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Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Claritin season is here...
My sinuses feel like they've been inflated to 80 psi, and every time I stand up or roll over the bones in my skull creak like the hull of a sub changing depth.
Waiting for this little white pill to take effect. .
I feel your pain, literally. My sinuses feel like the arm cuff of a sphygmomanometer at full inflation, for all of spring and about 4 out of 7 days a week during the rest of the year.
If you haven't tried them, Breathright nose strips may look goofy as can be, but they work. In concert with a sinus medicine you might not only be able to breath, you might actually feel good. For me it's Breathrights at night and a Zyrtec or Clartin in the morning and if things are really bad, Sudafed and ibuprofen to open things up and get rid of (some) of the pain.
You may also wish to look into the new Nasacort spray. It's basically the same thing as Flonase (which I take and really helped to manage my allergies), but is now available OTC for a reasonable price.
I used to just take generic Claritin but kept having horrible allergy attacks a couple times per year. Going to generic Zyrtec with daily inhaled corticosteroid (Flonase/Nasacort) went a long way toward taming even those.
But yeah, after this winter going straight into allergy season is just cruel.
Last time I saw the pillroller, in addition to a scrip for antibiotics and other stuff to fight a sinus infection, she recommended using a Neti Pot, which I still have not brought (or bought) myself to use, tho I vaguely recall you mentioning one long ago. Might not be a bad idea to dig it out from wherever it's buried.
I feel your pain (or will as soon as spring hits the Boston area). Just came back from 5 days in Mordor on the Potomac*, and although stuff was starting to bloom the rain (and snow on Sunday!) seemed to be keeping a lid on pollen.
Lucky you if Claritin works for you. I haven't found anything as good as Seldane (terfenadine), but it got pulled off the market due to a pesky heart-rhythm side effect that killed the susceptible. Can't explain why the active metabolite of terfenadine (Allegra) doesn't seem to work for me.
*But the Udvar-Hazy museum near Dulles was pretty neat.
You were complaining that winter never seemed to end, weren't you?
Allergies in the Spring are God's way of laughing at you for complaining about how long winter lasted.
Here in Texas, we don't really have winter, but we do have cedar pollen, which is like shoving a million tiny hedgehogs up your nose with every breath. I was never allergic to anything before I moved here and met cedar pollen.
Last year my allergist gave me some Azelastine HCl to try out on the allergic rhinitis in addition to my usual Flonase & loratidine generics. I realize that this particular winter was unusual but I'm still delighted with the last several months' use. I could swear that it also decongests, and a couple of times it short-circuited an incipient headache. It's still prescription, unfortunately.
I don't recall that problem when I lived there. Of course, the average humidity was about 7% then, IIRC.
That should give you some idea of how long ago that was! Hint: there was desert between each of those towns.
Shame about all that exposed water EVERYONE has. Kind of ruins the whole purpose of living there. How come they were smart enough to fix the eventual smog problem, but not the artificial humidity?
I switched to a nasal spray (Flonase I think) about ten years ago and found it worked for me waaaaaaay better than any of the pills. Basically allergy free now so long as I remember to take it twice a day during the season.
Ouch!
ReplyDeleteFeel better Tam!
I thank you every day for the miracle of Claritin.
ReplyDeleteWell, Fakitin gerneric.
I'm sorry, Tam. Odysseus is the same way, but Claritin doesn't work for him. I'm so glad it does for you.
ReplyDeleteA plate of fairly hot Thai food oughta jump-start the Claratin for you.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I hade id when I'm all stobbed ub, too.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
I feel yer pain. Has taken nearly 2 weeks for me to feel human again.
ReplyDeleteWait until the sneezes start.
Beats Winter though, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteFor the last 10 days, I have perfected turning all forms of matter into snot.
ReplyDeleteGerry
I feel your pain, literally. My sinuses feel like the arm cuff of a sphygmomanometer at full inflation, for all of spring and about 4 out of 7 days a week during the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't tried them, Breathright nose strips may look goofy as can be, but they work. In concert with a sinus medicine you might not only be able to breath, you might actually feel good. For me it's Breathrights at night and a Zyrtec or Clartin in the morning and if things are really bad, Sudafed and ibuprofen to open things up and get rid of (some) of the pain.
