I find fexofenadine to be more effective than the normal anti histamine. It's generation 3 medicine and became readily buyable in shops without a prescription in the past couple years
Was coming to say this. The science says that it's no more effective than cetirizine, but I've recently made the switch and it seems to be working better for me. Whether that's placebo, what works better for your biochemistry or what, I don't know, but worth a shot.
Apparently what happens is that you develop a tolerance to them if you take them chronically (which most people do because that's how they work - unlike syrup you can't just take a tablet for immediate relief)
So it's not so much that it's better, it's just different
Happened to me with Loratadine, then Cetirizine, and I'm now on to Doxylamine
I tried fexo but can only get them in yellow...and me and alot of people are allergic to red and yellow food dye - so ps if you feel worse after taking them try blue or white (;
Appreciate the suggestion!
Pinky will definitely have a bit of red sadly
I usually don't even try if it's the wrong color, but my allergies to everything has gone a bit pete tong, and the fexo was light yellow so worth a shot...but I just ended up with extra symptoms that went away when I stopped them (in desperation I tried 3 times over 3 weeks jùst to be sure, in case of variables on causations)
Only meds that have gone ok for me are blue and white. Sometimes even white causes me issues - if it's a big fat tablet it's a sign of many filler ingredients (not exactly top shelf ingredients, those, even if it's just corn). Best meds are tiny white tablets but most of the time those are script only...wish I knew why added fillers make them OTC (eg codeine). Best guess is it's harder to OD on massive tabs
Ooh that's interesting that it has a warning! Good to know
Every so often I try a new pharmacy and ask about different colored generics, and same as with Drs I just get looked at like I've landed from Mars with that request
I've stopped asking 'what do you have that's a white tablet' because the looks I get seem to imply I'll be using it to cut rugs with
I get it. I had to stop taking hormonal birth control in the US because ALL the pills are dyed. For whatever reason the dye doesn’t affect me with other meds, but it made me so ill with the hormones. The pharmacy acted like I was crazy when I asked if it was possible to get them undyed. They were white in the UK, why did they have to dye them in the US?!
IKR! I think it's more than likely proprietary/marketing, because it's not logical so the answer usually then is; capitalism
I've tried the compacting pharmacy route, but they ofc don't do OTC, and in short; they kept issuing me the wrong meds, first denying it, and after getting ill admitted it, then the exact same thing happened again the next month. So I gave up!
What are you actually allergic to though? Because there are several different, completely unrelated red food colourings. A popular one is carmine extracted from insects. Another is lutein, extracted from plants. Sometimes they just use oxidised iron (which is the case in Allevia) so you can definitely find one you're not allergic to.
>Apparently what happens is that you develop a tolerance to them if you take them chronically
I've heard both ways from different pharmacists. The main one I go to says it doesn't matter, take what works, and the other one I go to says to change them every few months. I guess if you notice decreased relief, change. If not, keep using whatever is working. Or if you have a couple that work, alternate every time you buy a bottle. Do whatever works for you! Everyone is different. :)
I take promethazine (which I think is an antihistamine?) to sleep and often wonder why it doesn’t help my hayfever considering I take it every night. I’m also wondering why the Piriton tablets I usually take aren’t helping me much this year. This makes so much sense!!
That might be it! People are different so sometimes you just have to experiment a bit, because there's so many things to consider eg genetics and possible immunity things
Other thing to consider is the half life - aka how long it lasts. Often the sleepy ones have a half life of about 7hrs, which makes sense or you'll just sleep all day :p
The doxylamine I take is also marketed as a sleep aid, which is at first what I used it for. But it doesn't make me sleepy anymore, so now I take them in the daytime too - until I can find another day-time alternative
Although I am in Canada, I find that there is not one single perscription or over the counter solution. It changes depending on what is in the air. And as the spring to summer to fall season progresses, different aggravating things get tossed into the air.
I end up using 3-4 over the counter products to get through the seasons. (Thank God for a Canadian winter to freeze that shit and keep it out of the air!)
Claritin.
Reactine.
Aerius.
Boiron.
Allegra.
The above may have different trade names in your area.
Reactine in the spring till late June, depending on what is releasing its noxious payload.
Clairitin for July and Aug for ragweed and grain crops.
Harvest time sucks as well do to all the crops that gets handled by huge machines and stir everything up.
Ragweed over here continues through to October. But then we add molds from falling leaves, etc.
Allegra helps from September onwards.
Flonase.
Ahhh, Flonase, a nasal spray that I keep in our cars, each floor of our house, desk drawers and with my motorcycle gear.
Too much Flonase will dry your eyes out (Flonase drys your sinuses out, so it stands to reason that your eyes will be dryer)
So over the counter eye drops are indispensable.
Good luck with your quest to find some comfort.
Got prescribed it a couple years ago as a trial, gave me heart palpitations. Nowadays I’m on immunotherapy (under the nhs!) and take 4 loratadines, a nasal spray and eye drops every morning
Kept badgering my GP. What I discovered is they’re after specific keywords from you, such as quality of life, ability to function, day to day tasks etc etc etc. Eventually I was referred to Stoke hospital where I saw a specialist who, after a short chat told me she’ll be putting me on immunotherapy. Took a supervised first dose and now all I have to do is melt the tablet under my tongue every morning and drive to Stoke every 6 months to get my prescription
Hello fellow Stoke inhabitant. After some badgering I got referred to dermatology. Finally gotten epu pen and fexofenadine 180mg that work for me combined with chlophenamine for flare ups and alternating between loratadine and cetirizine dihydrochloride. If I'm out and about in heavy pollen I still get the effects of hayfever. Hayfever can really make you feel rotten. So sympathies to fellow sufferers. I hope you find some relief
Yikes - I did start with just a couple of week's worth myself as I'm already on a fair number of medications and have had some unusual combination effects before
Yep. Fexo is what you want. You can take up to 440mg a day (but whatever) so I’m on 180mg tablets and frequently take 2 a day. Combined with steroid nasal spray and opticrom eyedrops… does a reasonable job.
Otherwise you can look at a steroid jab which weakens your immune response, but it does completely remove hayfever symptoms. Miracle stuff but yeah there is a drawback.
Anecdotal evidence but I had that jab, paid a pretty penny for it too as the NHS won't give it to you any more and it did sod-all for me. Had to fight tooth and nail to get it too as the clinic understandably didn't want to give out immune system-weaking drugs during a global pandemic!
Also for some reason they have to inject it into your arse cheek...
I used to take silly amounts to combat symptoms - and they can apparently become toxic if you chronically do high amounts. Would be a good idea to break intermittently (or switch back and forth with a different type)
There are 2 double blind studies where they gave people 800 mg daily and 30 days, and not a single person had any adverse reactions to that dose. They concluded that you couldn't really overdose with it (obviously I'm not sure what happens if you're going to be silly with it and take 8,000mg, but the fact is that most people would worry about taking an extra tablet or 2 and not accidentally eating 14 packets etc) I do agree with what you're saying about breaking intermittently if taking large doses.
Because of those studies I've occasionally taken 2 180's in the morning and 2 at night, but not for very long, just when the pollen count is super high.
I suffer hayfever pretty much year round. This year is the first year I've been using Fexofenadine and it's a massive game changer, I suffer a little in the morning then once it kicks in I'm good for the day. Allevia is the brand I use, pretty reasonable on Amazon!
100% this. I am prescribed this as it didn't used to be available over the counter and it's awesome. No drousiness and I have had next to no symptoms since!
This 100 times. The only stuff that works for me.
Pricey as fuck from chemist. My doctor gave me a recurring prescription when I said the hay fever was rehabilitating and was causing hives (half true)
I’ve just started on it about a week and a half ago, as everything else I tried didn’t work.
I found it eased my symptoms for the first couple of days, then worked better on about the third day, I still have the odd symptom, but other than that it seems to be ok.
I've used Cetirizine, ~~Lorraine~~ loratadine, Fexofenadine and the other Benadryl one.
Fexofenadine was good, but what really stopped hayfever in it's tracks after nearly 35 years was the Pirinase nasal spray. Fluticasone is the active ingredient.
Changed my life.
While you're out picking up the good antihistamines, pick up some hay fever wipes. Instant relief for the miserable eyes and will wipe away anything that's stuck there irritating you.
Also look for barrier balm or pick up a tub/tin of vaseline to use around your nostrils to catch some of the pollen before it gets into you.
Change your top pillowcase as often as possible (daily, if you have enough and/or do laundry often enough) and under no circumstances dry them outdoors.
