Hay fever solutions

[Hayfeversolutions]

Posting here for traffic

DD15 hay fever is very bad at the moment and has lots of work to do for school. Are there any quick solutions/relieve.

May symptoms are running and block nose and sneezing.

Is she asthmatic?

Not that we ate aware

Presuming you've tried all the one a day antihisthamines including Fexofenadine 180mg prescribed by GP, plus nose spray and eye drops (and actually used them as directed) go back to the GP and ask to try Dymista which is suitable for over 12s.

Shower as soon as DD comes in; wash hair (pollen sticks in hair).
Take fexofenadine. You can get it over the counter for the 120mg dose; if that doesn't cut it, you can get the 180mg dose (or split a 120 tab in two -- some brands make that v easy).
Wipe eyes morning and night with cotton pads with cooled boiled water. Keep pollen out of the eyes.
Eye drops.
If her throat is affected take one of the antihistamine syrups (it can be topical)
Keep windows shut and try to be outside as little as possible don't run or walk outside if you can avoid it at all. If you can't avoid it as above. (It's also best if you take your clothes off when you get home -- and put them in the wash).
Don't dry clothing outside.
If antihistamines aren't working you can add in other ones -- when it's the worst in this house we have some people taking fexo, cetirizine hydrochloride, and then topping up with piriton as needed.
If it makes you anxious to allow DD to mix all those drugs, make an eConsult appointment with your doctor.

Using over the counter tablets and a saline nasal spray; not eyes symptoms so not using eyes drops

Air purifier for the home makes a big difference

Fexofinidine and anti histamine eye drops and Beconase nasal spray. Wash face often . Shower daily including hair.

Sounds like we may have to invest in one

The nasal sprays like Flixonase are very effective if you take them properly
When my son was younger he suffered badly with hsy fever. An immunologist told him to start taking fexofenadine & Flixonase a month before the symptoms usually start. You need to dampen it all down before it starts.
Not much use now, but try this next year. And definitely try Flixonase. It takes a couple of days to kick in.

Ok, only asked as theres an effective drug that has changed DS's life re severe hayfever symptoms but it can only be prescribed if there's underlying asthma.
180mg Fexofenadine is worth trying but I have to say it didn't touch DS's symptoms through April/May. Might help your DD though.

Also, get on top of it early next year assuming she'll be doing GCSEs. Antihistamines build up in the system so it's an idea to start early. If she's bad now, it's likely she's allergic to grass pollen which I can set my watch by --28th May - 30th June it's excruciating. My DS is allergic to tree pollens and he is bad in February / March: it helps to know when you are likely to be affected.

I was offered extra time in exams because I was so ill with hayfever (100 years ago).

You can also, with medical supervision, take much bigger doses of fexo. But, if it's that bad, you need to be talking to your GP even if they are sending you text messages to tell you they don't want to know if it's hayfever. I had to tell my GP they needed to see me even though it was hayfever because I couldn't see and therefore couldn't work. Once I got through the gatekeeping, the GP I actually saw was so horrified I had struggled to get an appointment because of how bad I was.

Makes sod all difference for me, finally cracked it last year with Dymista spray after decades of trying everything including multiple Kenalog injections which work brilliantly, but are too harsh to rely on.

Get an appointment with the GP before you fork out on on machinery.

We will get a GP appointment.

And thinking of trying acupuncture from next year in Jan.

GCSE season and hay fever are a worry

I worry about nasals sprays as I understand they can be addictive

If its that bad acupuncture wont do anything much bar reducing your bank balance. for me 180 telefast, nasal spray but I also have mild asthma.

My crew have all had nasal sprays from the age of 12 and hated them and have had no trouble at all not taking them. LOL

Seriously, though -- she might not tolerate them. Be open to them, especially if it helps her get through the next short while.

Absolutely not. Where on earth have you heard this?
And don't bother with acupuncture. How could it help hsy fever? Your poor DD needs proper & effective drugs taken early, properly & consistently.

Nasal steroid sprays for allergy are not addictive. It's the decongestant nasal sprays that are addictive.

Hayfever treatment has to be taken preemptively, so start them weeks before when you start symptoms. If you wait for the symptoms it's too late

No. Hayfever nasal sprays aren't addictive and can be prescribed for under 18's or bought OTC. They are anti inflammatory and work fantastically.

Alternate two different allergy meds, take one on one day and the other the next.
Use a neti pot morning and night. Be careful to use same day boiled water only (never bottled) that has been cooled to approx 38c and use boiling water to sterilize neti pot before and after use.
Use a nasal decongestant spray and a prescription steroid spray, ie mometasone.

This is all per my ENT specialist.
He also said: allergy meds take 30 days to build up, so start taking them early and stay on them until allergy season ends; non-prescription nasal spray, ie Dristan, can be used up to a week when sinuses are particularly bothered. I just use it at night and only one spray in the worst nostril anyway to help me get a better sleep.

I've got allergies year round so I can sympathize.