Feel better.
-Rob
Ouch... don't try to fly in that condition...
ReplyDeleteFrom flurries to allergies in ONE WEEK?
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry.
I spike my morning claritin with a 4 hr generic chlortab from wally world. Seems to help kickstart it.
ReplyDeleteYou may also wish to look into the new Nasacort spray. It's basically the same thing as Flonase (which I take and really helped to manage my allergies), but is now available OTC for a reasonable price.
ReplyDeleteI used to just take generic Claritin but kept having horrible allergy attacks a couple times per year. Going to generic Zyrtec with daily inhaled corticosteroid (Flonase/Nasacort) went a long way toward taming even those.
But yeah, after this winter going straight into allergy season is just cruel.
And there is always putting your nose over steaming water.
ReplyDeleteLast time I saw the pillroller, in addition to a scrip for antibiotics and other stuff to fight a sinus infection, she recommended using a Neti Pot, which I still have not brought (or bought) myself to use, tho I vaguely recall you mentioning one long ago. Might not be a bad idea to dig it out from wherever it's buried.
ReplyDeletePawpaw over at The Guncounter reports that pollen counts are so high, the meth heads are trying to turn their dope back into Sudafed.
ReplyDeleteWhat Staghounds said. Or try letting the shower water hit you on the forehead for a couple minutes in the morning.
I feel your pain (or will as soon as spring hits the Boston area). Just came back from 5 days in Mordor on the Potomac*, and although stuff was starting to bloom the rain (and snow on Sunday!) seemed to be keeping a lid on pollen.
ReplyDeleteLucky you if Claritin works for you. I haven't found anything as good as Seldane (terfenadine), but it got pulled off the market due to a pesky heart-rhythm side effect that killed the susceptible. Can't explain why the active metabolite of terfenadine (Allegra) doesn't seem to work for me.
*But the Udvar-Hazy museum near Dulles was pretty neat.
Come to The Valley of the Sun in Arizona and you can feel like that year round! (somehow that never makes into the Chamber of Commerce ads)
ReplyDeleteI live on MucinexD, Zyrtec and Flonase.
Of course I only take them when I don't want a sinus headache...
You were complaining that winter never seemed to end, weren't you?
ReplyDeleteAllergies in the Spring are God's way of laughing at you for complaining about how long winter lasted.
Here in Texas, we don't really have winter, but we do have cedar pollen, which is like shoving a million tiny hedgehogs up your nose with every breath. I was never allergic to anything before I moved here and met cedar pollen.
Last year my allergist gave me some Azelastine HCl to try out on the allergic rhinitis in addition to my usual Flonase & loratidine generics. I realize that this particular winter was unusual but I'm still delighted with the last several months' use. I could swear that it also decongests, and a couple of times it short-circuited an incipient headache. It's still prescription, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteKM:
ReplyDeleteI don't recall that problem when I lived there. Of course, the average humidity was about 7% then, IIRC.
That should give you some idea of how long ago that was!
Hint: there was desert between each of those towns.
Shame about all that exposed water EVERYONE has. Kind of ruins the whole purpose of living there. How come they were smart enough to fix the eventual smog problem, but not the artificial humidity?
I switched to a nasal spray (Flonase I think) about ten years ago and found it worked for me waaaaaaay better than any of the pills. Basically allergy free now so long as I remember to take it twice a day during the season.
ReplyDeleteWill, I didn't have any sinus issues till I had lived here for 30 years. (started in '64)
ReplyDeleteThen all hell broke loose.
If I go away for a week or so, so do the problems.
I guess I'm allergic to large urban dusty fusterclucks.
Ditch the Claritin and take 1000 mg of MSM every day (NOW brand is excellent). Try it for two weeks and see if your symptoms don't disappear.
ReplyDeleteRight there with you Tam.
ReplyDelete