Absolutely no drugs work for DH’s hay fever and he is exhausted - Help! 🤧

[NeverFull]

DH’s hay fever hasn’t stopped all weekend. His nose has been dripping constantly like a tap - and I mean constantly. He’s had very little sleep and he’s exhausted. So far this weekend he has taken:

Ceterizine hydrochloride tablets
Loratadine tablets
Fexofenadine tablets (prescription only)
Mometasone furoate nasal spray (prescription only)
Sudafed mucus relief (which usually helps dry up the nose)
Sudafed spray (again, usually works)

He is truly fed up. Is there ANYTHING out there that really works for hay fever?

For now -
Fexofenadine
Dymista nasal spray
Eye drops

Wash hair regularly, wear wrap around sun glasses, avoid being outside dawn and dusk.

For the future - ask GP to be referred to immunology for desensitisation, 3x6month courses of pollen pills.

Haymax balm ontop of a lot of other tips you've got here helps me

I know I will get flamed, but I was really successfully treated with homeopathy.

My childhood, teen and early 20's summers were blighted by hay fever - had every drug under the sun, steroids, injections, followed all the rules with minimal effect except to make me really drowsy from the cocktail of drugs I'd take.

Saw a homeopath in my early 20s, visited about 3/4 times and had several treatments. That summer and for about 8 years I had no hay ever whatsoever, it was like a switch had been turned off, for the first time in my life I was able to sit outside on the grass, not constrain any of my activities, it was amazing.
subsequently it came back very mildly some years, treatable with OTC antihistamines.

I am not at all woo, work as an analyst, and ~know~ there is no scientific basis for homeopathy.
But I really don't care - It worked for me when I had tried absolutely everything.

Another vote for acrivistine. I have to take the full dose of 1 every 4 hours, max of 3 a day, and they aren’t cheap, but they are the only tablets that touch the sides for me. I can tell the minute they start wearing off. I pair with eye drops on the really bad days.

Montelukast
Normally prescribed for asthma but can help allergic rhinitis/ hay fever.

Neil Med sinus rinse!

Promethazine..

Worst case scenario it won't help with the allergy but will give you some blessed relief

@DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou

I give up

this

@RightYesButNo

In my opinion, Sudafed isn’t worth the ink on the package since they took out the pseudoephedrine in almost all of it, which is what helped everyone that had colds or hay fever - people like your DH. But people were using it to make meth, apparently. Sudafed Mucus Relief just has phenylephrine, which is worthless shite, and has never done a thing for me. Get straight Sudafed Decongestant (MUST say pseudoephedrine in it - I've attached the pic from Sudafed.co.uk). It might be just on the shelf, but possibly behind the counter, and if they ask you any questions, tell them your husband has tried everything else.

Day nurse is pseudoephedrine i think

Another vote for Beconase. It feels like a miracle cure for me. I was permanently exhausted from the streaming and itching, despite finding the medication that worked best. But Beconase actually stopped it. I have it twice a day and it's a Godsend.

That said, even I'm getting tingly sneezy moments so it is even worse at the moment I think. Good luck.

I have a prescription anti histamine named Drynol that helps a lot, it doesn't get rid of all the symptoms but it keeps them down enough that I don't get secondary problems like sinus or chest infections.

Don'tBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou here is the link to the Dyson Air Purifier that you found.

A good air purifier should help. Got one and it has massively helped my hay fever.

HayMax wax is quite good, you are supposed to put it under your nose but I just shove it up each nostril and spread it around. And Becodefense nasal spray rather than be considered. My allergy is mainly tree pollen so it starts earlier in the year.

I agree with the pp who have recommended promethazine (phenergan).

I buy it from an online pharmacist and it works a treat and also makes me sleep really well.

It takes a couple of hours for the drowsiness to kick in and the drowsiness fully wears off at about 12 hours after I take it, so I take it at around 8pm, to be asleep by 10pm and not drowsy anymore by 8am.

I find I don't have to take it every day as the antihistamine effects last well, so the drowsiness isn't really an issue and I enjoy the good nights sleep when I do take it.

The medication I take has been mentioned several times.

Has he tried Vaseline? It's very effective - first thing when you wake, put a layer of Vaseline all over the inside of your nose. I use an ear bud thingy. Stops the pollen reaching inside the nose and irritating it. Re-apply before going outside.
Plus good pollen hygiene, windows, drying bedding and t-shirts, changing & showering etc

He can have a short course of steroids to help get this bout under control. I have had to do it in preparation for a job interview and the relief was bliss.

If the fexofenadine isn't working, he could try doubling the dose, but really he needs to go back to the GP and get that prescribed and a referral to an allergy specialist.

There was a trial done where you take absolutely massive doses of fexo to try and reset your immune system and if I remember correctly it was very successful. But, he needs a GP.

Bloody miserable and in my experience, no amount of honey, red light, wipes or anything else helps. Which is a pity, because it's be much better if it did!

This year I have had to take 2 Acrivastine Benadryl tablets on waking plus use Beconase nasal spray just to be ok enough for work and I top up both in the afternoon so I’m ok in the evening. I don’t remember having hayfever this bad for many years, usually one Benadryl a day is ample.

Not sure if anyone has already suggested this but pirinase nasal spray, seems to have almost cured me long term! Barely have to use it now.
I’d tried everything before that, even other nasal sprays!

Diphenhydramine technically a sleeping tablet rather than a antihistamine these days but it is the only thing that works for me. Can be bought as a sleeping aid from superdrug/boots. It was previously used as an antihistamine and still is in the USA but its been demoted here because of all the new non drowsy antihistamines available.

Hi can this chat be moved as its a good reference and I'm also trying to work through a few of these suggestions as suffering terribly! Also, for those who get the jag- when is the best time to get it so I can remember that for next year. Thanks.

The Kenalog injection has transformed my summers since I discovered it five years ago. I had chronic hayfever which couldn't be controlled with anything over the counter or even on prescription.

It costs £80 but it's worth far more than that in my opinion, being able to enjoy the summer is priceless. My husband says it's like being married to a different woman as now I can spent time in the garden with him - I would highly recommend it.

I also recommend Acrivastine Benadryl. And Montelucast nose spray

Hayfever jab. Lots of beauticians do it. Think some pharmacies do as well.

Ds 18 takes a daily antihistamine, eye drops & nasal Spay
For about 4 weeks of the year
This isn't enough
And he has to take prednisone
It's always worked