If you have rhinitis what do you take?

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I've come to the conclusion that I have rhinitis. This is how I'm treating it at the moment:

• OTC antihistamine daily.

• don't let my cat in my bedroom and hoover the house a lot.
• cut out milk from my diet.
• take dysmista twices daily prescribed by doctor. - take ibuprofen and paracetamol a lot!! As I get sinus pain
• nasal rinse most days

I've tried eye drops a couple of times but they sting.

Is there anything else I can do? I feel it's not great to be taking so much ibuprofen but it occasionally helps with the sinus inflammation.

I hate to think that this is my life forever now. My symptoms are any combination of the following on and off all the time for the last 2/3 years. I never get a full week of being OK:

• Stingy, itchy, watery eyes
• Pain behind left cheek
• Sinus ache and inflamed
• Itchy ears
• slight sore throat

No mucus or congestion.

I have Chronic Rhinitis diagnosed by the doctor and there is massive amounts of mucus and congestion. My eyes have never been affected.

I take fexofenadine. You can buy a low dose one over the counter, but I have a higher dose daily on prescription. It helps a lot.

flexinase or flexinose I think its called

I also had the sinuses scraped out.

Nice

My diagnosis is non allergic chronic rhinisinitius (not sure how to spell that last word)

Fexofenadine here too

Fexofenodene 180mg here, via prescription.

plus 400mg fluticasone nasal drops (steroids)

olbas oil drops on pillow at night too.

rhinitis and chronic sinusitis here. Sooo painful

Can I ask if the sinus scraping was painful?! Did you go to a private ENT for that?
Fellow rhinitis sufferer here and hadn't heard of this option

Yeah I've never heard of sinus scrapping. But I don't usually have mucus. I have been referred to ENT but no idea how long the wait will be.

I was on Fexofenodene for a month and it didn't seem to make a difference.

I don't even know if all the stuff I'm doing now makes a difference I just have to do something as it's so miserable. I used to get sinus infections after every cold which was about 5 times a year. I haven't had a sinus infection since December which is long for me, so something is improving.

You need to identify the allergen…have an allergy test to find out what exactly you’re allergic to so you can tackle that. In terms of symptoms the only thing that works for me is steroid nasal spray…I get Avamys on prescription never looked back

I was referred to ENT and I cant remember the exact details of what examination I had but 7 out of 8 of the sinuses were blocked. I wouldnt have known this as I didnt have a blocked nose as such.
So they said that this was the operation I needed. You're under general anaesthetic so you dont feel anything but massive headache in the days after, I needed a week off work

Not all of us have an allegy. My diagnosis is non allergic

Also just to mention the operation again, I was told that it wont fix it, just manages it. I have post nasal drip still.

@Howbizarre22 when I've looked into it privately they only do each test separately and each costing anything from £150 to £300. It could go on forever until I found something. I don't trust the hair strand ones that test for everything which are affordable though!

I'm hoping that I'd get tested through the NHS if they think it's an allergy.

If it's an issue with my actual sinus...which I have thought for a long time due to the consistent pain in my sinus behind my left cheek...would that cause the allergy type symptoms I have...like itchy ears, itchy stingy eyes?

@soupfiend did you have allergy type symptoms or just specifically sinus pain?

I have chronic non-allergic rhinitis diagnosed by ENT Consultant - he prescribed Nasonex which I use twice a day and which has made a big difference. I also have polyps in my nasal cavity which are part of the reason for my constant sinus infections and sleep apnea - these are being removed shortly and I can't wait as they have really impacted on my wellbeing.

Yep I got my allergy test on NHS was referred to specialist.
The itching does sound like allergic reaction, and the sinus pain could be due to swelling as a result of the inflammation caused. Sounds like it’s worth looking into all options

I didnt have regular sinus pain, but constant post nasal drip and coughing causing me to choke and I was having a number of investigations. I also lost my sense of smell around 2014 (which no one took seriously at the time or for years later until, guess what, when covid came along everyone decided that losing a sense of smell is quite upsetting) and I can go for long periods of not having it which causes me to be quite depressed and at other times its very acute and intense. My job needs me to be able to have the best sense of smell I can so it impacts on that. I often have problems with my sinuses even without a cold.

Any minor sniffle or cold leaves me without my smell and taste for weeks on end.