Hay fever sufferers?

[bobson (Bob)]

Its that time of the year again.
Any hay fever sufferers here?
What do you use to make life easier?
Claritin, Telfast, Zyrtec to name a few.

I am considering acupuncture even though I hate needles

cheers

bob

[barx1963 (Malcolm)]

The best thing I have found is the pharmacies own branded Loratidine tablets. Same as Claratyne I believe, but much cheaper. Once the season really gets underway I sometimes have to take two a day so cost becomes important.

Malcolm

[multiweb (Marc)]

+1 for Claratyne . Only when needed.

[rodsmith (Rod)]

Here's one from my semi earthmother partner, get some paw paw ointment, preferably organic, and put a coating around the lower part of your nose on the inside. She assures me it is better than zyrtec etc but I don't know how it would look, maybe a remedy for use at home.

Rod

[koputai (Jason)]

I find that each year I need to use a different brand, some years Zyrtec
works, some years it's Telfast, some years Claratyne.

If you find that you're not getting the relief you would like, swap to one
of the other brands and they may be better. Then next season, you
might have to try again.

I usually find one of them fixes it for that year.

Cheers,
Jason.

[pluto (Hugh)]

My Girlfriend has been using Rhinocort for years and swears by it. It completely removes all her hayfever symptoms as long as she keeps taking it. Also I reccommended it to a work colleague who for the first few months she was with us just sat there sneezing all day. Now she's been taking Rhinocort for a few months and I literally haven't heard her sneeze since.

[ZeroID (Brent)]

Alanase is good too, Rhinocort seems to have no effect on mine.
An occaisonal saline wash up the nostrils seems to help also, flushes out some of the detritus, I use an old Alanase spray bottle with a 2% saline solution.

[technofetishism (Nick)]

Ahh hayfever, my old friend... 365 days a year.

I currently use 25mg phenergan 2-3 times a day. Im glad i dont get the drowsy side effects. While i was in the US i was using Benadryl (diphenhydramine)

Also done a bit of desensitization injections as well.

[The_bluester (Paul)]

I am lucky, I have only had really minor effects so far, enough to make me occasionally think about it and remember that it is coming!

Most times an off the shelf anti histamine does for me but I am on them for months. I have to be careful as some are real knockout drops for me. I can never recall which one but when still in the RAAF years ago the medical folks gave me a supposedly non drowsy one but I was in my room asleep for the rest of the day an hour after taking one.

My wife did the de sensitizing injections over a few years, it cost a small fortune, but every year they seemed to find a new allergen to add to the mix, she still gets the sneezes. Did they help long term? hard to know.

[sjastro]

There are corticosteroid nasal sprays which are now available over the counter which reduce inflammation and histamine production which I have found to provide long term relief.

Unlike normal decongestant nasal sprays, corticosteroid sprays do not play havoc with your blood pressure nor lose their effect with use.

Steven

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by pluto

My Girlfriend has been using Rhinocort for years and swears by it. It completely removes all her hayfever symptoms as long as she keeps taking it. Also I reccommended it to a work colleague who for the first few months she was with us just sat there sneezing all day. Now she's been taking Rhinocort for a few months and I literally haven't heard her sneeze since.

The worst hayfever I get down in Melbourne is on occasion in some Augusts, where depending on when the north wind comes, it results in odd pollens coming down leaving me and others thinking we have the flu. Rhinocort cures that in half an hour. But I don't find it as effective with the pollens that come later in the year.

Originally Posted by koputai

I find that each year I need to use a different brand, some years Zyrtec
works, some years it's Telfast, some years Claratyne.

If you find that you're not getting the relief you would like, swap to one
of the other brands and they may be better. Then next season, you
might have to try again.

I usually find one of them fixes it for that year.

Cheers,
Jason.

I'm the same as you. For pollens that show up later in Spring, it often seems that the previous year's pills don't work so well.

Regards,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

For really nasty hayfever that some pollen causes, and for when things are really bad, there is always the old faithfull and original and best and cheapest - Polaramine pills. But it makes one very drowsy, so I only take it before going to bed and use the less effective non-drowsy antihistamine pills during the day time.

Polaramine has another extremely good use, namely as an alternative to antihistamine creams which one can't buy in Australia anymore.

If you are bitten by a wasp, bee or bull-ant, simply crush a pill and mix it with kitchen food oil and apply to the bite area. The pain goes away in half an hour, instead lasting for days.

Alternatively, buy the liquid Polaramine Infants bottle and apply that to the bite area.

I once had the misfortune of a stingray slicing my foot leaving blood pumping out in big squirts everywhere. After going to the hospital, my foot was very painful for three days till I remembered Polaramine. I took a pill, and the pain instantly disappeared entirely.

Regards,
Renato

[The_bluester (Paul)]

Polaramine, that was it. The RAAF quacks reckoned it should be non drowsy!

[rustigsmed (Russell)]

Originally Posted by The_bluester

My wife did the de sensitizing injections over a few years, it cost a small fortune, but every year they seemed to find a new allergen to add to the mix, she still gets the sneezes. Did they help long term? hard to know.

You can now do de-sensitization via drops under the tongue, no injections required. I am taking them for a dustmite allergy. first thing in the morning every day for 3 years. Is meant to last for 10 years (or 7 years after you finish up). It is a large improvement and worth it but not a full cure. I'm sure it can be used for hayfever - could be worth a look in for chronic sufferers.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

Nothing overly helps for too long for me, some years it's zyrtec, others it's claratyne etc. The best for me is sprays like Rhinocort but it's a regime I have to stick with. This year I was laid up at home for 2 days with severe hayfever so bad I could not function, doctor gave me a cortisone shot in the arm and within 3 hours the symptoms subsided. Effective but use sparingly, at least it got me through the worst of this season.
I've seen an ad about a new type of spray that shows promise. Might try that later.

[cometcatcher (Kevin)]

Chemist brand Zyrtec, Fess nasal spray. Beconase used to work but doesn't do much now. Trees are full of pollen, right next to the window. Even my cats are scratching.

[raymo]

I had been disgustingly healthy all my life, never had any allergies etc: and then in Northern Queensland on a round Australia trip in 2005 I
copped hay fever. It was so severe that I was using around 7-8 toilet
rolls a day blowing my nose. My entire face became bright red.
Antihistamines from the pharmacy did almost nothing. Local doctor sent me to a specialist who gave me a five day course of steroid tablets.
Relief!!! pretty much all gone, just an occasional Claratyne. It slowly
came back, but now it is not seasonal; I have it permanently, but at a much lower level of intensity. Probably 30 or 40 sneezes a day. Claratyne
3 or 4 times a week.
raymo

[acropolite (Phil)]

Flixonase 24 hour, only thing that has ever been any good for me. Spray one shot each nostril before I go to sleep, I get a good nights sleep and no drowsyness at all during the day. Claratyne and the like are are totally useless for my allergy.

[Nikolas (Nik)]

Nasonex is supposed to be the new spray that helps lots.

[raymo]

They must have improved Nasonex or something, because it's been around for many years. It was one of the things that I tried back in 2005.
raymo