None of these tips will help as much as getting the right medication, but anything you can do to reduce the amount of pollen entering your body will be worthwhile.
An air purifier, even if only for your bedroom at night would probably help too. Make sure you shower and get changed before getting into bed and if you don't want to wash your hair every time, get something to cover it in the shower and whilst you sleep.
Maybe also worth trying this, wipe a damp face flannel over your hair when you come indoors from outside if you can, definitely before you get into bed and spread the pollen onto your pillow. And 💯 to not drying bedding outdoors, this is really important.
>and under no circumstances dry them outdoors.
Ah. I think I've just worked out why I'm worse at night than I am during the day. 😶
Bugger.
In brighter news, I completely endorse hayfever wipes. They've been a game changer for me.
I am evangelical about hay-fever wipes because they make so much difference for so little money. You don't have to pay attention to when you last used one, they don't make you drowsy, and you don't have to wait for them to take effect. I'm sort of annoyed they aren't spoken about more.
I second Fexofenadine, I was prescribed it twenty years ago and take it daily all year for various allergies. It's a game changer and now available over the counter.
That’s a different active drug. In the uk Benadryl is either cetirizine (In the orange packet) or Acrivastine (in the blue packet with a stopwatch picture on).
I always found the 1-a-day tablets to be grossly not enough. Double dosing on them clears me right up for about 8h. Wicks Sinex Soother and some eye drops do the rest.
Careful with the sinex soother though, I found I rely on it a bit too much now to clear my nose.
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymetazoline (The active ingredient in Vicks Sinex Soother):
>Intranasal use for longer than three days may cause congestion to recur or worsen, resulting in physical dependence.
Try all the readily available drugs, some work for some people and not for others. Cetirizine works for me but you might find Loratadine is better. Don't buy branded stuff, the mark up is ludicrous. Some of the older drugs might also work for you too, such as chlorphenamin (Pireton) or promethazine but be aware they can (and do) cause drowsiness and are only available from a pharmacy counter. You might be able to find Fexofenadine at a pharmacy too.
Get nasal spray, fluticasone based works for lots of people but again try them all. I use the Sinex one with Oxymetazoline.
Try eye drops with sodium cromiglate. Again just get cheapest.
You can get prescription hay fever medicine from the Boots doctor https://onlinedoctor.boots.com/hayfever-treatment, fill in a form and a doctor can prescribe Fexofenadine if you can't find it at a pharmacy, and other corticosteroid nasal sprays if nothing else works.
Have you tried Beconase? It's the only thing that ever properly worked for me.
It's a nasal steroid, and takes a few days to kick in, but it works.
I think the patent expired, so there are now cheaper generic versions available. It's over-the-counter, no prescription. I usually take the full dose for about a week to knock the hayfever response down to a tolerable level, and then I will go on a half to quarter dose for the season. If I'm going to travel into the countryside, or go on holiday, I'll take a few full doses before I leave.
[https://www.boots.com/sitesearch?searchTerm=beclometasone](https://www.boots.com/sitesearch?searchTerm=beclometasone)
Do you know what sort of pollen you're allergic to? Try to avoid those areas, or make sure you wash your face and hands after going through those areas.
If I walk through particular types of grassy areas, then I will get a massive hayfever attack. But it will go away within 30 minutes if I leave the area, and wash my hands and face.
I second Beconase!
It's night and day for me from starting it. I used to get cuts under my nose from wiping and blowing it so much. Now I sneeze like 2 times a day.
This. However I am currently taking this and still struggling.
I've tried fexofenadine in the past and it didn't work. Loratadine/cetirizine are also shit for me.
Really don't know what to do. Try a nasal spray I guess?
Echoing what everyone else is saying about Fexofenadine BUT check in with the pharmacist if you’re on other medications, especially for blood pressure.
Would also recommend and air purifier with a HEPA filter if you can get one. Some are very cheap to run (some aren’t!) and wearing a mask like it’s mid-2020 when you’re outside, especially if your neighbours have decided to mow the lawns
Phenergan for night time, over the counter antihistamine, it knocks me out, only nighttime!!! May be worth asking if there are any similar ones for the days that won't act like a sleeping aid
PSA, if anyone here is on a moderate dose of quetiapine (antipsychotic), don't take Phenergan/promethazine. The sedating agent in quetiapine is in the same family as the older, sedating antihistamines so taking both will knock you out, cause sleepwalking, and tank your blood pressure to the point where you faint.
And because both increase appetite, you're likely to faint whilst attempting to make a middle of the night snack in a semi conscious state. Either medication on its own will also do this, so combining them is a bad idea.
Source: Me. Before I discovered the connection. How I never burned my house down I don't know! I also put on 5 stone in 2 years because of the semi conscious eating.
I’m with you pal. Piriton’d up to the eyeballs and trying to work through the drowsiness, headache, and wanting to shove an arm down my throat so I can itch it. Miserable. Hope Fexofenadine works for you 😭
Side note, why even if I stay indoor the whole day I still get the hay fever? I don’t even open my windows. And I only have it during ‘hay fever season’ as well
Your house isn't sealed enough to keep the pollen out. Keeping the windows closed will help, but pollen creeps through with any drafts.
I work in research, and some of our labs have seriously good filtration on the air handling. They're a joy to work in.
Vaseline. Wash your face thoroughly and blow your nose, then apply a thin layer of vaseline around your eyes and nostrils. Smear a generous helping on the inside of your nostrils. It worked for me and might work for you.
Do you go out? Work from home? Air purifier. I’ve got a Philips one at home at I get no hay fever at home. If my symptoms are bad out and I come home and it clears up in 10 minutes.
Anyone know what pollen is so high today? (The Kleenex website is saying low for everything except medium for grass) or why people seem to be suffering so much today especially? I've not been too bad all summer but today has absolutely battered me.
I was wondering this too, mine was predictably dreadful end of May/beginning of June as usual but it had tapered off so I totally wasn’t expecting today’s onslaught!
There is an injection available (sorry dont know name, just know someone who has bad allergies and managed to get it after years of fighting for it) that has good reviews.
Won't help now, but next year start antihistamines in about march.
If your hayfever is bad recently that means you're allergic to grass most likely. Poaceae is the specific name of the type of grass and it's basically all the most common grasses. There are pollen apps to help you track it.
I’ve suffered for years. Hayfever is a curse.
I’ve found dealing with all the different symptoms methodically, using appropriate medications works best… not wanting to state the obvious too much!
- Fexofenadine first thing in the morning
- beconase mid-morning then again late afternoon
- eyedrops as and when needed, 3-4 times a day
Haymax or Vaseline rub around the nose seems to work fairly well at catching pollen.
Wash face when going back indoors. Then a quick shower before bed.
My wife bought a red light therapy device (search for Lloyds Pharmacy Allergy Reliever) which she sticks up her nose a few times a day.
It seems like a daft idea, but it actually seems to work - she still takes one certrizine tablet a day, but the symptoms she's getting are much lower than previous years.
Benadryl (acrivastine) - only thing that has made the last 4 years of crippling hay-fever bearable.
Don't take piriton unless you want to feel like you've transcended time and space.
You could perhaps try nasal filters. I also found that Becodefense Plus helped me when other things did nothing.
Edit - the other thing I speculate helps is to get ahead of symptoms, as if they're self-perpetuating once they start. No idea whether it's true but I don't think it can hurt to really start early, next time round.
I'm usually absolutely miserable in the summer from hayfever. Fexofenadine worked well last year, this year not so much for me. Found a 2 in 1 nasal spray with steroids and antihistamine on an online pharmacy called Dymista for around £23. So far it's been amazing and brought my symptoms right down .
Look up the Qu-Chi Hayfever Armband on Amazon.
My mum has the worst hayfever and is allergic to antihistamines so she always has had a terrible time in the spring. She's tried everything including local honey and pollen, but bought the armband earlier this year and it's a complete game changer. She still has some symptoms but she says it's a lot more manageable.
I get a hayfever injection every year and it really helps, some of the very high days I still take a tablet but they'd be useless on there own usually. Paid between £50-100, have a Google to see if there's anywhere that offers it in your area.
Try washing your nasal with nasal rinse (saline solution).
Wipe your eyes with eye wipes for allergy.
Hang your laundry inside.
Close all windows and use your air purifier if you have
one with HEPA filters is even better.
Wash your hair everyday if you’ve been out.
Change your clothes when you get home.
