Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to reduce swelling from hayfever because my eyes are really swollen and painful and although i'm on loratadine and eye-drops it doesn't seem to be helping. It's set my asthma off aswell and i've had a wierd cough this week that doesn't seem to be going. Has anyone else had this?
Thanks
Becca xxx
Hi Becca
To calm down my eyes , i keep the drops in the fridge
Also buy either cucumber or elderflower eye gel and keep that in the fridge and put on whenever. (Boots for cucumber and Body Shop for elderflower)
Hope this helps.
maybe you need something stronger than loratidine. i think i am right in saying that desloratidine is stronger. you need to check this thought i'm not medical but i got moved up to that last year. i've also been put on singulair at night which is now licensed for hayfever as well as asthma and it has made a big difference to me. hope this helps
Hiya,
Thanks for the advice, i'll try to get hold of some cucumber eye gel. Thanks.
Do you know if desloratidine can be used if your under 16?
What do you mean by singular? (sorry if i'm being thick! lol)
Thanks for you're help
Becca xxx
I'm on desloratidine also and i think it's stronger than loratadine but i think it also depends on what suits, i've tried many in the past, this is the 1st one that i've been able to take 3 yrs running.
Perhaps have a chat with dr or a pharmacist?
Christine
Hiya
Thanks, i've tried Cetirizine before but it didn't work. I'll try to find out about desloratidine. Thanks.
Becca xxx
If trying to reduce hayfever symptoms re eye problems does not resolve through using normal antihistamines and alternative, but very useful therapies, ask your doc about using Maxitrol eye drops. Very useful in the short term, but not for long term use.
Mia
Desloratadine
Done a bit of a lit search...
Desloratadine (which is what your body naturally metabolises loratadine into anyway) was marketed by the drug company as being better than loradatine but there aren't really any big trials that back it up, so some would say it's a cynical marketing ploy to keep making more money by changing the drug very slightly and relicencing it when the proprietory licence on the original drugs runs out... same as ceterizine becoming levoceterizine. (Sorry, really am being very cynical tonight!)
Having said that, everyone's different and trials don't really allow for that, so experiment and find out which one works best for you... personally I swear by ceterizine, but that's just me.
Drugs-wise I like the potent combination of a non-sedating antihistamine (eg ceterizine, loradatine) in the morning, a sedating one in the evening (eg Piriton), montelukast (aka Singulair), nasal steroids and cromoglycate eye drops! Also various non-drug things like cold eye baths, frequent washing of face in cold water and one new thing I've just invented - gargling with cold water (fridge cold not ice cold as that can be dangerous) - really seems to help that horrid unscratchable itch at the back of the throat!
If you're not settled on one antihistamine though, you should really see your doctor before contemplating a heavy regimen of more meds, it's not to be recommended without proper medical advice, especially if your asthma needs attention too! Montelukast could be the way to go, and it's prescription only.
Hope this helps, if anyone wants specifics from the literature give me a shout! (I have way too much time on my hands and I ain't used to it... need to work!)
Emily H
I think u're right emily, doesn't matter what the drug is, it's what works for u!
I use just the desloratidine and eye drops, can't use nasel sprays cus they just go down my throat (every year i have the same argument with dr's til this yr!).
Christine
I foound that if my nose is clear it will go down my throat - but if it's clogged
like 2day it doesn't go anywhere!
Wow, thanks for all your advice! We've decided that if my hayfever hasn't settled down by monday we'll go to the doctors about it.
Thanks,
Becca xxx
Hi,
I lay down with an eye mask on, seems to help a bit. Also i went to the allergy show last year & brought an agumag mask, that vibrates around the nose & clears it. The itchy throat, sucking sweets is good.
I have been very bad, sneezing my head off, coughing & wheezing like mad, ive been taking Pine Bark, has anyone else tried using this. It is meant to help relieve hayfever & asthma symptoms only been taking it a few days, no improvement yet.
Im going to go to dr tomorrow & ask for a nasel spray anyone suggest a good one???
i'm also going to tell him, i need a new inhaler, the one im taking at the moment isnt working 
For me desloradine, is no good for me, i took it 2yrs ago & gave me panic attacks, which isnt very nice when suffering asthma aswell.
Take Care
LMC
LMC, I got Baconase nose spray on prescription - it's done wonders for my terrible sinus pain!
Flixonase
Don't think it matters which nasal spray you use, I have Flixonase but there's lots of different ones.
Just make sure it's a steroid not a decongestant spray, as they can cause rebound congestion once you stop using them!
I find it helpful to lie on my back with my head hanging off the edge of the bed whilst using it and for 5 mins after, so it doesn't run straight out again, it's not the easiest position to maintain if wheezy too though! (plus my husband really laughs at me!)
Emily H
Hi LMC,
I use Beconase which is really good, there are lots of good ones about.
Becca xxx
Shadowcat, the reason nasal sprays just go straight down my throat is because I had an operation as a child which has left a larger gap at the back of my nose than most people have. I've had quite a few 'interesting' experiences with pea's, carrots and noodles lol
Christine
Just thought I'd add my input after seeing an ENT guy during this admission who confimed allergic rhinitis (hayfever) by shoving a camera up my hooter lol! I had really bad hayfever as a kid but thought it had settled.
