Hayfever - how do you cope/handle it ?

Forums › Health and fitness › Hayfever - how do you cope/handle it ?

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#2801338 26-Oct-2021 13:23

I used to suffer from hay fever for years until a Dr recommended getting a Anti Histamine Jab $5 plus Drs fee.. One jab and cured for the season. There are some side effects but I'm not a professional athlete. Cheaper than cycling through all the variation of tablets each year. Also, since taken up mountain biking and being out in the forest/nature all the time, my hay fever has reduced to next to nothing now and only take a few tabs each year now.

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#2801339 26-Oct-2021 13:23

Batman:

You go for desensitisation therapy by a specialist immunologist

+1 to this

I've just been through 3 years of this and it made a truly massive difference. If you have allergy issues you need to be fixing the root cause, not simply trying to mask the symptoms.

As for steroid sprays I found (and I'm not the only one, lots of people have the very same issues) Flixonase to be pretty ineffective and it also takes away smell and taste in lots of people. It's unfortunate Nasonex isn't available in NZ as I used to buy it in Aussie and bring it back here. It is Medsafe approved, but the distributor doesn't bother bringin it in since they would never get approved for prescriptions as Flixonase is already approved, so the market is very small.

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#2801344 26-Oct-2021 13:28

richrdh18:

I used to suffer from hay fever for years until a Dr recommended getting a Anti Histamine Jab $5 plus Drs fee.. One jab and cured for the season. There are some side effects but I'm not a professional athlete. Cheaper than cycling through all the variation of tablets each year. Also, since taken up mountain biking and being out in the forest/nature all the time, my hay fever has reduced to next to nothing now and only take a few tabs each year now.

I can assume you mean a yearly Kenacort jab?

It's very rare to find doctors willing to offer this now due to the implications of this.

In the Covid world we are in now I would never contemplate even thinking about a Kenacort jab, and would encourage anybody who suddenly thinks of it as an option (or even gets one yearly) to discuss this extensively with your doctor (and even seeking multiple views if you believe you need to) because if you understand how it screws with your immune system you are potentially opening up a massive can of worms with Covid in the community.

sbiddle

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#2801349 26-Oct-2021 13:33

kiwikurt: I lived overseas for 8 years and aside from visits to NZ the absence of hayfever was so good.

Because of my job I'm restricted in what I can take and this basically means I have been using Flixonaise for the last 5 years.

I usually start in August with two blasts up each nostril and then keep up with a singular maintenance dose up each nostril after about 2 weeks and continue that well into the new year.

It definitely keeps the obvious symptoms largely at bay but I do feel I still have headaches and some lethargy that could possibly be put down to the hayfever itself.

Headaches and lethargy were one of my biggest issues. Taking steroid sprays and antihistamines I'd get zero sneezing but would still get really itchy eyes and feel like crap.

For those who take antihistamines it is worth noting they can all have different results. Personally I found Fexofenadyne to be the most effective for me, and the generic is also a lot cheaper.

Stu

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#2801409 26-Oct-2021 15:23

sbiddle:Headaches and lethargy were one of my biggest issues. Taking steroid sprays and antihistamines I'd get zero sneezing but would still get really itchy eyes and feel like crap.

For those who take antihistamines it is worth noting they can all have different results. Personally I found Fexofenadyne to be the most effective for me, and the generic is also a lot cheaper.

Fexofenadyne (HC) seems to be cheapest at places like Chemist Warehouse. The doctor wouldn't prescribe it as it was too expensive. Directed me to buy it over the counter.

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Keep calm, and carry on posting.

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#2801447 26-Oct-2021 16:40

I know someone who tried nasal irrigation and that helped a lot. Not pleasant, but more pleasant to do that in the privacy of your bathroom than have an uncontrollable firehose to deal with in front of others. I think this was the product: https://www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/buy/95433/neilmed-sinus-rinse-kit-240ml-bottle-and-10-premixed-sachets

EDIT: link

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#2801450 26-Oct-2021 16:57

I remember trying Flixonase a few years ago but didn't have much luck with it. This year started last weekend when mowing the lawn. One minute all fine, the next not so.