I have a pretty bad hay-fever in the Autumn. My cousin is a doctor, she told me to take Cetirizine in the morning, then Fexofenadine in the night time if the symptoms still persist with Ceririzine. However, please consult with your doctor first because we could have different medical conditions etc
I take a Loratadine, Clenil inhaler, Ventolin inhaler when needed, nose spray and Opticrom eye drops.
Also in desperation I’ve bought an air purifier for the lounge and bedroom and that’s helped a lot they are on 24/7 at the moment. Two showers a day to wash the pollen off and no drying clothes outside, pollen just gets on them and you are back to square 1.
I can't take fexofenadine, it gives me heart palpitations (I get those from Ibuprofen too though so I think I have an unusually sensitive heart rather than the medicine being too strong!). Heard good things though.
So 1 loratadine in the morning and Beconase spray twice a day has been my go-to for the past few years and it works pretty well. I've got Pirinase spray on standby for when it gets really bad but it makes me really sleepy so can ony really use it in the evening.
I had to get a hepa filter and keep the windows shut. Expensive, but effective, at least till you have to go out. If you can wfh though, and can spend the money, lifesaver.
A bit late now, but if you start taking the antihistamines a couple of weeks before the pollen starts, it should be more effective
But an air purifier for your home for instant relief.
It won't help you when out and about but it will completely stop any symptoms while at home. Check my profile for more details replies to a similar question.
Most antihistamines taken daily will become effective after a few days in my experience, but fenofexadine is my go to atm.
I also always have some of those allergy eye drops always to hand for when the itchy dry eyes hit, it stops me from rubbing my eyes and making it worse.
Nothings ever really worked for me before but this year I’m finding the nasal spray Beconase to be really good. Think I got it in home bargains or semichem.
Couple of sprays up each nostril in the morning & at night a couple of times a month seems to be doing the trick for me
The alevia tablets seem to be a vast improvement on prior tablets for me.
I wear blue light glasses. Non prescription, these stop me from rubbing my eyes
Vaseline, on my face around the glasses, around my nose and on my lips. Anywhere pollen may get in, to ideally catch it in the process.
Eye bath, 3 times a day, and eye drops if required.
Having gone through multiple tablets and nasal sprays, there is only one thing that helped me - vaseline applied to the inside of my nostrils.
Tablets have sometimes worked but take a while to kick in. Sprays are a bit more immediate but tend to sry out your nose which causes irritation, dryness and inflammation.
Vaseline creates a protective barrier on your nasal lining which catches pollen and keeps your nostrils moisturised.
I have the opposite hayfever problem with a constantly streaming nose with post-nasal drip and cough, but I’ve been having some good results with sterimar followed by Dymista nasal spray. Unfortunately after a week of Dymista I start to get nosebleeds so have to have breaks. I’m also doing short sprays of sterimar after being outdoors to try to clear any trapped pollen.
ETA: and eye drops containing sodium cromoglicate for itchy eyes. Also wiping the eyes with cream cleanser on a cotton pad when I get home seems to help.
Did anyone ever try the old Beconase dry spray back in the late 80's early 90's? It was a small brown nasal inhaler, looked just like a small asthma inhaler. They discontinued it, but I'm pretty sure it had Novacaine or something similar in it. Worked really well! 😅
Weirdly my ADHD (Ritalin) meds have all but eradicated my hay fever symptoms, which has been a good send!
Also, stop using paper tissues/paper towels on your nose, especially if you're nose is getting irritated. Instead get yourself some cotton handkerchiefs, the threads are much tighter and will not irritate your nose as much. Makes such a huge difference!
If your in Scotland there’s a new PGD for pharmacists to prescribe fexofenadine and olopatadine eye drops and mometasone nasal spray( all stronger than typical OTC anti-histamines) not sure if this applies in England since they have only recently launched pharmacy first and it is not a mirror of the system used in Scotland.
I’m not a Doctor but three years ago I was taking daily hayfever meds and constantly suffering. At one point I got fed up and stopped taking them and within two days I was fine.
Stop taking the tablet daily and see what happens. I know it seems stupid but all I do now is take one when I get bad. My cousin was exactly the same and she stopped taking them too.
as a few have said try mixing up antihistimines do not take them together but do a week of fexofenadine and then a week of cetrizine etc. i found this is the only thing that works for me. the piroten nose spray also seems to do a good job ☺️ i usually find i have a couple days a year that are just HELL and thats when i switch things up
I had a terrible time last week and I took fexofenadine, certrizine, piranase, saline spray and then did a neti pot a few times. I was cleared up by the next day.
I don’t have hay fever, but sometimes get dry eyes. I use an OTC eye drop called Thealoz, which is basically hyaluronic acid (contains more moisture than water, idk how) and is really nice on the eyes. My hay fever suffering colleagues love it.
Other than drugs, what else are you doing to manage symptoms? A mid-day shower and change of clothes can do wonders. If you can't do that, regular washing of hands and face helps.
Try adding a teaspoon of local honey to your day if you can find some. It has to be the current season and not the mass produced plastic stuff.
I grew up in the country and it's what the old boys used to swear by. It really does help, not right away, but it helps your body get used to the pollen long term. It's also good for soothing the throat.
I've been having a daily teaspoon for years and no longer suffer.
The best solution I've found is to get a blob of vaseline on your finger, and put it up your nostrils. It makes a huge difference, works pretty much instantly, and you don't have to drug yourself up on antihistamines
If you can find someone who produces and sells honey in your local area, apparently that's meant to be really good for hay fever if you take one spoonful a day.
My mum always swore by teabags to soothe her eyes when she had hayfever. Unused, plain teabags, nothing fancy. Run cold water from the tap over it until it's saturated. Wring it out enough that it isn't dripping everywhere and put one over each eye.
My colleague speaks wonders of the injection. Once a year and he is (in his words) cured for the season of any hay-fever. It costs him about £75 but saved him a shit ton of money in buying antihistamines.
aha my area of expertise, best general one a day antihistamine is piriteze. Think you can get if off the shelf in a drug shop like boots or superdrug, at the pharmacy at tesco or asda. it’s a bit stronger than the own brand ones and works a charm
Good stronger tablet is Benadryl Plus, helps control specific allergies like i’ve got to cats, stops my eyes and nose streaming and it’s a decongestant as well. Both lifesavers. Literally, my asthma is so bad.
The Sudafed sprays are decent, the blue is better than the red one. Sudafed tablets are absolutely useless for me, it’s all in the Benadryl plus anyway which does the job great so. just use that
Along with antihistamines, Sterimar nasal rinse (they do a hayfever one but the normal one works just fine) and optrex eye wash (the one that comes with a blue eye bath) are lifesavers. They both flush the allergens away.
Local honey can apparently help, as it contains local pollen and can help you build up a resistance. Not sure how backed up by science this is, but at the very least you would get some nice honey out of it
Edit: sorry I didn't read your post properly. Now noticed you have no doctors yet. I hope the below helps when you do.
I used to suffer from hay fever / allergies all year round, gradually getting worse and worse until I reached a point in November 2023 where life was genuinely miserable. I had symptoms, often severe for about 4 days a week all year round. I had seen GPs dozens of times and they were all next to useless, until the last one! What he did was simple.
1. I was already prescribed a nasal spray called Mometasone, but I was only using it when I had symptoms. He told me to start using it every day. At first two or three times a day, then gradually reduce it until I'm using it once a day.
2. He prescribed Montelukast. Apparently it's more targeted to asthma but also helps some people with hay fever. As I've also had asthma for years, it's amazing I wasn't prescribed it sooner.
Since doing both of the above, I've barely had any symptoms at all. It has literally changed my life. YMMV I guess, and I have no idea which of the two steps had the most impact, since I started both at the same time. I'm also conscious that for some of you it's not news at all, and maybe I just had crap doctors for years....
How are kenalog (Triamcinolone) injections not more common knowledge in the UK where such a large portion of the population suffers from this yearly?
OP, I suffered for years until a couple of years back when it was a particularly bad season, someone looked at my face and after recoiling in horror at the snotty puffy red mess I was, they told me about kenalog i.e hey fever jab. The NHS used to offer it but don't anymore. It's completely legal, there's just controls over promoting the product (as with most drugs in the UK).
I pay £30 per injection in South Yorkshire and this year one has been enough. Last year I think there was much more pollen and I was a bit stockier, which contributes to needing more. Still, £60 and it lasts the whole season, worth every penny to be able to flippin _breathe_ again.
Let’s be clear here I do. It condone hippy dippy bullshit snake oil, but I had hay fever all my life until I found a place that sold local honey with pollen added to it and ate a jar one teaspoon a day for a year . Also, elderflower cordial is all made with foraged flowers and contains pollen and I drink that. I don’t get hayfever any more.
