I moved house 6 months ago and since then, I've developed an allergy to something. My eyes itch and swell up. I sneeze and my nose runs like there's no tomorrow. I'm using eye drops and taking loratadine. It's not helping and I'm fed up. Is there anything else I can take?
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General health
DrRanj ·
02/03/2013 20:35
Maybe try a different non drowsy antihistamine, like ceterizine, if that doesn't work, try piriton (buy generic chlorphenamine from chemist it's cheaper). Thing is, it can make you feel very drowsy, in fact it knocks me out completely. So I take it at night, which is good as my itching gets worse at night and I get a good night's sleep! Then I take loratidine in the day(or other non-drowsy one), and I have it on good authority from a gp that this is fine to do.
Otherwise, I find dust really gets to me and damp, so have a really good Hoover, and wash any soft furnishing if you can - I find fabrics that have not been washed in a while, like clothes that have been in the back of a wardrobe etc, set me off.
Also any time I have a clear out or pack/unpack stuff I get bad! Sometimes I think I might be allergic to cardboard boxes and binbags! But in all seriousness I think utis moving furniture and throwing up dust, so perhaps once everything settles in you'll be fine?! Even the act if hoovering sets me off - my excuse to get dp to do it! 
DrRanj ·
02/03/2013 20:59
Apparently cat dander can hang around for months/years. It will get into the cracks in the floor boards and everything. I remember a dr telling me that often famies of children with asthma will get rid of cats as they may be the problem, but then find things don't get better, so say that it mustn't have been the cat causing it. But this dr tells me it is a red herring because the allergens hang around for ages despite cleaning/hoovering.
I don't really consider myself asthmatic any more since I moved out of my parents house, who had cats, as I never need my inhalers. But the second I walk into a house with cats now, I start wheezing.
It's a shame as I love cats.
DrRanj ·
02/03/2013 21:15
But I think in your case it is almost certainly the cats. Cats used to live in our rented house. I made our landlord change the carpet as it unfortunately smelt of cats piss despite being professionally cleaned, but I was still allergic to our house for a while after the new carpet was fitted! It is fine now though now we have allowed out own dust and dirt to colonise the place! 
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