Allergies, or When Your Nose Pulls A Coup

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What the hell can you do about allergies....other than ripping the nose off your face?

My nose has already went through boxes of tissues in the last few weeks. I'm blowing my nose (what seems like) every five seconds. I don't want to resort to taking Benedryl, as it makes me feel like I just went on a three day bender. (Besides, I don't like to med myself if I don't have to.)

Can you tell I'm being driven ever-so-slowly insane?

Solutions welcome, s'il vous plait. I know I'm not the only sufferer here.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 7 June 2004 22:53 (twenty-two years ago)

(Back to normal state tomorrow...)

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 7 June 2004 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Well (and I know I'm gonna get laughed at for this) I tried a Chinese herbal medicine concoction a couple of years back and it worked really well and my allergies went away until very recently (when I just moved and they have come back with a vengeance.) Nothing over the counter works without awful awful awful side effects.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 7 June 2004 22:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, Nicole, as a fellow allergy sufferer I'm sorry to hear that. Does loratadine (OTC Claritin, also available as Alavert and various private label meds) not work for you?

― j.lu (j.lu), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Pseudoephedrine (the main ingredient in most sinus/allergy pills) works great for temporary relief of nose/sinus problems.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 7 June 2004 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Get a doctor to write you a scrip for Allegra. It flattens allergy in fifteen minutes.

Or you could do it the hammer and tongs way, like me was forced to do whilst a kid by nutbag parents -- be given a comprehensive scrape test and corresponding weekly-biweekly-monthly allergy shots for years.

And then there's the pumping of sterile saline solution through the sinus treatment...nothing like it ... the screaming is invigorating!

― George Smith, Tuesday, 8 June 2004 04:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Buy an anti-histamine and snip it in half with the bathroom scissors. I swear they make them for horses. Half a dose works for me and I don't get all ya ya ya except while posting on ILX.

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 05:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Whereas I have to take three benadryl tablets to even notice any difference.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 05:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Milo, are those the non-drowsy stuff? I need about three, as well, before they kick in.

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 05:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean the pure diphenhydrablablahblah stuff. I've got a high tolerance for most OTC medicines, for some reason.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 05:33 (twenty-two years ago)

In that case: Gesundheit. Allergies have to be one of the suckiest of natural conditions. (from a man's point of view) I'm sure the ladies have their own thoughts regarding the natural wonders.

― jim wentworth (wench), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 05:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Though that totally sounds like fun, think I'll pass. After hearing the torture another relative of mine had to go through with those tests, I'd have thought the Middle Ages had come and gone.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Whereas I have to take three benadryl tablets to even notice any difference.

Three? High tolerance in action. Gimme two, and I'm out til the next morning.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, Nicole, as a fellow allergy sufferer I'm sorry to hear that.

(sniff) Merci, J.Lu....;>

Does loratadine (OTC Claritin, also available as Alavert and various private label meds) not work for you?

It might. Right now, can't afford even the OTC stuff. Stuffy as I've been feeling lately, I'm tempted to stick up a pharmacy. Not wanting to be shown on the latest episode of Desperate, Dumbass Criminals is the only thing that's stopped me.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Nasal irrigation helps. I feel like a crank constantly bringing this subject up, but it really does help. Nothing completely takes care of my allergies though, not even everything I do in combination (allergy injections, antihistamine, decongestant, mucous thinner, cortisone spray, and nasal irrigation).

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Neti Pot!! Seriously, those things are awesome. Any health food store or Whole Foods or whatever should have them. Like a colonic but for your nose (ew I know).

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Go the hi-tech way with a Grossan Tip attached to a Waterpik.

― Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 9 June 2004 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

eyes can fuck off too.

― cozen (Cozen), Wednesday, 9 June 2004 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

It's time again, North America.

I've taken loratadine (generic Claritin/Alavert) and still feel shitty. I really need to bring my hippie concoction of Xylitol and saline solution nose spray with me (which is a homemade version of Xlear.