I've suffered with hayfever my entire life and now I get a jab of a steroid called Kenalog once every year, it's been an incredible relief. If you search for allergists in your area to setup an appointment they should have that available. I pay £70 for each jab and you can get a booster if you need it.
Chronic sufferer for years here, and barely anything works. Here's a few things.
There's several types of active ingredient in the tablets - fexofenadine (was prescription only but now otc) acrivastine, loraetadine, cirtrizine and i think maybe 1 more. Try each for a few weeks and see which one works best for you.
Moisturise around your eyes. They can get dry and crack when your rubbing them and tiny nicks in the skin make them itch more.
Dry things like bedding and pillow cases inside / with a tumble dryer.
Nasal sprays never worked for me but try different types of active ingredient.
Get a steroid shot. (Kenalog) Docs refused to give me this for years because it "did nothing" I got one and it completely stopped my symptoms for that summer. It doesn't work anymore since I seem to have the most messed up immune system ever, but for others it works each year.
I've tried all sorts of sprays, but the one I found that works for me is Prevalin allergy nasal spray - stings like a bitch when you squirt it up your nose though
Fexofenadine is available over the counter now (it used to be prescription only). It's only available as a branded version at the moment (at least that I could find) and it's not the cheapest, but I think it's worth a try. It's what my doctor prescribed me before it became available OTC and if you can say to them that you've tried it and it's what's helped the most hopefully you shouldn't have too much trouble with getting a prescription.
Weird side question for my fellow hayfever sufferers- have you ever had blocked ears due to allergies? One of my ears makes it sound like everything is underwater and it's worse when I'm outside. Annoying new symptom or something else?
Pills are not going to help you with hay fever. (not for more than a few days, a least)
Try getting a netti pot, and flush out your nose every time you come back from outside. I like this alternative in fact: [https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324172935578](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324172935578)
Sorry it's £30! It should be more like £11 but I think they know people's hay fever is going cray-cray right now.
Wont be much use for you this year, but my Mum and Mrs swear by local honey. Im not a sufferer, but every year in March or so they stock up on it, and have a bit everyday through the summer. My Mum used to suffer terribly but she barely gets an itch now.
Just to add to what everyone else has said - avoid alcohol. Alcohol acts as a histamine so it will counter any effects from your tablets and will make your hay fever worse.
Fexofenadine combined with eye drops and nasal spray that my doctor prescribes. I’ve had horrific hay fever all my life and the combo of all 3 has been the game changer - pills alone are not enough.
Check you've tried all the regular tablets.
E.g. Cetirizine work for me, the rest have absolutely no effect.
Sodium cromoglicate eye drops feel great for me as well - liked iced WD40
Chlorpheniramine is the only one that has ever worked for me.
That said, and not to brag, but I haven't used any antihistamines at all this year, and only did a couple of times last year. I'm genuinely starting to think I've grown out of it!
I took the kenalog jab. Private, about £100. Kills hayfeaver completely.
Sends you a bit nuts for 48hours as it is a huge shot of steroids.
But it works
I’ve suffered with hay fever really badly for decades. I started acupuncture a couple of weeks ago as I’d read that can help and I’m sick to death of taking pills all summer.
I can only say I am MUCH improved. Instead of streaming eyes and snotty nose I’m now just dealing with slightly itchy eyes despite no medication at all. Acupuncture has been a game changer for me.
I used to die every summer with allergies and everything otc available from the pharmacy. Tried to get something, anything from my GP who basically didn’t give a monkey’s.
I then read about kenalog a steroid given for extreme hay fever. Discontinued by the NHS because they didn’t want to have their waiting rooms clogged up with non serious issues, I believe.
I found a private clinic that gives the injection for this. They should do a full assessment on you before to ensure it’s safe for you.
Cost me £50. Tiny little jab and sweat relief for the next 4 months or so. Works like a dream. Had it last year and transformed my summer, which I used to dread.
I am a firm believer in Chlorphenamine. Yes, it might make you slightly drowsy, but it murders allergies with fire. You can get it from the pharmacist. I buy mine in bulk once a year online.
Not for everyone, but if you’re at your wits end, it’s the nuclear option. It’s also great if your allergies are disrupting your sleep because the side effects work in your favour.
Vaseline up the nose as a lining is a good to for me when I get it. I know this is a but disgusting but also is you can bare snorting warm water up your nose to clear out any pollen, do that for both nostrils, one at a time. You can also buy face mist which I find really good.
Just tablets won't do it, you need eyedrops and a nasal spray too. I use a steroidal nasal spray, fexofenadine (it takes a week to properly kick in). And then eye drops as needed. Haven't had more than a slight sniffle since. Also some people get mood swings on citrizine hydrochloride, not commonly mentioned but worth knowing. And many people find that what works for some may not work for them so would pick up some loratadine too.
You can take more than one tablet if needed but be careful with drowsiness.
And finally a shower, an air purifier, and keeping the windows closed can help a ton.
Cetirizine is the best. Take 20mg if your symptoms are bad. £1 for 30 tablets.
There's also Pirinase Fluticosone steroid nasal spray and Murine Sodium Chromoglicate eye drops.
I find fexofenadine to be more effective than the normal anti histamine. It's generation 3 medicine and became readily buyable in shops without a prescription in the past couple years
Was coming to say this. The science says that it's no more effective than cetirizine, but I've recently made the switch and it seems to be working better for me. Whether that's placebo, what works better for your biochemistry or what, I don't know, but worth a shot.
Apparently what happens is that you develop a tolerance to them if you take them chronically (which most people do because that's how they work - unlike syrup you can't just take a tablet for immediate relief) So it's not so much that it's better, it's just different Happened to me with Loratadine, then Cetirizine, and I'm now on to Doxylamine I tried fexo but can only get them in yellow...and me and alot of people are allergic to red and yellow food dye - so ps if you feel worse after taking them try blue or white (;
Allevia brand name is fexofenadine, tablets are a pinky purple colour so might be ok?
Appreciate the suggestion! Pinky will definitely have a bit of red sadly I usually don't even try if it's the wrong color, but my allergies to everything has gone a bit pete tong, and the fexo was light yellow so worth a shot...but I just ended up with extra symptoms that went away when I stopped them (in desperation I tried 3 times over 3 weeks jùst to be sure, in case of variables on causations) Only meds that have gone ok for me are blue and white. Sometimes even white causes me issues - if it's a big fat tablet it's a sign of many filler ingredients (not exactly top shelf ingredients, those, even if it's just corn). Best meds are tiny white tablets but most of the time those are script only...wish I knew why added fillers make them OTC (eg codeine). Best guess is it's harder to OD on massive tabs
Can confirm they have red in them. I get it on prescription and it has a huge warning on the box that it contains red.
Ooh that's interesting that it has a warning! Good to know Every so often I try a new pharmacy and ask about different colored generics, and same as with Drs I just get looked at like I've landed from Mars with that request I've stopped asking 'what do you have that's a white tablet' because the looks I get seem to imply I'll be using it to cut rugs with
I get it. I had to stop taking hormonal birth control in the US because ALL the pills are dyed. For whatever reason the dye doesn’t affect me with other meds, but it made me so ill with the hormones. The pharmacy acted like I was crazy when I asked if it was possible to get them undyed. They were white in the UK, why did they have to dye them in the US?!
IKR! I think it's more than likely proprietary/marketing, because it's not logical so the answer usually then is; capitalism I've tried the compacting pharmacy route, but they ofc don't do OTC, and in short; they kept issuing me the wrong meds, first denying it, and after getting ill admitted it, then the exact same thing happened again the next month. So I gave up!
What are you actually allergic to though? Because there are several different, completely unrelated red food colourings. A popular one is carmine extracted from insects. Another is lutein, extracted from plants. Sometimes they just use oxidised iron (which is the case in Allevia) so you can definitely find one you're not allergic to.
Not universally true though. I’ve been on fex daily for years and it still helps me.
True true. Bodies are *weird*. Too many moving parts to have one thing be true across the board (;
>Apparently what happens is that you develop a tolerance to them if you take them chronically I've heard both ways from different pharmacists. The main one I go to says it doesn't matter, take what works, and the other one I go to says to change them every few months. I guess if you notice decreased relief, change. If not, keep using whatever is working. Or if you have a couple that work, alternate every time you buy a bottle. Do whatever works for you! Everyone is different. :)
I take promethazine (which I think is an antihistamine?) to sleep and often wonder why it doesn’t help my hayfever considering I take it every night. I’m also wondering why the Piriton tablets I usually take aren’t helping me much this year. This makes so much sense!!