Today has been by far the worst day. Warm, humid and working in a caravan in the garden doesn't help at all !

Getting a doctors appointment around here can take weeks but I'll call them tomorrow to start the allergy testing process this time.

Last year the chemist suggested Telfast which is Fexofenadine HC. I took the 180mg and it worked a treat. But not this year.

Deamo

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#2801454 26-Oct-2021 17:16

I would get regular nose bleeds while using Flixonase, a doctor recommended a lower dose nasal spray called Alanase (now becoclear/beconase) which has worked for years.

As for tablets, loratadine have been the only ones that have worked consistently reliably for me, telfast & cetirizine based ones would work for a month or season before i'd need to swap or increase the dose

Gurezaemon

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#2801469 26-Oct-2021 18:21

pih:

I know someone who tried nasal irrigation and that helped a lot. Not pleasant, but more pleasant to do that in the privacy of your bathroom than have an uncontrollable firehose to deal with in front of others. I think this was the product: https://www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/buy/95433/neilmed-sinus-rinse-kit-240ml-bottle-and-10-premixed-sachets

EDIT: link

I've used one of these neti pot thingies on and off over the years. They're weird to use first off, but actually feel very nice once you get used to it.

General advice is to replace them every once in a while, as a dirty one is a prime vector for getting amoeba into the brain, which is generally considered a bad thing.

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#2801503 26-Oct-2021 19:22

pih:

I know someone who tried nasal irrigation and that helped a lot. Not pleasant, but more pleasant to do that in the privacy of your bathroom than have an uncontrollable firehose to deal with in front of others. I think this was the product: https://www.chemistwarehouse.co.nz/buy/95433/neilmed-sinus-rinse-kit-240ml-bottle-and-10-premixed-sachets

EDIT: link

Nasal irrigation is great - but one other product that I've also found good in the past was Xlear sinus spray / rinse.

Getting Xlear can be difficult at present though due to the benefits it may does / may do / probably does offer in terms of Covid prevention, sales have skyrocketed.

Wellingtondave

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#2801624 26-Oct-2021 20:57

Is it from pollen / outdoor nasties? Or indoors? Having a decent vacuum with hepa filters and dehumidifier running overnight in unused rooms on rotation got rid of mine which might have been exacerbated by dust mites. No pets. You can also consider an indoor air filter, people seem to swear by them but I've never tried one.

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#2801625 26-Oct-2021 21:02

Zista $10-$13 100pk off trade chemist warehouse. I take 8-10 per day every day for 6-8wka straight regardless of whether I feel H.F coming on or not. Not perfect but does the trick for the most part.

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#2801629 26-Oct-2021 21:08

MrBBEye:

Zista $10-$13 100pk off trade chemist warehouse. I take 8-10 per day every day for 6-8wka straight regardless of whether I feel H.F coming on or not. Not perfect but does the trick for the most part.

Are you sure you're not overdosing yourself? I take one a day.

farcus

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#2801630 26-Oct-2021 21:09

doctor prescribed once a day loratadine, + once a day flixonase.
Deals to the worst of my seasonal allergies.

Although, it seems the older I get the less severe my allergies are becoming.

Usually I'd be on the above routine from Aug through Nov.

The last few years I've only been using loratadine on a semi-regular basis (as required), and not using flixanase at all.

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#2801632 26-Oct-2021 21:12

MrBBEye:

Zista $10-$13 100pk off trade chemist warehouse. I take 8-10 per day every day for 6-8wka straight regardless of whether I feel H.F coming on or not. Not perfect but does the trick for the most part.

The data sheet (same active ingredient) says 1 per day, overdose would be 5 a day. You might want to get a kidney function test.

Overdose
Symptoms and signs
Symptoms observed after an overdose of cetirizine are mainly associated with CNS effects or with effects that could suggest an anticholinergic effect.

Adverse events reported after an intake of at least 5 times the recommended daily dose are: confusion, diarrhoea, dizziness, fatigue, headache, malaise, mydriasis, pruritus, restlessness, sedation, somnolence, stupor, tachycardia, tremor, and urinary retention.

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