stupid allergies!!!

[Aymerlu 3]

I have barely been able to breathe out of my nose for the past week or so! And its especially bad at night. I've tried Claritin, Benadryl, neti pot (but I admit not religiously with the pot), etc but nothing seems to work that well.

Any ideas?

Have your allergist give you some Astelin.It works like a charm for me.But I must warn you,it tastes nasty.

OH yeah....that stuff is NASTY! The drug reps tell us that if you keep it in the fridge it takes the taste away. I've personally never tried it though.

[Aymerlu 3]

I love allergy questions!!!! (Been an allergy nurse going on 12 years now) If you're doing your antihistamines, I'd see your doc about a steriod nasal spray such as Flonase, Nasonex, Veramyst, etc. Another good nasal spray that isn't a steroid is Astelin. It's an antihistamine which also helps nasal swelling. I'd stay far away from Afrin. That stuff can mess you up. I've seen patients addicted to that stuff and when you look inside their nose it isn't a pretty site. Looks kinda like hamburger! It's a quick fix and does work, but it also as a major renound affect on many people and they end up end more congested than they were. The netie

pot does work when you use it faithfully. I personnally have to be really bad before I use it. Every time I use it I feel like I'm drowning! LOL! What about decongestants like Sudafed? If you're not already too dried out from the antihistamines and if you can tolerate it, maybe sudafed. Also there's Mucinex and Mucinex-D (with a decongestant) If you feel like there's a lot of ####### in your sinuses that isn't getting out Mucinex does wonders.

Depending what you're allergic too, I'd steer away from having a humidifier in your bedroom. Other rooms it may help. Higher humidity though can cause dust mites to breed increasing their population and also will increase mold growth.

Hope you're feeling better soon!

Its funny I don't seem to have any other symptoms other than a congested nose (maybe even post nasal drip). Not itchy, watery eyes or anything else.

Well one of my allergies is to dust mites so I'll definitely stay away from the humidifier then! I had the testing done about 9 years ago and it said I was allergic to oak trees (which are everywhere here), dust, cats, dogs, and a certain kind of grass. Who knows what I may be allergic to nine years later! But lately (at night especially) I absolutely cannot breathe through my nose. Last night I slept with my head propped up so it would drain better. Barely helped.

I've got to stay with anything that is available over the counter unfortunately. Maybe I'll give the Zyrtec or Mucinex-D a try. Is Zyrtec a pseudoephedrine decongestant? I remember trying to get it the other day but it was late at night and the spot where it would be had a card that said I had to receive it from the pharmacist (stupid meth addicts) so I left.

OR are there OTC nose sprays that work well?

Zyrtec is an antihistamine. Zyrtec-D has the decongestant in it. You want to be careful not to be doubling up on the decongestants. No Zyrtec-D and Mucinex D. Get plain Zyrtec and the Mucinex-D or Mucinex and Zyrtec D. If you have the post nasal drip the Mucinex-D may help since you're not having other allergy symptoms. If you're having mroe problems at night it may be the dustmites bothering you since they love to live in the mattresses. Have you tried the allergy pillow case and mattress covers? Or you might just getting exposed to so much during the day that when you lay down at night your sinuses just fill up.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I think I need to clarify what I said before about Afrin.

Like what Aymerlu wrote, Afrin can be addicting and cause a lot of damage. However, that's only if used improperly. Many people fail to either read the instructions or bother following them. The directions for Afrin clearly state that you should not use the medication for more that three consecutive days. This means Afrin is great for a very short-term solution, which is all it was ever designed for in the first place. Unfortunately, many people don't realize that and continue to use it until such time it not only ceases to work for them, but also causes a terrible rebound effect.

I've found Afrin to be a fantastic nasal spray (although I originally used it when it was in the form of nose drops). Of course, I probably make use of the drug about a couple of times a year, so the rebound effect for me is a non-issue.

If you only need a short-term solution (i.e. a "quick fix") and your problem isn't a regular issue, then Afrin is probably a pretty good bet. However, if your sinus problems are something that stay around for a long time, then I would NOT recommend Afrin for the very same reasons Aymerlu said.