He said it doesn't matter which steroid nasal spray u use, whichever you prefer. I'm taking nasonex as the mo but have used both flixonase and beconase in the past. He also says to wash out your nose at least twice a day with a salt solution to remove the snot (lovely) and allergens and then use your nasal spray:
Make up a solution of a pint of water with a teaspoon of salt in (or 2 if your nose feels particularly bad). Using a 10ml syringe squirt 10ml, twice into each nostril over a sink. It should run down the back of your throat 2 as then it shows its worked.
He also suggested the Indian Nose Pipe...have got the details somewhere if anyone is interested. You can only buy it on the net from New Zealand and costs less than £10.
Hope the nasal washing helps someone as much as it seems to be helping me.
Em x
I'm not usually that bad with hayfever I usually get it very mild if I get it all. But its been mad today my eyes swelled up and were itching like crazy I couldn't stop sneezing and my nose has been runny all day. Maybe it was just a bad day today, does anyone know what the count was like today?? If it wasn't pollen I went to a farm so may of been something there.
tks xxxxxxxxxx
TKS - The north west has had a high pollen count today so that might be it.
I was wondering if anyone can help me? For the last few weeks I have been waking up in the mornong with red, sticky/weepy eyes. The thing is they are then ok for most of the dya. I ahve neber suffered frmo hayfever before so I don'tt know whats thia is. Could it be hayfever?
I found a likn on the web thatt mifght be helpful,. Please remove it if it iss not alloewd. It tells you the pollen forcasst across the UK and hass a potllrn caslender youu can doewnload.
zirtek.co.uk/Support/Pollen...
Lovve
Sterph xxx
Sticky eyes
I bought the hayfever relief eyedrops from Boots late yesterday as an emergency, 'don't want to use prescription eyedrops' unless forced to do so.
Interestingly, they ( the eyedrops) contain sodium cromoglycate - I well remember that drug from many years gone by as an asthma relief spinhaler medication.
Used the eyedrops last night and woke up this morning with dry but NOT sticky eyes.
So will continue with these eyedrops.
BTW Boots is giving away a free 'hayfever survival kit' with any hayfever relieving meds. Tissues are very useful!
Mia
Mia!
Ditto! I too bought the Boots eye drops with the freebie yesterday as eyes were going bonkers too!
There were quite a few other peeps in there clutching various hayfever meds & their free kit!
BTW Sodium Cromoglycate (Intal) is an anti- allergic drug a preventer but sometimes also had ventolin in as well as a compound inhaler. (not done now)
Kate
XXX
Ahh makes sense, Moose, but noodles up ur nose sure sounds like an unpleasant experience!
I took every hayfever med under the sun this morn
coz the weather folks said the pollen count was gunna be high -
BUT then it poured down with rain all day!
desloratidine
hi becky
yes desloratidine can be used under 16 as 2 of my children are on it under its sister name neoclarityn. they were 16 and 13 when first on it.
Mia thos eye drops ya got sound like Opticrom eye drops (branded) as they are sodium cromoglicate 2% lol
I have them on script as have a rpoblems that me eyes are hyper sensitive to any slight allergen lol
Had an eye op when I was 9 that left eye very sensitive lol
I use the Optrex branded eyedrops....well try 2 anyway, it usually ends up mostly on me instead of in my eyes!
Sympathise with the dodgy eye Wheezer. Mine is my right one.Very little vision there now. But still a little bit. Apparently that is very worth saving, despite the, ‘two fingers or three’ level of eye sophistication test for said right eye.
So I have to make sure that both eyes stay allergy symptom free. If only for being able to read big blue motorway signs when gone past BBMS. Thank goodness I still have a good memory, despite the pred! LOL.
And this latest round of pollenesque nightmare symptomatic ummm….yellow peril stuff isn’t helping…
I’m normally prescribed maxitrol eye drops re severe allergic response. Fortunately I’m not allergic to the neomycin type antibi part of those eyedrops. Some/many asthmatics are.
As usual. I want to use the least most powerful drug re ‘sledgehammer’ effects upon my immune system. Hyperactive though it is! So the sodium cromoglycate is one ‘comforting’ childhood memory.
BTW - I’d definitely like to banish it- my hyperactive immune system - permanently to the ‘naughty step’
In my dreams. In most people’s dreams?
Mia
xxx
PS Kate - I remember Intal plus ventolin, but vaguely. Red capsules?
I thought intal was yellow and white capsules in a tin?
Bex
Intal - Sodium cromoglycate (sp?)
Red & white Capsules was the intal compound that went into the spinhaler device - also came as a white MDI inhaler with a red cap
Red & yellow Capsules was the straight stuff - also came in a white MDI inhaler with a blue cap me thinks??
You can still get straight intal in an MDI inhaler !
Kate
I have this image of yellow and white caps but it was sooooooooo long ago I could be wrong. I deffo remember the tin the spin-haler came in.
Bex
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