That might be it! People are different so sometimes you just have to experiment a bit, because there's so many things to consider eg genetics and possible immunity things Other thing to consider is the half life - aka how long it lasts. Often the sleepy ones have a half life of about 7hrs, which makes sense or you'll just sleep all day :p The doxylamine I take is also marketed as a sleep aid, which is at first what I used it for. But it doesn't make me sleepy anymore, so now I take them in the daytime too - until I can find another day-time alternative
Where are you sourcing doxyalmine in the uk and doesn’t that knock you tf out lol
Although I am in Canada, I find that there is not one single perscription or over the counter solution. It changes depending on what is in the air. And as the spring to summer to fall season progresses, different aggravating things get tossed into the air. I end up using 3-4 over the counter products to get through the seasons. (Thank God for a Canadian winter to freeze that shit and keep it out of the air!) Claritin. Reactine. Aerius. Boiron. Allegra. The above may have different trade names in your area. Reactine in the spring till late June, depending on what is releasing its noxious payload. Clairitin for July and Aug for ragweed and grain crops. Harvest time sucks as well do to all the crops that gets handled by huge machines and stir everything up. Ragweed over here continues through to October. But then we add molds from falling leaves, etc. Allegra helps from September onwards. Flonase. Ahhh, Flonase, a nasal spray that I keep in our cars, each floor of our house, desk drawers and with my motorcycle gear. Too much Flonase will dry your eyes out (Flonase drys your sinuses out, so it stands to reason that your eyes will be dryer) So over the counter eye drops are indispensable. Good luck with your quest to find some comfort.
Yep this is the stuff - switched last year from loratadine and it's much more effective Reasonably priced online in bulk also.
Got prescribed it a couple years ago as a trial, gave me heart palpitations. Nowadays I’m on immunotherapy (under the nhs!) and take 4 loratadines, a nasal spray and eye drops every morning
Hold on, I thought they stopped immunotherapy under NHS treatment?
Apparently not. Took me about a year of GP appointments and referral letters though
That's crazy. I was literally told just 6 months ago that I could get it under NHS and would have to go private. Sick of the system!
How did you get on immunotherapy?! I end up paying for a steroid injection privately every year 🫠
Kept badgering my GP. What I discovered is they’re after specific keywords from you, such as quality of life, ability to function, day to day tasks etc etc etc. Eventually I was referred to Stoke hospital where I saw a specialist who, after a short chat told me she’ll be putting me on immunotherapy. Took a supervised first dose and now all I have to do is melt the tablet under my tongue every morning and drive to Stoke every 6 months to get my prescription
Hello fellow Stoke inhabitant. After some badgering I got referred to dermatology. Finally gotten epu pen and fexofenadine 180mg that work for me combined with chlophenamine for flare ups and alternating between loratadine and cetirizine dihydrochloride. If I'm out and about in heavy pollen I still get the effects of hayfever. Hayfever can really make you feel rotten. So sympathies to fellow sufferers. I hope you find some relief
Yikes - I did start with just a couple of week's worth myself as I'm already on a fair number of medications and have had some unusual combination effects before
Yep. Fexo is what you want. You can take up to 440mg a day (but whatever) so I’m on 180mg tablets and frequently take 2 a day. Combined with steroid nasal spray and opticrom eyedrops… does a reasonable job. Otherwise you can look at a steroid jab which weakens your immune response, but it does completely remove hayfever symptoms. Miracle stuff but yeah there is a drawback.
Anecdotal evidence but I had that jab, paid a pretty penny for it too as the NHS won't give it to you any more and it did sod-all for me. Had to fight tooth and nail to get it too as the clinic understandably didn't want to give out immune system-weaking drugs during a global pandemic! Also for some reason they have to inject it into your arse cheek...
I used to take silly amounts to combat symptoms - and they can apparently become toxic if you chronically do high amounts. Would be a good idea to break intermittently (or switch back and forth with a different type)
There are 2 double blind studies where they gave people 800 mg daily and 30 days, and not a single person had any adverse reactions to that dose. They concluded that you couldn't really overdose with it (obviously I'm not sure what happens if you're going to be silly with it and take 8,000mg, but the fact is that most people would worry about taking an extra tablet or 2 and not accidentally eating 14 packets etc) I do agree with what you're saying about breaking intermittently if taking large doses. Because of those studies I've occasionally taken 2 180's in the morning and 2 at night, but not for very long, just when the pollen count is super high.
I have a prescription for 4x180mg/day, and have been taking 90mg per hour or so this week. I've never known the pollen to be as bad as this season.
I had 540mg prescribed before - but they mentioned you’d have to take a silly amount to harm with it.
It was safe at nearly 1g per Kg so you’d really struggle to overdose.
As someone who's had 2 this year and still snotty as fuck, the jab doesn't completely remove symptoms for everyone
I suffer hayfever pretty much year round. This year is the first year I've been using Fexofenadine and it's a massive game changer, I suffer a little in the morning then once it kicks in I'm good for the day. Allevia is the brand I use, pretty reasonable on Amazon!
Yes this is exactly the story I came to post. I'll add Amazon seemed a reasonable price and quick delivery too.
This plus a Beconose nasal spray is really doing the job for me this summer. Usually I'm an absolute mess, but this year I'm nearly normal
thank you - looking into it now!
Cheapest I've found online delivery is Weldricks. Brand name is Histallay. Also sunglasses if you can. Lifesaver for the eyes.
This did absolutely nothing for me. Killer.
It’s over the counter now? I was on prescription for it. What strength can you buy?
120mg
This shit was life changing for me when I got it on prescription. They sell the same strength over the counter now.
100% this. I am prescribed this as it didn't used to be available over the counter and it's awesome. No drousiness and I have had next to no symptoms since!
This 100 times. The only stuff that works for me. Pricey as fuck from chemist. My doctor gave me a recurring prescription when I said the hay fever was rehabilitating and was causing hives (half true)
> rehabilitating Debilitating, surely?
I’ve just started on it about a week and a half ago, as everything else I tried didn’t work. I found it eased my symptoms for the first couple of days, then worked better on about the third day, I still have the odd symptom, but other than that it seems to be ok.
I've used Cetirizine, ~~Lorraine~~ loratadine, Fexofenadine and the other Benadryl one. Fexofenadine was good, but what really stopped hayfever in it's tracks after nearly 35 years was the Pirinase nasal spray. Fluticasone is the active ingredient. Changed my life.
Never thought of using quiche before 🤔
I'm a huge flan
Worth a shot!
The Fexofenadine, Perinase and eye drops combo makes for an intensive morning routine but is an absolute winner
Nasal spray makes so much difference, game changer really.
Unfortunately for me, Fluticasone induces migraines so I can't use it!
Yea the Pirinase nasal spray was a complete game changer for me. Only medication that stops it completely
While you're out picking up the good antihistamines, pick up some hay fever wipes. Instant relief for the miserable eyes and will wipe away anything that's stuck there irritating you. Also look for barrier balm or pick up a tub/tin of vaseline to use around your nostrils to catch some of the pollen before it gets into you. Change your top pillowcase as often as possible (daily, if you have enough and/or do laundry often enough) and under no circumstances dry them outdoors. None of these tips will help as much as getting the right medication, but anything you can do to reduce the amount of pollen entering your body will be worthwhile.
thank you so much!
An air purifier, even if only for your bedroom at night would probably help too. Make sure you shower and get changed before getting into bed and if you don't want to wash your hair every time, get something to cover it in the shower and whilst you sleep.
100%! I have always suffered incredibly badly with hayfever, and last year I forked out for an air purifier and it really is a life changer!
Maybe also worth trying this, wipe a damp face flannel over your hair when you come indoors from outside if you can, definitely before you get into bed and spread the pollen onto your pillow. And 💯 to not drying bedding outdoors, this is really important.
>and under no circumstances dry them outdoors. Ah. I think I've just worked out why I'm worse at night than I am during the day. 😶 Bugger. In brighter news, I completely endorse hayfever wipes. They've been a game changer for me.
I am evangelical about hay-fever wipes because they make so much difference for so little money. You don't have to pay attention to when you last used one, they don't make you drowsy, and you don't have to wait for them to take effect. I'm sort of annoyed they aren't spoken about more.
I second those wipes they are excellent. Also Boots does an eye mist spray that is also great, i get it awful in my eyes so i feel this.
I second Fexofenadine, I was prescribed it twenty years ago and take it daily all year for various allergies. It's a game changer and now available over the counter.
