Wellness

[HonnyBrown]

I have fall and spring seasonal allergies. Fall is worse than spring, and this fall is the worst ever.

I put a reminder in my calendar to start taking Claritan in the middle of October. After a few days, I forgot and was unpleasantly reminded.

Claritan takes a week to kick in. In addition to that, I took Sudafed over the weekend just so I could breathe. I can't take it during the day because it makes me loopy.

DH said it sounded like I was gargling in my sleep and my coworkers are asking me if I've gotten my flu shots.

Does anyone suffering from allergies think this year is especially bad?

[betteb]

Yes! I take Alevert, but it does not seem to be working as well this year.

We did get a hard freeze a couple of nights ago, but I think it needs to freeze a few nights in a row to really help.

[ChynnaBlue]

Allergies totally depend on the area you're in and what you're allergic to - mold, ragweed, trees, etc. There's really no blanket "it's the same everywhere" for the US, more for regions. You might want to check Pollen.com for your area. I have two smartphone apps, one from a local news agency and one from Zyrtec. The Zyrtec one allows me to set alerts that ping me in the morning when the pollen count is high. (Unfortunately it doesn't track mold and mold is worse for me this time of year.)

You are smart to add the reminder to you calendar! I do the same for cedar and oak season, which start this month and run through June where I am.

You might want to visit the doctor and ask for a nasal spray like Flonase to get you though the season. That also takes time to build up, but it can still help even if you start later. If you wake up feeling like you're drowning, that's post nasal drip and Mucinex works really well for that. I definitely recommend a saline nasal rinse with a neti pot or a bottle.The NeilMed Sinus Rinse kit with the bottle and saline packets is my favorite and available at most drugstores. I use it in the shower every morning.

[RedTop]

I am in southern WV, and have to say this entire year has been horrible for allergies and asthma. Both of my adult daughters have asthma and allergies, and my husband has COPD. My oldest daughter gives herself allergy shots twice a week, and still has major problems with itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing. Her allergy meds have been tweaked twice this year, but my daughter is still not what I consider in control of her issues.

[VaBelle35]

I take Allegra all year long. Mine is mostly dust and dust mites and Allegra seems to work the best for me, but the last few weeks have had seasonal stuff on top of my regular allergies.

I've been using a Rx spray.

[Sunshine]

I have allergies year round and use Nasacort once a day. Most of the time it helps.

[HonnyBrown]

On 11/3/2014 betteb said:

Yes! I take Alevert, but it does not seem to be working as well this year.

We did get a hard freeze a couple of nights ago, but I think it needs to freeze a few nights in a row to really help.

betteb, fortunately, here in MD, we are still in the 60s. A good rain sometimes clears the air for me.

[HonnyBrown]

On 11/3/2014 ChynnaBlue said:

Allergies totally depend on the area you're in and what you're allergic to - mold, ragweed, trees, etc. There's really no blanket "it's the same everywhere" for the US, more for regions. You might want to check Pollen.com for your area. I have two smartphone apps, one from a local news agency and one from Zyrtec. The Zyrtec one allows me to set alerts that ping me in the morning when the pollen count is high. (Unfortunately it doesn't track mold and mold is worse for me this time of year.)

You are smart to add the reminder to you calendar! I do the same for cedar and oak season, which start this month and run through June where I am.

You might want to visit the doctor and ask for a nasal spray like Flonase to get you though the season. That also takes time to build up, but it can still help even if you start later. If you wake up feeling like you're drowning, that's post nasal drip and Mucinex works really well for that. I definitely recommend a saline nasal rinse with a neti pot or a bottle.The NeilMed Sinus Rinse kit with the bottle and saline packets is my favorite and available at most drugstores. I use it in the shower every morning.

Chynna, I was smart enough to put the reminder in my phone, but too dumb to pay attention to it!

I have the pollen app, but it doesn't rate ragweed or dust.

My Dad also suggested Mucinex. Does it make you drowsy?

[HonnyBrown]

On 11/3/2014 RedTop said: I am in southern WV, and have to say this entire year has been horrible for allergies and asthma. Both of my adult daughters have asthma and allergies, and my husband has COPD. My oldest daughter gives herself allergy shots twice a week, and still has major problems with itchy eyes, sneezing and coughing. Her allergy meds have been tweaked twice this year, but my daughter is still not what I consider in control of her issues.

RedTop, does your family use local honey? I got some in the spring and it worked great the entire season. I forgot about it until you mentioned WVa.

[HonnyBrown]

On 11/3/2014 VaBelle35 said:

I take Allegra all year long. Mine is mostly dust and dust mites and Allegra seems to work the best for me, but the last few weeks have had seasonal stuff on top of my regular allergies.

I've been using a Rx spray.

Va, I didn't have seasonal allergies until I moved to DMV. The first year was awful mainly because I didn't know what it was. Of course it rained the day I went to my MD.

When I got this job in 2012, that was bad because my office is in an old, dusty government building.

And now, this. What on earth is a ragweed?!