Hayfever - can anyone recommend anything?

[freddiefrog]

I never usually get hayfever, but this year it's awful

I could quite happily remove my eyeballs and sit and scratch them for an hour before putting them back in my head.

Horrible tickly cough, nose and throat like sandpaper and rapid fire sneezing

Piriteeze is just not cutting the mustard, it's eased the itchy eyes a bit not helped with the rest of it

Any recommendations?

Thanks!

I find a nasal spray is the only thing that really helps me and I have similar symptoms to you and have tried all the tablets. There are various brand names or Boots and other chemists do their own brand versions but the steroid in the spray should be beclometasone. You can get it without prescription and use it for up to 3 months. It takes a few days to be effective, but once it works, it really works! Also, someone once told me to wear sunglasses when out and about and this seems to help with the itchy eyes too. Hope this helps.

Put a bit of Vasaline around your nostrils. It traps the pollen before it can get up your nose.

Have a shower and change outer layers of clothes as soon as you come in from outside to stop bringing in pollen on your hair/clothes.

Don't put clothes that have been exposed to pollen in your bedroom until they've been washed.

Thanks!

Will try the Vaseline and go for a nasal spray hunt in Boots. I've found sunglasses really helps

I don't really understand why it's so bad to be honest, I live beside the sea, no fields of rapeseed or anything like that for miles. There's nothing really pollen-y around me and I've never suffered from it before

Antihistamines are the only effective thing really. Get some decent ones from the doctor. Make sure they are the non-drowsy type if you have to drive.
If it affects your sinuses too then inhaling steam from steam bath through the nose helps.
Sunglasses can help the eyes.
Some people say that locally produced un heat treated honey can help too (something about the local pollen in the honey being the same as what you are allergic to, kind of thing), but I've not tried it myself.

Have you tried Benadryl OP?

They are the only tablets that work for me and I really suffer. I use the standard three per day ones - they are the best.

Different antihistamines work for different people. Piriton and claritin do nothing at all for me, I use fexofenadine hydrochloride or Zyrtec.

You might have to try a few different ones until you find the right one. Then take it regularly, even if you don't have full blown symptoms - a major attack is hard to bring under control.

If the OTC antihistamines (tablets, nasal sprays, eye drops) don't work, try the doctor - there are other ones they can prescribe.

And saline sinus rinses help too, gets out any trapped pollen (you can get saline nasal sprays from boots), also washing your face and clothes as Green said. Keep all of your windows shut too, especially if it's windy.

Good luck, hayfever is horrible and it's particularly bad this year.

It's going to be bad this year because spring was so late, so all the tree pollen is around at the same time instead of spread out and the grass pollen is kicking off as well now.
I've always gone with a once a day anti histamine and take at night.