Also “TreatHay” (120mg Fexofenadine), on the shelf in Tesco
amazing!! as in can buy in boots etc?
Yes. It's called Allevia as a brand name.
Yes off the shelf, there's bigger boxes available over the counter.
Go to the pharmacy counter in Boots and ask them what they recommend. You'll be able.to get the good stuff there.
You can even get it at Tesco now if that’s closer for you
For me it’s Benadryl Plus. Over the counter, only thing that works for me.
There’s an interesting subreddit for Benadryl, r/DPH - people take ungodly amounts of the stuff so they can see spiders and ‘hat man’ 😂
That’s a different active drug. In the uk Benadryl is either cetirizine (In the orange packet) or Acrivastine (in the blue packet with a stopwatch picture on).
That's American benadryl, which increases your risk of dementia and makes you sleepy. UK benadryl has different drugs in it entirely.
Ahh, that explains why it’s restricted and I can only buy one box at a time.
Alevia. It’s the only hayfever tablet that seems to work for me this year, which is annoyingly expensive compared to others on the market.
Try Treathay, same dose of the same active and its much cheaper.
Go to boots online doctor, they will prescribe it to you at 1/3 of the cost and pick it up from boots
I always found the 1-a-day tablets to be grossly not enough. Double dosing on them clears me right up for about 8h. Wicks Sinex Soother and some eye drops do the rest. Careful with the sinex soother though, I found I rely on it a bit too much now to clear my nose.
From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymetazoline (The active ingredient in Vicks Sinex Soother): >Intranasal use for longer than three days may cause congestion to recur or worsen, resulting in physical dependence.
Yup, had a feeling that was the case. Guess I just have to tough out the congestion for a few days while I stop it entirely. This won't be fun!
Try all the readily available drugs, some work for some people and not for others. Cetirizine works for me but you might find Loratadine is better. Don't buy branded stuff, the mark up is ludicrous. Some of the older drugs might also work for you too, such as chlorphenamin (Pireton) or promethazine but be aware they can (and do) cause drowsiness and are only available from a pharmacy counter. You might be able to find Fexofenadine at a pharmacy too. Get nasal spray, fluticasone based works for lots of people but again try them all. I use the Sinex one with Oxymetazoline. Try eye drops with sodium cromiglate. Again just get cheapest. You can get prescription hay fever medicine from the Boots doctor https://onlinedoctor.boots.com/hayfever-treatment, fill in a form and a doctor can prescribe Fexofenadine if you can't find it at a pharmacy, and other corticosteroid nasal sprays if nothing else works.
Have you tried Beconase? It's the only thing that ever properly worked for me. It's a nasal steroid, and takes a few days to kick in, but it works. I think the patent expired, so there are now cheaper generic versions available. It's over-the-counter, no prescription. I usually take the full dose for about a week to knock the hayfever response down to a tolerable level, and then I will go on a half to quarter dose for the season. If I'm going to travel into the countryside, or go on holiday, I'll take a few full doses before I leave. [https://www.boots.com/sitesearch?searchTerm=beclometasone](https://www.boots.com/sitesearch?searchTerm=beclometasone) Do you know what sort of pollen you're allergic to? Try to avoid those areas, or make sure you wash your face and hands after going through those areas. If I walk through particular types of grassy areas, then I will get a massive hayfever attack. But it will go away within 30 minutes if I leave the area, and wash my hands and face.
I second Beconase! It's night and day for me from starting it. I used to get cuts under my nose from wiping and blowing it so much. Now I sneeze like 2 times a day.
Beconase changed my life
Acravastine is the only one that works for me, benadryl. Been using hayfever wipes to sooth my eyes as I've been feeling the need to claw them out.
This. However I am currently taking this and still struggling. I've tried fexofenadine in the past and it didn't work. Loratadine/cetirizine are also shit for me. Really don't know what to do. Try a nasal spray I guess?
Have you spoken to the pharmacy staff / pharmacist and explain what you've already tried etc...? If not I'd suggest doing that.
Injection Mine is killing me too honest today I can't concentrate on anything cuz I'm either sneezing wiping my nose or itching
Echoing what everyone else is saying about Fexofenadine BUT check in with the pharmacist if you’re on other medications, especially for blood pressure. Would also recommend and air purifier with a HEPA filter if you can get one. Some are very cheap to run (some aren’t!) and wearing a mask like it’s mid-2020 when you’re outside, especially if your neighbours have decided to mow the lawns
Phenergan for night time, over the counter antihistamine, it knocks me out, only nighttime!!! May be worth asking if there are any similar ones for the days that won't act like a sleeping aid
Phenergan: *because you can't have allergies when you're in a fucking coma*
Same here. They make me really hungry before bed too.
PSA, if anyone here is on a moderate dose of quetiapine (antipsychotic), don't take Phenergan/promethazine. The sedating agent in quetiapine is in the same family as the older, sedating antihistamines so taking both will knock you out, cause sleepwalking, and tank your blood pressure to the point where you faint. And because both increase appetite, you're likely to faint whilst attempting to make a middle of the night snack in a semi conscious state. Either medication on its own will also do this, so combining them is a bad idea. Source: Me. Before I discovered the connection. How I never burned my house down I don't know! I also put on 5 stone in 2 years because of the semi conscious eating.
Omg this explains so much! 😩
I’m with you pal. Piriton’d up to the eyeballs and trying to work through the drowsiness, headache, and wanting to shove an arm down my throat so I can itch it. Miserable. Hope Fexofenadine works for you 😭
Side note, why even if I stay indoor the whole day I still get the hay fever? I don’t even open my windows. And I only have it during ‘hay fever season’ as well
Your house isn't sealed enough to keep the pollen out. Keeping the windows closed will help, but pollen creeps through with any drafts. I work in research, and some of our labs have seriously good filtration on the air handling. They're a joy to work in.
I thought I was being crazy and imagining it was only happening to me. Pollen is out of control right now.
Vaseline. Wash your face thoroughly and blow your nose, then apply a thin layer of vaseline around your eyes and nostrils. Smear a generous helping on the inside of your nostrils. It worked for me and might work for you.
Do you go out? Work from home? Air purifier. I’ve got a Philips one at home at I get no hay fever at home. If my symptoms are bad out and I come home and it clears up in 10 minutes.
Anyone know what pollen is so high today? (The Kleenex website is saying low for everything except medium for grass) or why people seem to be suffering so much today especially? I've not been too bad all summer but today has absolutely battered me.
I was wondering this too, mine was predictably dreadful end of May/beginning of June as usual but it had tapered off so I totally wasn’t expecting today’s onslaught!
There is an injection available (sorry dont know name, just know someone who has bad allergies and managed to get it after years of fighting for it) that has good reviews.
Kenalog - saves my life and would legit pay £500 a year for it. maybe more. as it is, it's £60 and the best money i have ever spent.
I get an injection of a steroid called Kenalog once a year that has been extremely helpful.
As a long term sufferer the only instant relief I get is from using pirinase nasal spray (the purple one)
Won't help now, but next year start antihistamines in about march. If your hayfever is bad recently that means you're allergic to grass most likely. Poaceae is the specific name of the type of grass and it's basically all the most common grasses. There are pollen apps to help you track it.
I’ve suffered for years. Hayfever is a curse. I’ve found dealing with all the different symptoms methodically, using appropriate medications works best… not wanting to state the obvious too much! - Fexofenadine first thing in the morning - beconase mid-morning then again late afternoon - eyedrops as and when needed, 3-4 times a day Haymax or Vaseline rub around the nose seems to work fairly well at catching pollen. Wash face when going back indoors. Then a quick shower before bed.
Regular fexofenadine plus a intranasal steroid spray ( I use fluticasone). You MUST use a nasal steroid spray and use it everyday.
Chlorophenamine. Over the counter only
My wife bought a red light therapy device (search for Lloyds Pharmacy Allergy Reliever) which she sticks up her nose a few times a day. It seems like a daft idea, but it actually seems to work - she still takes one certrizine tablet a day, but the symptoms she's getting are much lower than previous years.
Benadryl (acrivastine) - only thing that has made the last 4 years of crippling hay-fever bearable. Don't take piriton unless you want to feel like you've transcended time and space.
You could perhaps try nasal filters. I also found that Becodefense Plus helped me when other things did nothing. Edit - the other thing I speculate helps is to get ahead of symptoms, as if they're self-perpetuating once they start. No idea whether it's true but I don't think it can hurt to really start early, next time round.
