allergies! (2 Viewers)

GACK! I just got SLAMMED by allergies. At about 5pm today, the wind started blowing a bit, and I just suddenly got whapped in the head, my sinuses filled up with snot and my voice got weird (weirder) and my nose got all snotted up! My head is swimming in snot now! Packed full up! And I took some allergie med, something I hate like heck to do, some evil synthesized white pill of demon medication claiming 12-hour relief, and now the snot is not only packed in my brain pan, but running liquid down the back of my throat!

What the heck is this allergy thing? Why all of a sudden?! How my gonna pick up chicks with this stuffed head and "post nasal drip"?! :frowning:

MC

Get some OTC NasalCrom.

Most likely there is a hot babe suffering from allergies too. You can comfort each other.

Why precisely do you think you have an allergy? There are several diseases that encompass the symptoms you've described, starting with the common cold.

I think it's allergies because I normally get them about this time of year, season change, my head fills with snot like cotton and it drips down the back of my raw throat, yum!

Also, because I literally got SLAMMED with this yesterday. One moment I was fine, then the next it was like getting hit with a shovel. I was suddenly all blocked up. Windows open, wind blowing thru my house, plenty of crap in the air, and it all hit me right at once.

I mean, I'm no doctor (I just play one on TV), but I am hoping this just goes away soon enough. This morning I feel like poop. And so much to do! I have to go buy some more meds, which I hate to take. What do people find effective for this kind of stuff? What meds do you take?

Crappy chemical dependence sucks.

But a head stuffed with boogers is no fun neither. :frowning:

BLECH!

MC

My allergies are worst in May and June - grass pollen being my chief bane of existence. I get immunotherapy shots and that basically allows prescription medication to work. It used to be I'd need the meds from April to July (and still be miserable), but now I only take them during the worst two months (and live like normal human). The meds I take are Allegra 180 and Nasacort. Over the counter I use Claritin when needed for more minor symptoms.

If this is a regular thing and you're getting what sounds like sinusitis, you really should see a qualified medic. Whatever an individual recommends on this thread may not necessarily be right for you. E.g. I have hayfever (grass *and* tree pollen) and any nasal allergy or cold I get tends to express itself as sinusitis (pretty much the symptoms you've described, Micah). However, the treatment regime I take which is the standard default recommendation of Brit medics makes my father ill and a colleague of mine fall asleep at his desk. They respond better to other drugs which when I tried them made me like a zombie. So it's probably better to see a medic and get things properly sorted out.

A doctor?! Forget it. They touch you! Can't have that.

I just walked down to the Rite-Aid (love that name) and bought a basketful of store-brand treats.

I got some Claritin-like Rite-Aid stuff; some Sudafed-like Rite-Aid stuff; some Benedryl-like Rite-Aid stuff, and some DayQuil-like Rite-Aid stuff. All the same ingredients, same dosages of dangerous-sounding synthetic meds in various mouthwatering flavors, and half the price of the name brands. ("NasalCrom" is like $20 for a little teeny bottle! Out of my league.)

Weird tho: I noticed that some OTC meds are now not "OTC," but have to be bought at the pharmacy window with a "ticket" found in the aisle. Why is that? (Dosages seemed higher, maybe.)

And now I'm sucking on a Chloraseptic-like Rite-Aid lozenge, which is making my throat numb. Pretty cool trick.

When my current DayQuil dosage wears off in a couple hours, I'll chow down on some "Loratadine." Or, some "Diphenhydramine." I missed all this good stuff when I was in high school, and now I'm paying for it, you see. (Sniffle.)

MC

Pseudophedrine is used in some cold and allergy medications and that's the main ingredient in meth, hence the ticket or "behind the counter" policy. Oregon just passed a law that requires a prescription to purchase these kinds of medications!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=1043133

It's because they contain pseudoephedrine, which is one of the main ingredients in meth. Several states, starting with OK, started limiting sales by putting the medication behind the counter and making you sign a registry for it. Congress is currently looking at legislation to take this nation-wide.

OK had an 85% decline in the number of meth lab busts after the first year of the program.

EDIT: I see Guo beat me to it.

For my allergies I use Zyrtec, Benadryl and antihistamine eye drops (my biggest problem is excessive tearing). Dayquil and Nyquil are the only things I use when I get a cold (along with Luden's Wild Berry cough drops). Dayquil works like magic for me.

That's because the cops who would "bust" these meth labs are sneezing away their lives in pharmacy lines.

I use cromylyn sulfate solution, mostly to good effect.

I got a .44oz bottle (100 sprays) for less than $10 at Wal-Mart. You must've been looking at the 200 spray bottle. You can use it as many as six times per day, but I only need one in the morning. So, that would last at least two weeks to as long as three months.

Wow. Shows what I know.

Kids! So smart these days.

MC

I used to take Claritin for my allergies. I am allergic to mold and I get some reactions when the seasons change. The Claritin always worked pretty good, but I stopped taking it just because I didn't like to be dependent on it. I suffer here and there, but most of the time I'm fine.

If you get these symptoms 3 or 4 times per year, I think you should talk to your doctor about Flonase or Nasacort. My doc put me on these after my third sinus infection last fall/winter and it works great. It does not provide instant relief, but takes a couple weeks to fully start working. Then you continue to take it throughout allergy season and through season changes. It's worked really well for me.

I felt like complete crap a few weeks ago. Coughing, sneezing and sore throat. Thought I had a head-cold or flu because it hurt to swallow. Took a few pain pills that were left over from my fractured ankle and that really helped my sore throat, but after a week - I needed something to permanently get rid of whatever it was that I had.

Saw a doctor who said it was allergies. ALLERGIES?!! He put me on Allegra (Take One Pill Every Day). First day I took it - absolutely no appetite what-so-ever. Felt listless. Second day, 100% better. No side effects. I'm still taking one pill/day. Never had such a bad reaction to allergies that made me feel as bad as I did.

- Colton

Anyone else go through the allergy testing to see what you're exactly allergic to? Boy, that's a load of fun. You get to have your back exposed to a variety of allergens and see what causes the largest and most itchy welts! When I had mine I was labeled as "extremely sensitive," with the most severe reactions to grass, trees and dust mites. Fortunately I tested negative for asthma.

Which probably means they weren't very convincing reasons. My dad is a chemist and said if the OTC stuff works, that's all you need.

I'm not happy with "Loratadine."

It is definitely not working "24 hours."

Next?

MC