Any suggestions - Dreadful Hay fever but I'm allergic to most antihistamines

[HazyLazyDay]

Pollen count has been very high where I live (UK) yesterday and today and will be for the next few days. I have the most awful hay fever with red, itchy eyes, extremely itchy nose, throat and ears and nose is also runny / a bit blocked. Any antihistamine that I've taken previously has made me nauseous, with headache and drowsy so I'm reluctant to take them. I suffer a little from health anxiety so I'm also worried that I might react badly as my throat is already itchy... could it swell up and cause breathing difficulties? Does anyone know what is the best one to take with the least amount of side effects as they all say that they can cause anaphylactic shock... Or is there a natural alternative that I could try?

Have you spoken to your GP about trying antihistamines other than the usual off the shelf ones?

@HazyLazyDay fellow hay fever sufferer here so know how you feel. I take a dessert spoon full of plain natural yoghurt to calm my throat down morning, lunchtime and evening. This relieves the itch and take just one Piriton in the morning. I think it would be unusual to have a severe reaction to one tablet.

What does your doctor say? My one has anaphylactic shock listed as very rare, less than 1 in 10,000.

My understanding is that antihistamines would be used as part of the treatment for anaphylaxis, rather than causing it (except perhaps in some very rare cases?). I take cetirizine with no issue but you’ve probably tried that already.

I’d try a nasal steroid, or have a phone call with your GP for advice.

What have you tried. Loratidine always worked for me. You could try nasal spray and eye drop combo.

Raw honey is supposed to help, but it's a gradual thing, not immediate. Do you know what ingredient you're allergic to in the antihistamines? Have you tried a spray like Flonase? It works well, and maybe it wouldn't bother you. I take either Claritin or Allegra usually, have you tried those?

Go and see your GP there are much better antihistamines available on prescription.
Some of the older ones do cause drowsiness as a side effect but many don’t.
I used to take a modified release one that was brilliant but they won’t prescribe it if you’re pregnant or bf.

As someone who suffered with horrendous hayfever I truly sympathise.

I recommend medibee pollen capsules, it's not hyperbole to say they've changed my life immeasurably. March to October used to be miserable for me. Now I'm almost normal (hayfever symbol wise - nothing else tho!). I take them all year round. Plus a nasal steroid spray too.

For a few quid, they might be worth a go. Everyone I know in real life that has tried them has found them helpful.

My GP has never recommended anything on prescription and has just said to take OTC as there's not much difference...

I get fexofenadine on a private prescription and use that with a pirinase nasal spray and the optrex hay fever eye drops.

No expert but you might like to have a look into growing your own bean sprouts. I believe they contain a natural enzyme, DAO.

Also, I think black onion seeds might be antihistamine. I'm sure there are others too.

@TooYoungToNotice where do you buy the medibee pollen capsules?

I use all of the following as well as antihistamines

Intra nasal antihistamine spray like Rhinolast is not absorbed systematically
Intra nasal steroid spray available over the counter eg Beconase Avamys
Kinetik allergy reliever which is a handy little red light gadget you plug in your nose

If you take a look at Worcester university pollen site it will show you what’s causing problems now in your area, I’m in the East mids and currently about 4-5 tree pollens have all aligned to create havoc so I feel your pain

Steroid nasal spray? No antihistamines in that.

I've tried Zyrtec, Periton and Claritin so far and possibly others...

@TooYoungToNotice that sounds good. I've never heard of medibee - can it be bought OTC?

I've literally come home from work today and cried as everyone seems to be out and about in the parks on nice walks and here I am stuck indoors with the windows closed... It's torture...

If it's relevant I also have Oral Allergy Syndrome where I'm allergic to raw tomatoes, raw citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges and pineapples and all raw green apples. I can eat them cooked though.

You might find useful advice from the allergy Uk helpline

www.allergyuk.org

Btw Oral Allergy Syndrome causes the exact same symptoms as Hay fever but little is known about it. Most people I mention it to have never heard of it!

Loratidin works best for me, as anything else (including prescription antihistamines just knock me out). I get terrible hives with tree pollen, and it does stop those.

I use eye drops for my eyes, nasal spray when the grass is out. Wash my hair when I come in, don't line dry anything that is near my face.

Amazingly, my AstraZeneca jab completely stopped my hay-fever for four days. When I had the jab, my eyes were so bad that my contact lenses were falling out. Three hours later, it just disappeared like magic.

I have oral allergy syndrome too, although mine has eased over the years thankfully. I once swallowed some tree pollen (wiped the top of a bottle with my hand, then took a drink). That was interesting.

Ask your GP to prescribe fexofenadine...it really does work!

Acupuncture - it was a miracle treatment. Need to go back as haven’t recently but when I have had it in the past, my symptoms totally disappear for a while.

Piriton will make you sleepy as you have found as it is a 'sedating' antihistamine, one of the older types. The newer ones like Loratidine and Cetrizine Hydrochloride (eg Piriteze) don't have this effect.
Antihistamines are unlikely to cause anaphylaxis and are in fact used to counter some anaphylactic shocks in order to bring inflammation down etc.
Have you tried using the NeilMed sinus rinses? This can help to flush pollen and irritants out of your nasal and sinus cavities and can help in reducing symptoms. The upside to this is that is completely natural and non medicated so you can use it as much as you like.
Antihistamine nasal sprays would be a good choice as they work right where the problem is. Steroid nasal sprays will bring down any inflammation but the downside is that they can take a while to get into your system so that you see the effect, sometimes as much as a month or two, so you have to persevere with them.
Don't be tempted to use 'decongestant' type nasal sprays for any longer than 3 days in a row, they cause rebound congestion and you can end up in a worse state than when you started, and end up using more and more in order to open up you nasal passages. They should be used with extreme caution.
I would definitely arrange a visit with your GP to discuss, there is no need for you to be suffering like this. There are other antihistamines to try and I'm sure a steroid spray will help too.

Another vote for fexofenadine. Also opticon chromite (sp) eye drops and beconase do a great nasil spray, you can also take decongestants to help with the sinus pain/blockage.
Be careful with nasil steroids though as they can cause thining of the skin and nasty nose bleeds with regular use as I discovered the hard way, this is the only reason the dr took my hayfever seriously.

@HazyLazyDay

My GP has never recommended anything on prescription and has just said to take OTC as there's not much difference...

They are having you on! I have bad allergies to everything airborne. Ask for 180mg fexofendrine it’s makes a massive difference compare to the OTC.

Combine with a nasal spray and eye drops, I also was prescribed an inhaler as it affects my breathing

I have hay fever and oral allergy syndrome too...I saw an immunologist about 12 years ago and he prescribed Fexofenadine (Telfast) 180mg and Montelukast 10mg. I had struggled for 4 years previously trying every other antihistamine but nothing had calmed down the near constant hives, lip / mouth swelling and sinus issues. The montelukast and telfast have been life changing though and the severe
reactions stopped within weeks and have never reoccurred since. I can still feel my heart speed up / get a headache / itchy mouth / nose / ears if I eat something like an apple / strawberry/ melon but it's minimal these days and passes quickly rather than leaving me battling with symptoms for hours.
Definitely worth a chat with your dr and see if they can prescribe stronger medication for you. The Montelukast is mainly prescribed as an asthma treatment but has been found to work extremely well in suppressing allergic reactions