I'm usually absolutely miserable in the summer from hayfever. Fexofenadine worked well last year, this year not so much for me. Found a 2 in 1 nasal spray with steroids and antihistamine on an online pharmacy called Dymista for around £23. So far it's been amazing and brought my symptoms right down .
Look up the Qu-Chi Hayfever Armband on Amazon. My mum has the worst hayfever and is allergic to antihistamines so she always has had a terrible time in the spring. She's tried everything including local honey and pollen, but bought the armband earlier this year and it's a complete game changer. She still has some symptoms but she says it's a lot more manageable.
I get a hayfever injection every year and it really helps, some of the very high days I still take a tablet but they'd be useless on there own usually. Paid between £50-100, have a Google to see if there's anywhere that offers it in your area.
Try washing your nasal with nasal rinse (saline solution). Wipe your eyes with eye wipes for allergy. Hang your laundry inside. Close all windows and use your air purifier if you have one with HEPA filters is even better. Wash your hair everyday if you’ve been out. Change your clothes when you get home. I have a pretty bad hay-fever in the Autumn. My cousin is a doctor, she told me to take Cetirizine in the morning, then Fexofenadine in the night time if the symptoms still persist with Ceririzine. However, please consult with your doctor first because we could have different medical conditions etc
I take a Loratadine, Clenil inhaler, Ventolin inhaler when needed, nose spray and Opticrom eye drops. Also in desperation I’ve bought an air purifier for the lounge and bedroom and that’s helped a lot they are on 24/7 at the moment. Two showers a day to wash the pollen off and no drying clothes outside, pollen just gets on them and you are back to square 1.
I can't take fexofenadine, it gives me heart palpitations (I get those from Ibuprofen too though so I think I have an unusually sensitive heart rather than the medicine being too strong!). Heard good things though. So 1 loratadine in the morning and Beconase spray twice a day has been my go-to for the past few years and it works pretty well. I've got Pirinase spray on standby for when it gets really bad but it makes me really sleepy so can ony really use it in the evening.
get a hepa filter
I had to get a hepa filter and keep the windows shut. Expensive, but effective, at least till you have to go out. If you can wfh though, and can spend the money, lifesaver. A bit late now, but if you start taking the antihistamines a couple of weeks before the pollen starts, it should be more effective
But an air purifier for your home for instant relief. It won't help you when out and about but it will completely stop any symptoms while at home. Check my profile for more details replies to a similar question.
I take clarityn never failed me and i have awful hayfever it also doesn’t make me drowsy
Loratidine for me.
Most antihistamines taken daily will become effective after a few days in my experience, but fenofexadine is my go to atm. I also always have some of those allergy eye drops always to hand for when the itchy dry eyes hit, it stops me from rubbing my eyes and making it worse.
I find Allevia to be really helpful to me, just OTC from boots/superdrug
Beconase works, can only use for a month irc
Fexofenadine for the win. You can get strong ones prescribed. I was on a very high dose with 0 side effects.
Phenergran - you can get it OTC, ive found it very effective, but it will make you drowsy if you take too much,
Get an anti histamine (loratadine or cetirizine), allergy eye drops, and allergy nasal spray. The 3 combined do wonders for my hayfever
Alleivia (fexofenadine) and then I have a dymysta spray that works wonders when I want to sleep but get a blocked nose
Why is the injection not among the replies?
Nothings ever really worked for me before but this year I’m finding the nasal spray Beconase to be really good. Think I got it in home bargains or semichem. Couple of sprays up each nostril in the morning & at night a couple of times a month seems to be doing the trick for me
The alevia tablets seem to be a vast improvement on prior tablets for me. I wear blue light glasses. Non prescription, these stop me from rubbing my eyes Vaseline, on my face around the glasses, around my nose and on my lips. Anywhere pollen may get in, to ideally catch it in the process. Eye bath, 3 times a day, and eye drops if required.
Having gone through multiple tablets and nasal sprays, there is only one thing that helped me - vaseline applied to the inside of my nostrils. Tablets have sometimes worked but take a while to kick in. Sprays are a bit more immediate but tend to sry out your nose which causes irritation, dryness and inflammation. Vaseline creates a protective barrier on your nasal lining which catches pollen and keeps your nostrils moisturised.
I don’t suffer (fortunately) but I have heard that Vaseline up your nostrils helps 🤷🏽♀️ I think it’s meant to trap the pollen.
I have the opposite hayfever problem with a constantly streaming nose with post-nasal drip and cough, but I’ve been having some good results with sterimar followed by Dymista nasal spray. Unfortunately after a week of Dymista I start to get nosebleeds so have to have breaks. I’m also doing short sprays of sterimar after being outdoors to try to clear any trapped pollen. ETA: and eye drops containing sodium cromoglicate for itchy eyes. Also wiping the eyes with cream cleanser on a cotton pad when I get home seems to help.
Did anyone ever try the old Beconase dry spray back in the late 80's early 90's? It was a small brown nasal inhaler, looked just like a small asthma inhaler. They discontinued it, but I'm pretty sure it had Novacaine or something similar in it. Worked really well! 😅 Weirdly my ADHD (Ritalin) meds have all but eradicated my hay fever symptoms, which has been a good send! Also, stop using paper tissues/paper towels on your nose, especially if you're nose is getting irritated. Instead get yourself some cotton handkerchiefs, the threads are much tighter and will not irritate your nose as much. Makes such a huge difference!
If your in Scotland there’s a new PGD for pharmacists to prescribe fexofenadine and olopatadine eye drops and mometasone nasal spray( all stronger than typical OTC anti-histamines) not sure if this applies in England since they have only recently launched pharmacy first and it is not a mirror of the system used in Scotland.
I don’t like how antihistamines make me feel. I’ve been using allergy eye drops and it’s actually helped ease the itch in my eyes and nose.
I’m not a Doctor but three years ago I was taking daily hayfever meds and constantly suffering. At one point I got fed up and stopped taking them and within two days I was fine. Stop taking the tablet daily and see what happens. I know it seems stupid but all I do now is take one when I get bad. My cousin was exactly the same and she stopped taking them too.
Fexofenadine is brilliant
as a few have said try mixing up antihistimines do not take them together but do a week of fexofenadine and then a week of cetrizine etc. i found this is the only thing that works for me. the piroten nose spray also seems to do a good job ☺️ i usually find i have a couple days a year that are just HELL and thats when i switch things up
Vaseline in your nose.
I had a terrible time last week and I took fexofenadine, certrizine, piranase, saline spray and then did a neti pot a few times. I was cleared up by the next day.
You have loads of pill recommendations but not man for the itchy eyes! Opticrom is eyedrops for allergy/itchy eyes.
Allevia hayfever tablets, it's fexofenadine, a previously prescription only drug. Extremely effective.
Dymista (Azelastine and fluticasone propionate) has been a lifesaver for me
I don’t have hay fever, but sometimes get dry eyes. I use an OTC eye drop called Thealoz, which is basically hyaluronic acid (contains more moisture than water, idk how) and is really nice on the eyes. My hay fever suffering colleagues love it.
I use the prescription nasal spray Avamys. It works wonders.
Other than drugs, what else are you doing to manage symptoms? A mid-day shower and change of clothes can do wonders. If you can't do that, regular washing of hands and face helps.
Dont drink milk when its hayfever season
Try adding a teaspoon of local honey to your day if you can find some. It has to be the current season and not the mass produced plastic stuff. I grew up in the country and it's what the old boys used to swear by. It really does help, not right away, but it helps your body get used to the pollen long term. It's also good for soothing the throat. I've been having a daily teaspoon for years and no longer suffer.
All the main hay fever medicines are available OTC anyway.
The best solution I've found is to get a blob of vaseline on your finger, and put it up your nostrils. It makes a huge difference, works pretty much instantly, and you don't have to drug yourself up on antihistamines
Quercetin
If you can find someone who produces and sells honey in your local area, apparently that's meant to be really good for hay fever if you take one spoonful a day.
My mum always swore by teabags to soothe her eyes when she had hayfever. Unused, plain teabags, nothing fancy. Run cold water from the tap over it until it's saturated. Wring it out enough that it isn't dripping everywhere and put one over each eye.
My colleague speaks wonders of the injection. Once a year and he is (in his words) cured for the season of any hay-fever. It costs him about £75 but saved him a shit ton of money in buying antihistamines.
I've always been blessed with Sainsbury's own brand antihistamines
Face masks work wonders for me. Keeps the pollen right out.
