Allergy Sufferers:-(

My allergies are super bad and my doctor prescribed Zyrtec along with a steroid nasal spray (like Nasonex) -- worked like a charm. sounds like you might need something more!

This has been a very bad spring for allergies. The late frost in the fall allowed all the plants/trees to build up double amounts of pollen, and then this spring they all exploded. Things like Zyrtec that just treat the symptoms aren't too useful for many people. All the cleaning is stirring up the dust and pollen just as much as it is getting rid of them. The only thing that has worked for me is nutritional supplementation with a product that cleanses the circulatory and lymphatic systems to get rid of the allergens and therefore the reaction. After years of suffering, I have been able to breathe at night and I rarely sneeze. Even if I sneeze a couple of times when my nose is irritated, I don't get all the symptoms like congestion and runny nose. This spring was tough for me nonetheless, but I just take more product and the issues dissolve. For me, the trick is getting rid of the allergy itself, not treating the symptoms after the fact.

I have had issues for nearly 20 years with allergies, which caused repeat sinus infections which led to sinus surgery. An Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist who did my surgery follow up recommended that I take Mucinex (basic kind) and Zyrtec D (12 hour) daily and it has worked wonderfully for years now. The scar tissue from repeat sinus infections will cause a lot of drainage blockage issues and these meds work great. Depending on the severity of the allergy season, I do either one or two doses a day without fail.

I totally agree that you can't try an allergy medication for 1 week and give up, you need to try it consistently for at least a month to see if it is working or not.

You didn't specify what you are allergic to but if you are allergic to indoor molds you should double check that you don't have mold issues under your carpet (especially if you live in an apartment or an older home) or in your basement. The best bet is to rip up the carpets (with a mask on) and get rid of them!

in AC - you shouldn't have humidity issues in the summer!! :)

Zyrtec is WONDERFUL for me...however, Zyrtec isn't prescription anymore - it's over the counter...did he give you the Rx for the newest one? I can't remember its name.

Find out of Claritin or Clarinex will work better for you.

Take a shower before you go to bed every night.
change the sheets twice a week instead of once
don't open your bedroom window (I know - it sucks)
get Neil Med sinus rinse and rinse your nose before you go to bed...

Tide detergent has the hardest chemicals in it - try using a Sensitive or "free" product like All Free & Clear or Purex Clear

I would keep the thermostat set at 78 degrees unless you need it colder. Ensure that the filter in the AC and heater are changed weekly or monthly - depending upon dust and dirt...

If you're still having symptoms after using a prescription then the prescription isn't doing its job. I have had allergy problems since I hit puberty (early/mid teen). I'm 45 now. I've had to be on two meds because one oral pill is never enough. Mine are year round and I've lived in MI, FL, NC, and PA. I have to use Allegra which is oral and Flonase which is nasal. I have to get both first thing int he morning together. I would talk to your doc and left them know that this med is not enough. You need something stronger.

You can do things in your house to help but will not make that much of a difference that will eliminate that much of your extra symptoms.

Things you can do are:

- Steam clean carpets regularly with not water or natural ingredients.
- Change the filter on your heater or a/c unit every 2 weeks rather than monthly.
- Dust with a clinging cloth daily or more often.
- Laundry with "free" detergent and such.
- Avoids perfumes, especially strong alcohol based.
- Mop often with vinegar or other natural ingredients.
- Wash bed linens weekly or more often.
- Wash pillows monthly or more often.
- Cover box spring, mattress and pillow in zippered allergy protecting coverings.
- Do not use down linens or pillows.
- Close windows and stay inside on lawn mowing days.
- Limit gardening and yard work when possible.
- Google more info

Your best bet is to get different or more medication. I cannot use only my Allegra alone nor just my Flonase alone. They must be used in conjunction. If I run out of one and have only one to use then my symptoms return.

* I wanted to add that in the winter you'll want to get a humidifier that is large enough to cover the entire house. Do some research on a good unit. You'll have to buy a new filter every fall to cover the winter. I always liked the floor credenza style until I had small children. Now that they're older I'll go back to a floor style like that. It keeps the house from drying out with the heat on so much.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

I was on the verge of starting allergy shots and my allergist recommended I try the NeilMed saline sinus rinse. I've been doing it about 3 months now and it has made a huge difference for me. Our allergy season(s) in Central Texas has been HORRIBLE this year. With the sinus rinse in the morning followed by Flonase, I haven't even been taking the Zyrtec. I will probably need to start with the Zyrtec again in the fall when the cedar hits. When my symptoms are really bad, I do the sinus rinse again before bed. Have you asked your doc about one of the Rx nasal sprays? They can often be more effective than the allergy pills. Good luck to you - allergies suck!

Sometimes it is tough to figure out allergies. You might want to try and switch to natural laundry detergents, household cleaners, soaps, etc... (I can recommend).

I am very sensitive. New furniture and fabrics give off fumes. They will affect me. New carpeting is something I cannot tolerate. If I walk into a fabric store I immediately get a runny nose and scratchy throat. In Texas we are having one of the worst allergy seasons in years. People who never get sick are getting sick.

Build your immunities instead of just treating the symptoms. If you are not a vitamin person then I would suggest you get on a good plan. I am a vitamin distributor and we even have immunity building products. Be sure to get a probiotic as a healthy gut helps to build immunity. There are natural antihistamines too.

I have read that if you buy honey that comes from your area and take 2 teaspoons a day it can help you build a tolerance to local allergies.

Send me a message if I can help or make recommendations. Good Luck!

Did you have the full blown allergy testing to diagnose exactly what you are allergic to? If not, I would highly recommend it. Our daughter is allergic to mold. No matter how much/often you clean, it's there. She's been on zyrtec and prescription strength allegra + a nasal spray. We've been upping her allergy meds over the past few years as she grows. The symptoms do not go away. We are starting allergy shots next week to help her build an immunity so that the rest of her life is better. I'm thinking 5 weeks is more than enough time to try the meds. You need to get back to the doctor for something else.

