allergy med question
 

This might seem crazy but I always have a runny nose. My makeup is always gone around my nose from blowing it all of the time.

I am taking alegra D and it does nothing for me. My Drs. office called me and they want me to come in tomorrow to get an allergy shot. I just donot know if this is from allergies or something else. This is winter or summer. I don't know what to take to get it to stop the running. Any ideals.

Thanks,
Ada

Have you had allergy testing? I did when my skin and eye problems were happening to rule out an allergy as a cause. I never have had allergy shots. Are you nervous to get the shot due to the rsd? Is there another med that could help they could try? I know for me I had doctors guess at me so was given nose spray and also antibitoics for my ears. Both which were not warranted and the nose spray made me worse. I am not saying this would happen to you just my experience and sometimes how I feel doctors guess. I hope you feel better

Hi Daniella,
 

I did get the shot and it did nothing for my runny nose. I took an allegraD this morning again. It does nothing. I see my Dr. again Monday and will see what he wants to do next. My nose runs summer and winter.

I have had testing. I am allergic to grass, trees, horses, guienna pigs, and I don't remember what else.

My makeup is always gone under my nose due to me blowing it and it is always red underneath. Someone said it was from the fibro, but you'd think something for help it.

My Dr. hates to put me on new meds due to my stomach not working right.

I wasn't afraid of the shot. I guess I just feel like you have to trade one bad enemy for another sometimes.

Thanks and I hope you start feeling better.

Ada

Hi Ada,

My Lindsay has a constant runny nose, I need to buy stock in tissues...But, since she started taking benedryl for her stomach pain, her nose is much better. Maybe the old medication is worth a try. Plus it is a great sleep aide, and it helps with burning pain and stomach pain. Hope it helps.

:hug:Sandy

Probably a silly question but have you tried Claritin instead? If I remember right, they're two different meds, maybe you'd find the other more helpful?

Hi Ada,

I do not have allergies but my husband has suffered moderately all his live, would just take benedryl or something and it would subside.. But this year starting around March he just got so bad. They did the testing and of course they say your allergic to everything,dust, mold, grass all that kind of stuff. His numbers did come back high. And for the first time in his live they did give him a allergy shot. It helped but not for to long. But I have heard from so many people this year of how worse there allergies are. They did say to stay away from nasal sprays except for straight saline, they said the nasal sprays can be dangerous and have the opposite effect if you use them to often. What makes it worse for him is that our house is in the woods and lakefront, but we been here for 11 years and it effected him but not like this year. ????Hope you feel better..


Gabbycakes

I have an allergy event once a day. i take nose drops and sinus pills and that takes care of me. i am very sorry to hear of your misery. I have read some posts about benedryl helping with the burning im in misery today, notg sure why my fentanyl patch and methadone arent working well today, and im on edge because my pain is up. how much benedryl should i take for it? i somtimes take 3 if i cant sleep.

any suggestions?
Lori

Some drugs used for chronic pain and depression cause runny nose as a side effect. This will not respond to allergy meds as a rule.

Runny nose is a sympathetic symptom, and enhanced sympathetic tone will cause it. Drugs like Cymbalta, and Effexor, and opiates are well known triggers.

Hi Mrs D...

Again, you have answered the question about why my daughter had a runny nose, it has to be the cymbalta...But the benedryl has helped.

She takes 3 teaspoons of the liquid benedryl. The liquid works better than the pills.

Yes, Benadryl may help.... it has anticholinergic properties, and can be drying. But it would depend on dose, etc. Some adults cannot handle the drying aspect on the mouth and eyes. We all get some drying with age, esp after menopause, etc. Older male patients may have trouble with prostate issues and Benadryl. Benadryl also has some CNS effects, on muscle dystonia and other receptors. It is a pretty complex drug, and we have it OTC now!

Younger patients are more resilient to these effects. Too much drying and viruses can attack more readily etc to cause colds and flu.

Deb do you notice at times it is worse then other times? I have this cough that sounds like a smokers cough and flem comes up. Sorry to be gross. Anyhow they have no idea why and I am trying to make connections but have not. So why I was asking for you if you see connections? Did you notice your runny nose start more after a new med? That is interesting Mrs D about runny nose a side effect of meds. I had always thought it was dryness being a problem. I guess it depends on what med. Feel better

There are two generations of antihistamines on the market.

