick. Have you been out in the grass or outdoors anywhere"? and the guy goes "No, I didn't go anywhere".

Then this lady approaches me and says "can you look at my arm, is this a bulls eye rash"??? I said "no, that's a mosquito bite" and she said "oh, yeah, I got bit in my kitchen by some mosquito". Then she says to me "what's a bulls eye rash"? and I said "Well, you know what a bulls eye is right??" and she goes "no, I don't" And I said "ever see target practice where they shoot at a bulls eye??" and she goes "oh, that's a bulls eye??" So I said "yes, and then I said "if you ever have a cut or a wound and it gets red and hot, and you see lines going up from that wound, go to your doctor, that may mean you have an infection of some kind". The pharmacist said "oh, that's right". Then the lady looked at me and said: "how come you know these things?" and I couldn't think of anything else to say so I just said "Oh, I just know medical *****".

Whereupon she burst out laughing and said: "My god, that would be an excellent title for a book". "I JUST KNOW MEDICAL *****"

We started to laugh. Then she actually asked me my name and said I should write a book, give it that title and if she ever sees it in a bookstore, she'll buy it.

And all I did was go and by some cough syrup. lol