― molly mummenschanz, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:10 (nineteen years ago)

sneezing less than usual but the anti-histimines i'm taking (cheaper sort than the usual Zirtek brand) are drying my nose right up causing annoying pain within.

― blueski, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:12 (nineteen years ago)

Zyrtec renders me unconcious, and leaves me feeling hungover the next day. It does work for me, though. It's a toss-up: feel medicine-heady for an entire day, of sneezy with a puffy throat and eyes. DAMN YOU, POLLEN.

― molly mummenschanz, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:14 (nineteen years ago)

"...OR sneezy with a puffy throat". not of.

my head is fuzzy.

― molly mummenschanz, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:15 (nineteen years ago)

Yes, just getting back from my little "break" from allergies, which has included dealing with my apartment's heating system being too irritating for me to use (I ultimately bought a couple space heaters), trying to get things humid enough, but not so humid that the dust-mites proliferate (whoops, left humidifier on high a couple times and woke up congested), and suffering through one full-blown sinus infection. The Spring allergy season hasn't really gotten started yet here, although the tree pollen count has already hit Very High a couple days.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:17 (nineteen years ago)

Weather.com tells me today is a "HIGH POLLEN" day here for trees in Nashville. I just managed to get my mold allergy under control, and since spring has sprung, it's just a constant string of feeling crummy.

Does anyone have any brand of air purifiers they'd recommend?

― molly mummenschanz, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:21 (nineteen years ago)

I just bought one of these motherfuckers:

http://www.allergycontrol.com/store/deptpages/images/IQAir-HealthProPlus_zoom.gif

IQ Air Purifiers. Too soon to say for sure, but it seems to help. I'm not sure it was worth the price tag (i.e., > than the cost of my stereo).

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:34 (nineteen years ago)

Actually that a new hotel in Abu Dhabi.

― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 19 March 2007 21:36 (nineteen years ago)

I accidentally took a double dose of Astelin and my eyes are REALLY DILATED.

― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 20 March 2007 01:27 (nineteen years ago)

seven months pass...

My allergist just got around to also recommending this over-the-counter spray, NasalCrom, which already seems to be helping (though it's not supposed to work that quickly, so it may be my imagination).

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 8 November 2007 17:15 (eighteen years ago)

I've been put on Astellin (in addition to Flonase), which seems to work fine, but the nasty taste that ensues is a bummer, but not bad enough to make me stop taking it.

― molly mummenschanz, Thursday, 8 November 2007 17:16 (eighteen years ago)

Astelin is a major downer for me.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 8 November 2007 17:54 (eighteen years ago)

Does it just not work for you? Or is the taste so completely unbearable? The only thing that bothers me, really, is for the next few hours, water tastes like shit. THANKS, NOSESPRAY.

― molly mummenschanz, Thursday, 8 November 2007 17:57 (eighteen years ago)

nine months pass...

I am the only person I know without any allergies.

I have no allergies, people! My eggs are $5k each plus procurement/medical fees if you want some.

No allergies!

― Abbott, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:00 (seventeen years ago)

is that because you can't smell?

― Jordan, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:06 (seventeen years ago)

Lord if I know! (Eggs now valued at only $4800 due to this fact being prominently displayed.)

― Abbott, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:07 (seventeen years ago)

is it possible my allergies are acting up this week? i thought allergy season was early summer rather than a few weeks before fall, but i would rather blame allergies than admit i'm getting a cold.

― Jordan, Tuesday, 19 August 2008 17:07 (seventeen years ago)

one year passes...

i used to be like abbott and had no allergies. last few years i've had mild seasonal and dust allergies. now whenever i go to my parents' house my eyes are watery and my nose is 100% stuffed, but also runny. i wanna die.

― welcome to gudbergur (harbl), Wednesday, 23 December 2009 05:01 (sixteen years ago)

i used an improvised neti pot and now i've got bloodshot eyes

― rise, Wednesday, 23 December 2009 08:36 (sixteen years ago)

I fucking LOVE my neti pot. use it every fucking day.

― Nathalie (stevienixed), Wednesday, 23 December 2009 09:08 (sixteen years ago)

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