Has anyone tried prescription hayfever meds?

[AlexaWhatsMyUsername]

And are they more effective than over the counter combinations of tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops?

I have had hayfever for 50+ years. My summer survival kit is currently perinaise nasal spray and opticrom eye drops.

I had hayfever desensitising injections in the 1980s but had an anaphylactic reaction to it!

The prescription strength antihistamines my GP prescribed in the UK were the same as the mid strength over the counter antihistamines available in Australia. I take antihistamines as I react to insect bites and honestly, the mid strength one (the one prescribed to me by the GP in the UK) is not strong enough and I use the strongest ones here instead.

@wishuponastar1988

I have fexofenadine prescribed - lifesaver! And the avamys nasal spray. X

You can now buy fexofenadine over the counter.

FWIW my hayfever seems to get worse every year. I use either loratadine or cetirizine. I have tried fexofenadine but got zero effect from it - no relief whatsoever.

My 13yo son has hay fever and fexofenadine barely touches it. We ended up trying every over the counter medication one by one. The best for him was Benadryl Plus, but the ordinary Benadryl works ok during the weeks when his hay fever isn't at its peak.

[quote Susu49]I've just looked up hay-fever vaccine and found this link. Looks like it would be contraindicated for me but hopefully will be useful for someone else

patient.info/news-and-features/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-hay-fever-injection[/quote]
This is really useful, thank you. I take medication for my blood pressure so guessing the injection wouldn't be suitable for me.

I love the Fexofenadine. It's the only one that doesn't make me drowsy and it works really well. I also use a beclometasone nasal spray and a saline nasal spray.

I’ve had the injection three times to get me through my exams as a teenager (in the 90s). GP refused to give me any more though as it could increase your risk of osteoporosis. Not sure if that’s still the case?

I tried Fexofenadine but it gave me awful nightmares! I use sedating antihistamines and naselese - it’s a powder rather than a spray because I found that using a spray along with doing regular LFTs resulted in lots of minor nose bleeds!

Fexofenadine plus avamys here too. I find the avamys gives me a sore throat if I only use it occasionally, once the spring really starts I have to use it every day - taking the meds every day is recommended anyway so that it builds up in your system.

Life changers, both of them. Both times when I was pregnant and didn’t take my usual meds I ended up being sent home from work, because I was literally incapable of doing anything.

Thanks everyone. I contacted my GP surgery today to ask about trying prescription meds and they have given me a telephone appointment with their pharmacist next week.

I have fexofenadine 180mg prescribed (didnt know you could now get without prescription) Its has helped slightly, but the absolute game changer has been the injection. Had it 3 years in a row now and it has absolutely honestly transformed my summers. I used to be so unwell with hayfever, it really negatively impacted my life. The injection is without doubt worth every penny for me. (and I had previously tried everything else possible!)

Fexofenadine here too. Although after this thread I might look into the injection...

I had my Kenalog injection last week. I was outside on Sunday in the garden, pruning and mowing, and not a sniff. No itchy palate, nothing. It's genuinely life changing. I didn't have it two years running because of covid and struggled through with fexofenadine.

I'm starting SLIT this year but in the meantime I can't recommend Kenalog highly enough.

@HeyMicky

I had my Kenalog injection last week. I was outside on Sunday in the garden, pruning and mowing, and not a sniff. No itchy palate, nothing. It's genuinely life changing. I didn't have it two years running because of covid and struggled through with fexofenadine.

I'm starting SLIT this year but in the meantime I can't recommend Kenalog highly enough.

Is this on prescription or private?

I have a variety of prescription drugs for hay fever including fexofenadrine. However the game changer for me was sublingual immunotherapy which I paid for privately as my hay fever was so bad in spring that I had days when my treatment just did not work at very high doses. I see a professor who specialises in allergies.

Not me but my husband and both daughters have taken them for years

I had no idea about some of these treatments - my hay fever has been getting steadily worse for about 20 years and I’ve just had cetirizine or loratidine and nothing else.

I need to get with the program!

Would these hay fever remedies work for allergic rhinitis? I have a constant runny and itchy nose and sneeze quite a bit all year round.

I started fexofenadine 180mg last year, so much better than OTC antihistamines. I can't take any of the sprays or eye drops as I'm allergic to the preservative, unless I can get single dose droppers (which are too expensive for the NHS to prescribe, apparently). If fexofenadine doesn't cut it this summer I'm going to ask for a referral to an allergy specialist or for an increase on the dosage. I've suffered with hayfever (& year round allergies) for 35 years.

I asked the GP today for a higher dose than 180mg and he told me I'm on the maximum. He did prescribe me the Avamys nose spray so I'll see if that helps.

Does anyone get side effects from fexofenodine?
I get palpitations with ceterizine and loratadine. Chlorphenamine is ok but knocks me out.

I've been trying out fexofenadine, but I'm not convinced it's doing much. Loratidine does nothing for me either. I guess I'll be back to cetirizine. I'm finding it less easy to get chlorphenamine, but it does work.

I am on fexofenadine and am also prescribed a nasal spray (can't remember what one) - but it gives me such an agonising sore throat I never use it. Any tips?

Clinical trials show that no one antihistamine is more effective than others, if anything cetirizine may be the one that edges slightly ahead.

I wonder if people think fexofenadine is more effective simply because, until now, it has only been available on prescription?

I’ve tried both loretadine and ceterizine and they didn’t do much. 180 Fexofenidine has been better. When really bad, I take dymista nasal spray. It relieves my allergic rhinitis quickly in the summer.

These measures are only effective because I had immunotherapy at St Bart’s hospital about 6 years ago. A hassle to go in every week in October three years running for a shot, but it really did change my life.

It took years to get a GP referral. I don’t think GPs always know all that is available.

Prescription Tablets for me made very little difference.
It’ll sound absolutely batshit but the thing that really worked for me was nettle tea!
It tastes pretty awful, I choked down three cups a day.
It’s very effective