Allergies, help please

[SW in IL]

My son (age 16) and I are visiting friends and relatives and we're both miserable. I'm allergic to animal dander and pollen. DS is probably allergic to the same. The relatives we're staying with have an indoor dog (border collie) and several outdoor cats. The friends we visit with often have 2 indoor dogs and also several outdoor cats. And the other relative has 4 cats. We also spend a good part of each day out doing stuff -- in and around cows, horses and various other animals. Add to that the pollen and life is fun but very uncomfortable.

 

Both my doctor and DS's doctor suggested that the best thing we can do is to try to sleep away from the animals and use OTC allergy meds. So, we're living on Benadryl but it leaves us both sleepy and out of it. We had tried another OTC product some years ago, one that claimed it didn't make you drowsy, but it didn't help as much as the Benadryl does (I think it was Claratin but it might have been something else). Avoiding the "offenders" isn't really an option. We'll be here for another week (have already been here for a few weeks) and then we'll be back in October for a few weeks.

 

Anyone have any suggestions? Is there an OTC med that works well but doesn't leave you drowsy? Any herbal/alternative ideas?

 

Thanks,

Sue

p.s. While I'm here I don't have access to email so please either respond to this thread or PM me. Thank you.

[gracesteacher]

What we were told is to take zyrtec prebed, make sure the animals do not have acess to the bedroom wash sheets in hotwater and showerbfore. Bed

[vettechmomof2]

Also I would recommend using a saline nasal flush at least twice a day and rinsing your eyes as well. I have animal allergies, I own many of them and work with them and this is what I get by with. It doesn't correct it but makes them much more livable.

[Mom0012]

I had horrible allergies this year and they especially affected my eyes. Regular allergies meds dried my eyes out further, which just made me more miserable than ever. I wound up trying a product called Nasalcrom and it was wonderful. It completely eliminated my allergy symptoms within a day or two and it works in a localized way so there were no side effects. I picked mine up at Harris Teeter, but I'm sure Walmart, Target, etc. would carry it.

 

Lisa

[Dana]

My son takes Zyrtec daily and when we're in an area where he has allergen exposure, he takes Allegra and a nasal spray (Cromolyn Sodium).

 

It helps, but I definitely would be sleeping elsewhere.

[mrs.m]

Start taking the Zyrtec or Allegra now for your trip in Oct. It takes some time to build in your system. I usually feel better after taking it for a week.

[missiemick]

Start taking the Zyrtec or Allegra now for your trip in Oct. It takes some time to build in your system. I usually feel better after taking it for a week.

:iagree:

I would also add that I've had a massive reduction in allergies once I removed wheat from my diet. If I had known I would have done it years ago!

[TammyinTN]

Zyrtec everynight before bed. It's the only thing here to tame our crazy allergies.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

:iagree:

I would also add that I've had a massive reduction in allergies once I removed wheat from my diet. If I had known I would have done it years ago!

 

I'm also finding this to be true. Before, I would get very itchy, watery eyes around cats, and asthma around dogs. I just spent time at step-MIL's and the cat didn't really bother me at all. Surprising.

[elise1mds]

Zyrtec and a nasal spray. We swear by that combination here, too. If you still experience problems, you can try adding a daily low-dose Pepcid to the regimen as an alternative histamine blocker.