I also use Flonase (only thing "safe" when pregnant and/or breastfeeding) and this has been a bad year. The whole family had issues all winter and esp. spring, but at this point in the year, my daughter and I are the only ones still on something (my hubby has built up a tolerance as he's allergic to tons of things and my son is only 14 months - runny nose when he teethes).

My daughter has a slew of food allergies (one anaphylactic), some environmental, and is currently on asthma meds. Her doc narrowed down that environmentally, she'll have the roughest time with trees flowering and sure enough, we up her meds down in the spring and reduce them back in the summer. Currently, she's on Singulair & Flovent year round, Nasonex in spring and summer, and Zyrtec in the spring. I just weaned her off of it and only give her a dose when she's around dogs. She has had both anecdotal evidence, blood work, and skin prick test.

As for me, no one has done any tests, but for at least 20 years, I've had sore throats every spring and fall, so the docs "guess" it's either trees or mold. I notice it is often worse during rainy times. I tried Claritin this year and it didn't work at all for me - when I'm done breastfeeding, I want to try out Zyrtec or Allegra as I've heard good things.

As for what you can do, I doubt it's the temp. We keep ours at 68 at night, 70 during the day (I'm a stay at home mom with a daytime napper!) during the summer, and in winter, use humidifiers in every bedroom (and keep the temp roughly the same). We use ceiling fans and regular fans for white noise. I do wash our bedding in hot water, but as dust isn't on my daughter's list, I don't go crazy. Vacuuming every night could be tossing things into the air, so maybe you should try only 1 or 2x a week?

As for chemicals, Dove is great - my daughter's first indication of allergies was eczema, and Dove cleared that up for her. Tide isn't great - an older lady in a laundramat once told me that attendents hated it - it was often the culprit in messed up machines as it has a high "suds" factor. And our dermotologist doesn't love it either. We used Cheer for years, when it got too pricey, we swapped to "free" versions of Arm & Hammer and Target detergent. You could also try a totally natural version using Borax - check out http://www.greencleanchic.com/ for a recipe for laundry detergent - it's worth a try.

And finally, if your insurance covers it (or most of it), talk to an allergist. I haven't done it yet as my kids' bills are the priority, but blood and skin prick test together may help you narrow down what to avoid/fix;)

Good luck!

i owuld go to an allergist/allergy dr to have allergy testing done to see exactly what you're allergic to or not allergic to. your medication may be great for one thing but you might be allergic to something that the medication doesn;t handle. i would go ASAP!

Zyrtec is available over the counter now. And if it doesn't work for you, ask your doctor about trying Allegra instead. It is also now available over the counter. Many people prefer the Allegra over the Zyrtec. Not everyone reacts the same to both medications.

Zyrtec did nothing for me except knock me out. I take the generic Allegra now and it works great.

I have many of the symptoms you describe. OTC claritin (not D, just regular claritin 24 hr) works fabulously for me. I have not heard many people have much luck with zyrtec. Good luck!

We live in TX and our yard is full of cedar elm trees and guess what.... we are allergic to them.

We take local bee pollen daily, just sprinkle some on cereal, etc. Claritin D works best for us in the worst part of allergy season.

You have to be consistant with the allergy meds to keep it in your system.

Good luck

Do you have any idea what you are allergic to? If you are allergic to pollens (trees, grass, flowers, etc), then you should keep the windows to your house closed, and keep your AC on to keep the pollen out. If you are allergic to dust mites or molds, you should keep the humidity low.

Zyrtec, allegra, and claritin are all available over the counter to help. You've been trying zyrtec for a while now and it's not working. Switch to either allegra or claritin for a month, and see if that works better. Make sure you take it every day, because they all work better to prevent allergy attacks than they do after an allergy attack has started. You also may need to add something else - I have to take both claritin and use a steroid nasal spray (like flonase) during my peak allergy season.

Believe it or not, benedryl is actually a better antihistamine than any of the newer drugs, like zyrtec, claritin, allegra, etc. The problem with benedryl is, of course, that it makes most people very sleepy. But you might try it at night in the short term to try to get your symptoms under control.

One thing last thing I would suggest is that YOU shouldn't vacuum the floors. They should get vacuumed often, but you shouldn't be in the house when it happens. Vacuumming throws around a lot of dust/stirs up any pollens that might have been tracked in, and you shouldn't be there when it happens. So please ask your husband or someone else to take over this chore.

I wouldn't suspect your detergents or soaps, unless you also have very itchy skin. If your skin is itchy all over, you might switch laundry detergent. Personally, Tide makes me break out in a rash, so I use All Free and Clear.

You don't mention if the Zyrtec was prescribed by your primary care doc or a specialist. Any allergist worth his/her salt will tell you that there is no way to predict who will respond better to Zyrtec (cyterizine), Claritin (loratadine) or Allegra (forget what this one is). You have to take one regularly for at least a couple of weeks to see if it works for you. If not, try one of the others. Since you just found out that you have alleries, it is most likely seasonal for you. Many allergists will not start shots (immunotherapy) for allergies that last only a couple of months out of the year, but that is no reason not to find out what causes your allergies. Find out if your insurance will cover allergy testing, so you know if it is animal, pollen, mold, food, etc.

Hi, 1

Look up on the internet about ELISA/ACT blood test for
sensitivities and ask your doc about it.
Good Luck.
D.

in order for the meds to work, you have to use them consistently over a period of time. They are not an overnight or immediate relief product. They have to be used just like birth control....every day without fail.

Give it one month & then report your results to your dr. He'll have options for you!