Springtime Allergies
 

Who here suffers from Springtime allergies....or allergies any time of the year?

I used to be able to take Zyrtec (the generic) but this season when I take it I'm all kinds of dizzy and drunk-walking (worse than normal).

I stopped taking it because it was the only new thing I had added and I feel much better. Why now all of a sudden can I not take it?

This is a week or so after I had my severe allergic reaction to the Tecfidera I'm taking (http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post1134659-9.html). Could they be related? Or am I just suddenly allergic to everything?!

Drippy sinus's are my gift. I don't know what t brings it on.
It just comes and stays. Sinex nose spray is the only med
I use. It works at night, so I don't wake up with a stuffy
then runny nose.

It's a P I T A for sure. Grrrrrrrrrr!!!

I have allergies all year long. I can only take Claritin. Benadryl and Zytec give me trouble. I have not tried Allegra but have heard it works well.

It could be that your immune system is in hyper mode, so to speak. The big insult was the Tecfidera and the pollen, dust, etc are smaller insults. Since your immune response was still up due to the Tecfidera, it may have over reacted to the smaller stuff.

Sally - I'll have to check Sinex out. I'd love to wake up with a clear nose. I used to use Flonase but now that it's OTC, it's more expensive than with a prescription. Do you need a prescription for Sinex?

I use the Sinex Decongestant OTC. Don't over spray...one simple
squirt does quite well.

I use zyrtec but the only thing it seems to do is keep me from sneezing constantly. I am constantly congested and my ears have fluid in them, according to my doctor. She prescribed a new nasal spray that is not a steroid. It is an antihistamine. It's called Olopatadine HCI. I haven;t tried it yet. I have had something to do everyday and haven't wanted to try it in case it makes me sleepy.

I'm not taking anything. I'm down to 4 regular meds (thyroid, b/p, fluoxitine and mirapex for restless leg). I also take a vitamin D3 daily. And that's it.

Since I stopped the Tec I feel better. Not sure if it's a psychological effect or if I really do physically feel better. The fact that the pharmaceutical company that makes it doesn't know why or how it works for MS was a little troubling for me but if it worked for me I was willing to try it. No more.

I'm allergic to everything. I find over time, the allergies get worse. I moved 1,000 KM's from where I was before, for warmer weather, and I had no allergies for a year or two.

They gradually just got worse as I built up a reaction to them I guess.

I find Zyrtec makes me a bit wired .. not a bad thing, but I prefer to just ride it out. I generally find taking a nice hot shower to steam the hell out of everything works great as well.

I do find that allergies and PSEUDO RELAPSES can go hand in hand however, I cannot really vouch that an allergy has caused an attack.

However mine always seem to happen like clockwork in (Australia's) spring - between Oct - early Dec I'm waiting for it to happen. =)

I also have year round allergies and I'm allergic to allergy medication :p, but I've found that mucinex works well, even just plain ol' robatussin (the straight guifenisen syrup) as well as warm showers or a steaming cup of tea/coffee/hot toddy :D.... I think it was Vicks that put out shower tabs that you simply dropped in the bottom of the tub while showering, those were awesome but I can't find them anymore.

What I use in lieu of the tabs is about a 1/4 cup of the dr. Teals bath salts in eucalyptus and menthol. Just placing them in a shallow dish on the fringe of the water spray is enough to work the vapors up to the sinuses. And I'm always spraying my house down with eucalyptus oil mixed in water (about an 10 drops to 32 oz of water) not only does it help with the sinuses but kills fleas, repels ticks and other buggies too. :p I recently discovered it makes a bang up furniture polish as well.

For outdoor allergies they make little nose filters that help some... Not quite as advertised, but better than nothing and not as noticeable as the face masks. They feel really weird and obnoxious the first few times wearing them, but after a while they become more tolerable.