Hay Fever

I suffer like hell too. Horrible when you like cycling and gardening.

I take an over-the-counter tablet. There are lots and I had to try a few to find what suited me.

The trick is to start early in the year - now usually - and keep taking them until the pollen goes away (usually all summer)

Good luck - I'll think of you when the eyes sting, sinuses hurt and the sniffles keep on coming.

Hi
I am another sufferer and have found it to be a lot worse since the widespread cultivation of that bloody oilseed rape.
Regards
Jim

Depending on the severity of your reaction, you can try an "over the counter" medicine or something more powerful from your Doc.

A steroid injection can be very successful, but it's considered a bit extreme in Germany.

There are other relatively obvious measures you can take - pollen is at its worst at about 6:00AM and 6:00PM so air your rooms away from these times then keep windows closed. Wash the pollen out of your hair and try to isolate your outdoor clothes when you return home. Buy pollen filter nets for your windows.

Where it then becomes more interesting is when you get into "cross allergies" This is the effect of other triggers on your hay fever symptoms, for example, you eat peanuts/carrots/apples and your symptoms are exaggerated.

If you are currently suffering, you may find that avoiding the following helps:

OFTEN : Apple, Pear, Apricot, Peach, Cherry, Plums, Nuts.
SELDOM : Litchi, Kiwi, Avocado, Celery, Curry, Carrot.

The triggers change throughout the pollen season and affect sufferers differently. You need to be aware of the possibility and try to work out for yourself if you do have a cross allergy - ie you notice that a more severe attack coincides with eating peanuts etc. You may have to narrow the possible triggers down over time.

Brian OReilly

Get Rhinocourt from your Doctor, it's a steroid nasal spray. My hayfever seemes to have eased off in recent years, but when it was at its worst this was the only thing that was effective on my nose. The other (antihistamine) nasal sprays make my nasal linings swell up and block my nose. Another trick that I have found useful is to change from one "over the counter" medication to another every couple of weeks or so, otherwise I find that they lose their efficacy.

Beconase works for me.

cheers

Nigel

Though over the counter antihistimines are generally effective, prevention is the best strategy. An alergist may prescribe you a vaccine which sensitizes you to the particular pollens that bother you (works for me anyway).

Steven

Ah, the joy of hay fever. This year it started particularly early for me. I keep hoping that one year I'm going to grow out of it! It's some comfort to hear others' stories and advice.

I agree that different pills seem to work at different times, and for different people.

My usual regime has been Piriton tablets + Beconase nasal spray + Opticrom eye drops, but this year I've been trying one called Flixonase, a spray that was apparently prescription-only until this year, and is supposed to replace the need for pills or eye drops. It seems to work well, though essentially I have resigned myself to a few months a year of discomfort.

The injection sounds interesting - and preferable to having to spend a fortune on the various medicines. Anyone know what the side-effects are, if any? If it makes me fat(ter), I don't want it!

quote:

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The injection sounds interesting - and preferable to having to spend a fortune on the various medicines. Anyone know what the side-effects are, if any? If it makes me fat(ter), I don't want it!

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The injection´s side effects are typically minor swelling of the arm and an occasional sneeze. It hasn´t made me any fatter.

The injections aren´t a substitute for antihistimines. My allergist injects me once a month. I still use antihistimines during the peak season, but the symptoms have been diminished by the shots.

Steven

I'm also a habitual heyfever sufferer and, like others above, I have begun my annual course of treatment this month and expect to continue right the way thru unti late August at least. Usually it's of the over-the-counter variety: Clarityn tablets (once a day) in combination with Beconase nasal spray which I use twice a day. When it gets really bad I expect I'll in addition be using good ol' fashioned Otrivine Antistin eye-drops too. Oh the joys of summer...

Regards,

JonR

Tony says:

I used to think that people with hay fever were whingers -then in my late 30's i started to get sniffles.Since then it has got worse and the week before last- JESUS.Any ideas on how to live with it?

Am I the only one who thought, "Sounds like poetic justice to me."

I've used Nasalide and Nasarel for many years with great success. This is a steriodal spray. Works for many for whom Beconase is not effective.

Flonase is pretty new, also useful. There are some chromium-based sprays that are also very good, but they nee dto be used every 4-6 hours. Nasalchrom or somesuch is a US brand that some people really like.

I'd start with an OTC anti-histamine, then go to one of the sprays if the pills don't work. Don't forget Sudafed for congestion...but be careful if you've got hypertension or haveing sleeping problems.

Salt water sprays also help when congetsion is on the mild side.

Do NOT use the so-called 12 hour or 3 hour sprays (Brands in the US are Afrin, Neo-Synephrine, etc.) - the human body builds up a resistance known as a 'rebound' effect if you use these for too long. That is, they last for shorter and shorter durations, and after they wear off, congestion is worse than before your started taking them.

Sleeping on your side is useful. Apparently, even when congested the breathing pasages free up alternately.

Velo,

I have been a Hay Fever sufferer since 1976 and I have used Haymine Tablets for about 20 years and they work for me (order from Co-Op Chemists). Over the last couple of years my symptoms have been starting earlier (late Feb this year) such that by Easter I want to pull my eyes out of their sockets. I recommend that you start taking the product that works for you in early March next year and dont stop for at least 4 months. I find that by July/Aug I'm ok. I dont know anyone who has had their HF stop, so welcome to the club.

Denis

My hayfever hasn't stopped but is much, much less severe than it used to be. From May to September I used to be either sneezing with sore eyes or have a blocked nose with sore eyes.