Question inspired by what seems likely to be my mild, newly developed environmental allergies
I have a prescription for azelastine, and got an inferior sinus reduction to help me breathe. Multiple people I know use CPAP machines.
My crazed uncle tried a more direct method: Gunning down all CEOs of major pollutant companies ruining air quality. He dropped off the grid, so he’s probably dead (possibly from breathing issues)
Some people can get rid of environmental allergies by eating better. It basically just improves your body’s ability to deal with them.
::: Might be just too many pancakes. :::
PSA: avoid flonase. it almost destroyed me.
https://www.drugs.com/comments/fluticasone-nasal/flonase-sfx-anxiety.html
https://www.steadyhealth.com/topics/flonase-and-getting-over-the-anxiety-it-caused/6
Interesting… I have a couple relatives who use it constantly. They both definitely have anxiety problems, and would be unlikely to consider Flonase as a contributor.
Getting allergy shots while I have insurance.
In the meantie: daily antihistamine. Nasal spray and eye drops as needed.
Shoutout allergy shots. 3-5 year commitment. If you can get a “rush protocol” it sucks for a day (you get a ton of meds and do 16 injections over 6-8 hours) but it means starting at once every 4 weeks instead of titrating multiple times a week for months.
What kind of shots? There’s a bunch of types… Stronger antihistamines, corticosteroids, inmuno suppressant…
Allergy shots. You got to an allergist, tell them what you have, and they scratch you with a bunch of likely allergens, find out what you’re allergic to, and shoot with an ever increasing dose 1x-2x week until you’re done then give you regular maintenance shots.
The pills are whatever is cheapest. I find the Nasonex (nasal spray) and Pataday (eye drops) (or whatever the generic is these days) really do a much better job with symptoms than the pills ever do, but the pills are much cheaper, so it’s my first line.
Is it a de-sensibilisation thing?
Did that 7+6 years for dustmites + hayfever, worked well but clearly was hell to go through (did the daily dose thing).
Now I just figured out I’m allergic to some nut too 😭
Yes, that’s how it works.
My dad swears by having a little dose of LOCAL honey, which gives him regular exposure to pollens.
The placebo effect exists!
I don’t know… there’s at least a valid mechanism there.
What would that bee?
depends on the cause, allergy test will you which one likely. either blood or skin patch test. Dust mites, pollen , pet dander is the most common. food allergies, certain chemicals like cleaning sprays or mouthwash ingredients.
if you have allergies around the mouth(chelitis), off brand toothpastes, lip balms are a major cause.
i usually take antihistamines, but i also have atopic dermatitis from dust mites so i have to take topicals.
a uncommon test to take is , testing your IGE levels. <200 is normal, 200-1000+ is sign of allergies. 1000-1999> you are likely to have rhinitis, ashtma or atopic dermatitis, the higher the more severe your symptoms are.
i heard people get allergy shots, but it has mixed results, some reported alleviated thier symptoms, some said no effect, or some said they were temporary.
Daily Cetirizine (brand name: Zyrtec), works well for me and I can get it in bulk for cheap
This is what I’m doing as well. If I go 2+ days without, everything sets me off (pollen, dust, smoke, mold, pet dander, etc) all day long. But when I take it regularly it’s like I have no allergies at all.
the only thing is some people take it for along time, and then get the withdrawal itch from it, if they suddenly stop.
Yeah I take those and mucinex
- Antihistamines, 1 pill daily
- Nasal spray, as needed
- No open windows (this sucks extra hard since my allergies are in summer when it gets hot)
- Air purifier in bedroom
- Mandatory pre-bed shower
I’ve also done a full regimen of hyposensitization, where you get injections of your allergen to desensitize you to it. It helps, but it’s not a full cure.
All of the above combined makes allergy season somewhat passable.
I have a lot of experience with this. I’m allergic to literally all species of grass somehow 😂
- Avoid triggers. For example, I avoid lawnmowers and freshly mowed lawns. Sometimes that means taking the extra long way around.
- Be wary of dry and windy days.
- Carry an asthma inhaler and spacer if relevant.
- Carry antihistamines ~ they come in nasal spray, eyedropper, and pill form. Choose what’s best for you based on worst symptom.
- Use a covid-style face mask and eye protection like wraparound sunglasses. This seriously helps a lot.
- Don’t “tough it out” ~ if you’re suffering, go inside and take time to look after yourself.
- If it’s severally impacting your life, go see an allergist. They can give you the good shit.
There was sometime where I was having no problems with allergies, then hanging out at a friend’s house, my friend commanded his teenage son to go weed whack a bunch of weeds by the road (“get off the computer and do something useful!” It was utterly useless though). I immediately started sneezing and had pretty significant allergy problems for like 3 weeks.
I just drug myself senseless.
I see you cited environmental allergies, which means airborne pollen or fungal spores etc. Personally, while I generally avoid medications, and hate the drowsiness from Benadryl (and the dementia), Allegra works great for me. Lasts about a day, is very effective, and there are no noticeable side effects.
I also have food allergies. For that, I read labels, and ask questions at restaurants. I’m allergic to tree nuts (pecans, almonds, cashews, basically everything called a nut that isn’t a peanut) but not peanuts. Thankfully most dishes which have tree nuts tend to call them out in the title or description. Allergens from a list of 8 (9?) are required to be bolded or listed as an allergen in the US for packaged foods. I pay attention to “may contain” or “produced on equipment/in a facility that…” warnings, but note that in the US, those are optional.
Here in europe all the cheap stuff has “may contain…” (Nuts &cetera) , like flour, wtf.
I recently got much more allergic to soy; which sucks because soy is in like every processed food for some reason. Bread, dark chocolate, and cereal really don’t need soy. That’s even before the “may contain…” labels because an ingredient shared an assembly line at some point. It sucks lol
Before I found out I had Celiac, I thought I might be allergic to soy. It definitely is in a ton of foods all over the place. I knew someone allergic to corn, a similar situation. Gluten (wheat, barley, rye) is tough to avoid too… besides being nearly ubiquitous in packaged foods and at restaurants, cross contamination is rampant, especially when it comes to flour.
A small spoonful of honey daily from a local apiary of bees who pollinate all the local flora that I’m allergic to.
I went from taking allergy shots and medications to now just enjoying the honey.
Singulair daily, then add in as needed flonase, clairitin, itch topical, then inhaler. Remember that allergies (and migraines) are like a long island iced tea- it’s not one thing that gets you; it’s all of them together.
I go to the hospital for the medicine, but it has an annoying side effect of making you drowsy. So I usually take the medicine when there is no important schedule on that day. If there is one, then too bad. Blocked nose it is.
Loratadine tablets before I go to bed.
only zyrtec(ceterizine works for me) lotaradine, and fexofenadine has no effect on me. i rotate to generic benedryl/ or cholorphneramine, every other week.
By avoiding the dairy isle at the shops and reading the ingredient list.