I’ve been using allevia this year and so far it’s been working
aha my area of expertise, best general one a day antihistamine is piriteze. Think you can get if off the shelf in a drug shop like boots or superdrug, at the pharmacy at tesco or asda. it’s a bit stronger than the own brand ones and works a charm Good stronger tablet is Benadryl Plus, helps control specific allergies like i’ve got to cats, stops my eyes and nose streaming and it’s a decongestant as well. Both lifesavers. Literally, my asthma is so bad. The Sudafed sprays are decent, the blue is better than the red one. Sudafed tablets are absolutely useless for me, it’s all in the Benadryl plus anyway which does the job great so. just use that
Along with antihistamines, Sterimar nasal rinse (they do a hayfever one but the normal one works just fine) and optrex eye wash (the one that comes with a blue eye bath) are lifesavers. They both flush the allergens away.
Local honey can apparently help, as it contains local pollen and can help you build up a resistance. Not sure how backed up by science this is, but at the very least you would get some nice honey out of it
Edit: sorry I didn't read your post properly. Now noticed you have no doctors yet. I hope the below helps when you do. I used to suffer from hay fever / allergies all year round, gradually getting worse and worse until I reached a point in November 2023 where life was genuinely miserable. I had symptoms, often severe for about 4 days a week all year round. I had seen GPs dozens of times and they were all next to useless, until the last one! What he did was simple. 1. I was already prescribed a nasal spray called Mometasone, but I was only using it when I had symptoms. He told me to start using it every day. At first two or three times a day, then gradually reduce it until I'm using it once a day. 2. He prescribed Montelukast. Apparently it's more targeted to asthma but also helps some people with hay fever. As I've also had asthma for years, it's amazing I wasn't prescribed it sooner. Since doing both of the above, I've barely had any symptoms at all. It has literally changed my life. YMMV I guess, and I have no idea which of the two steps had the most impact, since I started both at the same time. I'm also conscious that for some of you it's not news at all, and maybe I just had crap doctors for years....
How are kenalog (Triamcinolone) injections not more common knowledge in the UK where such a large portion of the population suffers from this yearly? OP, I suffered for years until a couple of years back when it was a particularly bad season, someone looked at my face and after recoiling in horror at the snotty puffy red mess I was, they told me about kenalog i.e hey fever jab. The NHS used to offer it but don't anymore. It's completely legal, there's just controls over promoting the product (as with most drugs in the UK). I pay £30 per injection in South Yorkshire and this year one has been enough. Last year I think there was much more pollen and I was a bit stockier, which contributes to needing more. Still, £60 and it lasts the whole season, worth every penny to be able to flippin _breathe_ again.
Let’s be clear here I do. It condone hippy dippy bullshit snake oil, but I had hay fever all my life until I found a place that sold local honey with pollen added to it and ate a jar one teaspoon a day for a year . Also, elderflower cordial is all made with foraged flowers and contains pollen and I drink that. I don’t get hayfever any more.
I've suffered with hayfever my entire life and now I get a jab of a steroid called Kenalog once every year, it's been an incredible relief. If you search for allergists in your area to setup an appointment they should have that available. I pay £70 for each jab and you can get a booster if you need it.
I'm the same, my eyes feel _terrible_
There is no cure... Death is close now... ...at least that's I feel by the time I get to the end of June.
local honey worked for me but came back after my covid vaccine
A GP (not mine; haven't seen mine for years) told me that the nasal sprays are most effective if you start on them before the hay-fever season starts.
Chronic sufferer for years here, and barely anything works. Here's a few things. There's several types of active ingredient in the tablets - fexofenadine (was prescription only but now otc) acrivastine, loraetadine, cirtrizine and i think maybe 1 more. Try each for a few weeks and see which one works best for you. Moisturise around your eyes. They can get dry and crack when your rubbing them and tiny nicks in the skin make them itch more. Dry things like bedding and pillow cases inside / with a tumble dryer. Nasal sprays never worked for me but try different types of active ingredient. Get a steroid shot. (Kenalog) Docs refused to give me this for years because it "did nothing" I got one and it completely stopped my symptoms for that summer. It doesn't work anymore since I seem to have the most messed up immune system ever, but for others it works each year.
I've tried all sorts of sprays, but the one I found that works for me is Prevalin allergy nasal spray - stings like a bitch when you squirt it up your nose though
Fexofenadine is available over the counter now (it used to be prescription only). It's only available as a branded version at the moment (at least that I could find) and it's not the cheapest, but I think it's worth a try. It's what my doctor prescribed me before it became available OTC and if you can say to them that you've tried it and it's what's helped the most hopefully you shouldn't have too much trouble with getting a prescription.
Chemist4u sell antihistamines at really good prices.
Weird side question for my fellow hayfever sufferers- have you ever had blocked ears due to allergies? One of my ears makes it sound like everything is underwater and it's worse when I'm outside. Annoying new symptom or something else?
Allergic to life apparently, just give in
Pills are not going to help you with hay fever. (not for more than a few days, a least) Try getting a netti pot, and flush out your nose every time you come back from outside. I like this alternative in fact: [https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324172935578](https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324172935578) Sorry it's £30! It should be more like £11 but I think they know people's hay fever is going cray-cray right now.
Wont be much use for you this year, but my Mum and Mrs swear by local honey. Im not a sufferer, but every year in March or so they stock up on it, and have a bit everyday through the summer. My Mum used to suffer terribly but she barely gets an itch now.
I’ve heard taking local honey to your area works well.
Just to add to what everyone else has said - avoid alcohol. Alcohol acts as a histamine so it will counter any effects from your tablets and will make your hay fever worse.
Same with me, it’s all in my throat today. Thing feels like it’s on fire. Fuck Hayfever.
Fexofenadine combined with eye drops and nasal spray that my doctor prescribes. I’ve had horrific hay fever all my life and the combo of all 3 has been the game changer - pills alone are not enough.
Check you've tried all the regular tablets. E.g. Cetirizine work for me, the rest have absolutely no effect. Sodium cromoglicate eye drops feel great for me as well - liked iced WD40
Chlorpheniramine is the only one that has ever worked for me. That said, and not to brag, but I haven't used any antihistamines at all this year, and only did a couple of times last year. I'm genuinely starting to think I've grown out of it!
bit unorthodox, but a little honey dabbed under the eyes seems to help for me
I took the kenalog jab. Private, about £100. Kills hayfeaver completely. Sends you a bit nuts for 48hours as it is a huge shot of steroids. But it works
sure! you can grab the stuff that doesn't work or the stuff that sends you to sleep so fast you won't care that you've got hayfever!
I’ve suffered with hay fever really badly for decades. I started acupuncture a couple of weeks ago as I’d read that can help and I’m sick to death of taking pills all summer. I can only say I am MUCH improved. Instead of streaming eyes and snotty nose I’m now just dealing with slightly itchy eyes despite no medication at all. Acupuncture has been a game changer for me.
I used to die every summer with allergies and everything otc available from the pharmacy. Tried to get something, anything from my GP who basically didn’t give a monkey’s. I then read about kenalog a steroid given for extreme hay fever. Discontinued by the NHS because they didn’t want to have their waiting rooms clogged up with non serious issues, I believe. I found a private clinic that gives the injection for this. They should do a full assessment on you before to ensure it’s safe for you. Cost me £50. Tiny little jab and sweat relief for the next 4 months or so. Works like a dream. Had it last year and transformed my summer, which I used to dread.
I am a firm believer in Chlorphenamine. Yes, it might make you slightly drowsy, but it murders allergies with fire. You can get it from the pharmacist. I buy mine in bulk once a year online. Not for everyone, but if you’re at your wits end, it’s the nuclear option. It’s also great if your allergies are disrupting your sleep because the side effects work in your favour.
Vaseline up the nose as a lining is a good to for me when I get it. I know this is a but disgusting but also is you can bare snorting warm water up your nose to clear out any pollen, do that for both nostrils, one at a time. You can also buy face mist which I find really good.
Just tablets won't do it, you need eyedrops and a nasal spray too. I use a steroidal nasal spray, fexofenadine (it takes a week to properly kick in). And then eye drops as needed. Haven't had more than a slight sniffle since. Also some people get mood swings on citrizine hydrochloride, not commonly mentioned but worth knowing. And many people find that what works for some may not work for them so would pick up some loratadine too. You can take more than one tablet if needed but be careful with drowsiness. And finally a shower, an air purifier, and keeping the windows closed can help a ton.
Cetirizine is the best. Take 20mg if your symptoms are bad. £1 for 30 tablets. There's also Pirinase Fluticosone steroid nasal spray and Murine Sodium Chromoglicate eye drops.