Why has nobody invented a cure for hayfever yet?!

[Chubbymummyof2]

Long term hayfever sufferer; prescription medication (tablets, nose spray, eye drops), also tried local honey, breaze stuff (basically Vaseline around nostrils), the wipes…nothing works!
How has no one found a cure for this seasonal misery yet? My husband reckons its the pharmaceutical companies stopping it from happening because hayfever is big business, everyone buys tablets, but surely someone could’ve come up with a cure for it by now?

Anyone got any tips that I might not have tried yet? Pleeeeeeease!?!

Back in the 80s you could get a steroid injection (Kenalog) for hay fever. It was very effective but eventually banned as risky. Steroids carry risks such as weakened bones. It's a bit of a nuclear option for a none serious condition.
I'd forgotten all about it but 3 weeks ago I had a Kenalog injection because of a major flare of rheumatoid arthritis. It's helped the joint pain but also been an absolute treat as it's cured all my annoying allergies and hay fever. It's only temporary though.

What are you prescribed, if you don't mind me asking?
I'm on Promethazine Hydrochloride (50mg?) which just about keeps me year round allergies under control (although, this year, for some reason it hasn't seemed to be as efficacious).

I saw a programme recently about Kenalog and it said about how dangerous it could be for some people, gave them really suppressed immune systems amongst other issues. I catch every cold going as it is so couldn’t risk my immune system being worse. (And I work in a school which = germ central!) The programme was telling people to avoid it for hayfever (not avoid all together, which obviously yours was for a different reason) I’m glad it has had a bonus side effect for you!

I did have cetirizine but now have fenofexadine. They said sometimes switching from one to the other can help if you have taken them for years. I took certrizine for yeeeeears.
The nose spray works out cheaper to buy Otrivine (sp?) but is the same as the prescription.

Sorry, I’m rubbish at putting the comment im replying to 🫣

Yes that's why they stopped giving it for hay fever.
My immune system is already suppressed because of the other drugs I take for RA.
It does seem that if you are prone to one immune system condition you are more likely to get others.
I started with hay fever as a teenager. Much later asthma and eczema and eventually an auto immune condition.
Fwiw I did start to grow out of the hay fever post menopause and only get it mildly now. Sneezes and itchy eyes, nothing like it used to be.
One tip ( though I'm sure you will have heard it) is never hang your bedding outside to dry.

I think I am perimenopausal now, fingers crossed mine eases off too..I started with hayfever when I was about 15 and I’m 46 now. Truly had enough of it. My son is 14 and suffers terribly but he refuses to take tablets.

You need to take the nasal spray (Beconase) 2x each nostril, 2x day for a long period.
It's not an instant fix. I take fenofexadine every day 365 days a year and Beconase every day from 1 April to 30 September.
Same with eye drops if they're affected.

This is not going to be popular, however I watched a very interesting documentary on parasites once. The researcher in that infected himself with a particular type of worm, possibly hook worm, which modulate your immune system. And he went from being unable to cope the minute the weather got a bit warm to be able to directly sniff a fully pollinated flower with his little colony of worms in his gut. There is that quite a lot of active research going on in this area.

Have you tried chlorphenamine? It's the only one that remotely touches my hayfever.

Buy yanbu - I am constantly ranting about how pathetic it is that we can do brain surgery but can't stop sneezing in summer 🤣

I am on Fexo 180. I start taking is Feb and take every day. Taking when you have symptoms is too late.

Yes it’s miserable. Though norovirus is higher up for me personally in the “why haven’t we cured this misery yet?” camp!

By the way otrivine isn’t what’s in a prescription nasal spray for hayfever or it shouldn’t be. Otrivine is a decongestant and intended for 5 days use only, after that it can actually cause worsened nasal congestion. The prescription nasal sprays are topical steroids and suitable for longer term use.

You can ask to be referred for immunotherapy desensitisation treatment for next year if your local area has this available on the NHS (it varies from place to place).

You can develop a tolerance for medication so need to change every year. This year regular optrex was not working for me so I ordered optilast from online pharmacy and what a treat it has been. Not only it cures my eyes, the drops flows in my nose through the eyes. The taste is horrible but this year I don’t need to use a nasal spray. I used it regularly for a few days and now only use it once every 3 days.
I also found Nasonex spray worked better than dymista and piriton liquid works better than any other allergy medicine. If I have indigestion then my hayfever becomes worse.

Dymista nasal spray made a world of difference for me with hayfever, it works far far better than any other spray I've tried. And starting on the tablets long before spring starts.

Another vote for Dymista here.

DH’s hay fever was so bad it was like living with a snail. He has allergies to tree pollen as well as grass etc., so his Snail Season (his words) was from February to November.

2 years ago he was prescribed Dymista by his new consultant and the change is incredible. Consultant calls it ‘Nasal Napalm’.

DH had a septoplasty last summer & that has also been life changing.

He now cuts the grass without a mask, can sit in the garden for longer than a few minutes, and for the first time in 30 years together he has a little greenhouse where he’s growing tomatoes, and is actively gardening with me. And I can grow flowers! He also sleeps better as he isn’t so congested, and that’s improved his mental health.

DH has been on fenofexadine for years, and though good, it’s the Dymista that has made the most difference.

DH has just woken up beside me, so I’ve asked him how he feels about Dymista (and I quote);

”Put it this way, I can now smell colours.”

DH used to have terrible hay fever. After years of the various generations of pills he used Beconase religiously (starting before the hay fever season) plus chromoglicate eye drops when his eyes were bad. In 2020 because of lockdown he didn’t …. And foud his hay fever had gone! He can walk through a meadow and enjoy it.
…and then a couple of years later I’ve started getting allergies of some sort, not sure if it’s hay fever or something else.

Hay fever is your immune system doing a bit of overtime, if there was a cure it would leave you immunocompromised.

Not a huge sufferer myself but family are. Things they have done that has helped:

• take antihistamines a couple of months before season starts
• mix up antihistamines including using the old fashioned ones
• saline nasal spray to wash out nasal passages
• taking showers to wash off pollen
• a honey with lots of pollen (not local but designed for hay fever). One of them swears by this but everything I have read says it shouldn't work

I made a mistake Otrivine is what I use the rest of the year (I have glue ear) Beconase is the hayfever nose spray 🤪
I’ll look into the other one mentioned though. Thank you.

I also take tablets way ahead of hayfever season, I know they don’t just work on the days you have symptoms.

I just struggle to understand how a proper, fully working, not having to take tablets for months, cure hasn’t been found yet. Hayfever has surely been around forever as crops/grass/flowers have been around forever??

I’ll definitely ask about this. Thank you to you and the other poster who mentioned it

Probably for same reason they've not found a cure for malaria...the pharmaceutical companies make too much money from selling drugs to treat it

Oral immunotherapy is an option worth exploring. It's not a quick fix but can be life changing for some.

I get it really bad May-August and have never really found a consistent solution either. The best option I've come up with is taking a one-a-day Loratidine in the morning, using Optrex allergy eye mist through the day if needed and then using Piriton (chlorphenamine) in the evening after work if the itchiness (roof of my mouth!!?) comes back, and that seems to keep the worst of it at bay. Piriton does seem to have the biggest impact, but it often makes me drowsy so tend to lay off that until later in the day!

Have you tried locally produced honey? It works for dh and ds. The idea is you build up a tolerance for local pollen. It’s too late for this year but if you start up to autumn this year, it may have an effect by next year.
I always wondered if we regularly ate locally grown produce, would we have much less rates of hayfever?