The first generation includes the ones that cause drowsiness. These enter brain and have central effects besides the antihistamine ones. They are derived chemically from the phenothiazines (antipsychotics). This is why some like Vistaril, are used as sedatives. Dramamine orig formula, Benadryl, ChlorTrimeton, and Antivert (meclizine for dizziness) and Atarax belong to this class. All of these have multiple effects on various neurotransmitters, and are used for other things besides allergies. Benadryl is used for some forms of dyskinesia in fact.

Histamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain...it precedes release of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and is considered a signaling molecule. So the first generation antihistamines affect many things, because they block histamine's job of initiating actions.

Claritin and Allegra, are second generation antihistamines, and much less potent or useful for allergies. And they do not cross into the brain, and have limited usefulness. In fact there are studies showing Claritin is equal to placebo in effectiveness!

Zyrtec (cetirizine is sort is inbetween the generations. It is a cousin of Atarax which is considered the most potent antihistamine for itching. It has some sedative actions but not as strong as Atarax.

Xyzal (levocetirizine) is related to Zyrtec and does not cross into the brain at all.

As the affinity to cross into the brain, is lost, so are the other actions that are common to the first generation drugs lost. So one would not expect Allegra or Claritin or Xyzal to work on drying things up like Benadryl does. If the runny nose is a Mast cell allergic response, they may work. But for all other causes, they would be ineffective.

Thanks for the info.
 

A lot of good info. I see my Dr. again today and I will ask him what I should take or talk to him about some of these.
The Allegra D is a joke. The shot did nothing. My eyes water a lot too. I noticed that when I get out in the cold but my nose runs all of the time.

Mrs. D. I am on Metformin, Amitiza, and Nexium for my stomach. I only use the lidoderm patches when I am at my worst,same as the Methadone. I also have lidocaine gel around. I haven't taken the Methadone for awhile now. It really causes my stomach issues to be worse.

I also have a breathing problem. It's related to something else though besides the allergy. He diagnosed me with one last year. I don't breath deep enough.

Thanks,
Ada

thank you Mrs. D for that great information. My Lindsay has been on a lot of those with only the Benedryl really helping lately. She also was on Singular which is another one that is used for allergies. They put her on this for her Asthma.

Thank you again for your great information.

Sandy

Sandy, I have stomach problems also to a point I feel sick all the time and bloated. What exactly does the Benedryl do for Lindsey? I am really interested as I thought Benedryl was used as an antihystamine. If that would help my stomach at all I would be thrilled. Thanks in advance.
Your friend Wendy

Hi Wendy,

Last visit to Dr. K. he recommended Benedryl infusions for her stomach. Supposedly it settles the stomach. He doesn't administer them, but said to try the liquid benedryl to see if it would help. She has lots of burning, sharp pains and vomiting she is miserable. But, since she started taking the liquid benedryl her stomach has settled not completely but it is helping. Make sure you check that it doesn't interfere with your meds. It also helps her sleep. I think anything is worth a try, but if you can talk to your doctor about the benedryl infusions they are definitely a better plan.
Good luck,

Sandy

Hi,
 

With my allergies, I was on Allegra D and it wasn't working for my runny nose then my Dr. gave me an allergy shot about a month ago which didn't work so now I'm on a nasal spray. It seems to help. He thinks there is something else causing the runny nose.

Then he put me on Crestor for my high cholestral again and made me promise to take it. I quit it. I haven't let him know yet, hopefully he can find one that don't have the same side effects I already have. It multiplied my fatigue, chest pain, memory loss,runny nose, and swelling. My chest pain was horrible from it.

Thanks for all the help you give me.

Ada

Daniella,
I just started new blood pressure meds, two of them. So I took one in the morning and one in the evening. The one in the evening was like pulling someone's finger out of the dam. My nose ran like an escaped convict. To the point where I would just stuff a big piece of tissue up there. It seemed to taper off after a week or so, but i was supposed to be taking two of those, one in morn one evening, so I added the morning one and instantly my nose was running like a fire hose. Not what I needed. My bp was being pretty good so I stopped taking the morning one. But maybe that is why the dry mouth, because those pills just suck every bit of moisture out of you, in my case, some of it just expelled out my nose not my bladder. I now take two pill with the 'dry mouth' warning. I hate gum, or rather I hate how I forget I'm chewing gum and look like a cow chewing a cud. and I can't do sugarless because of the aspartame. I try drinking water, but in Church, or other places gum is a necessity.

My bp meds do this to me. maybe a reaction to a medicine.