If you take anything other than antihistamines for allergies would you share what you do?

[Tap]

DD17 is really struggling with migraines right now and I want to figure out if her allergies are the cause.  She had allergy shots until 15 months ago, so this is her first spring that is completely off of short-term benefits of shots. She still has some of the long-term benefits, in that her eyes aren't swollen shut right now, which 5 years ago they would have been.  

 

We want to try  a different approach to her allergies for a while.  Traditional antihistamines are very drying for her and they make her eyes hurt due to dryness.  She absolutely cannot use a netti-pot or nasal spray (phobia).  

 

I thought I would see if anyone has tried and had success with other naturopathic/herbal treatments like stinging nettles or eye bright.  

 

Any suggestions? 

[Katy]

I think she should drink more water.  One of the body's uses for histamine is managing water, so she's probably dehydrated before she takes the medicine.  If she's so dehydrated her eyes hurt, I'd have her drink two quarts of gatorade (there's a low calorie version if you don't like the sugar) by the time she goes to bed tonight.

 

There are cross-reactions with some foods that make allergies seem worse.  For example, if you're allergic to ragweed, you may also have a mild reaction to bananas - stuffy nose, etc.  You can research what the cross reactions are for her individual allergens.

 

There are some people who say taking a spoonful of local honey every day reduces allergens.  It never made a difference for me.

 

There are some people who say essential oils make a huge difference.  I think it's a mixture of three food-grade oils put into a capsule and swallowed.  I wouldn't let a child do that because those oils do kill bacteria, and no studies have been done to determine the safety or if they do the same thing as antibiotics and make you more susceptible to resistant bacteria or something like C-Diff.

 

One thing you might try is giving her some supplements of anti-inflammatory foods.  She could eat them, or take them in tablets - things like fish oil, turmeric, cinnamon, and cherries are anti inflammatory foods that are sold in tablet form at say, Walmart. If there is less inflammation the allergies might not bother her as much.  Do make sure she stops taking the turmeric before her period though, it's a blood thinner and will lead to a mysteriously heavy period.

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I tried a number of herbals, with no effect.

 

Magnesium helped my asthma--I assume because it is a smooth muscle relaxer and it had a bit of a bronchiodialator effect.  I do take a ton of tumeric and fish oil as well which has been helpful for my R.A.  For straight up allergies, though, I live on fluticasone nasal spray and zyrtec.

 

Have you charted her migraines? Have you tried feverfew and magnesium for those?   My migraines were hormonal in nature.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I tried all sorts of stuff short of voodoo.  None of it worked.  My nasal symptoms don't irritate me as much as the itchy watery eyes.  The drops with ketotifen have the least amount of side affects for me and work "ok".  During the worst of it I live on Benadryl.  It's the only thing that cuts it. 

One thing I don't have at all though are sinus issues.  No headache/sinus stuff at all really.  My kid is currently dealing with that and the doc pretty much said there isn't a whole lot that can be done at this point.  They have some surgical procedures that can help, but they won't do those procedures on someone his age (14).  I imagine they might do that for your daughter.  My sister had a procedure where they freeze the tissues up in your nose/sinuses that she said helped quite a bit.  She did say the procedure was painful as hell though.

 

Oddly though I had migraines as a kid a lot.  I mean geesh at lease one per week.  No doctor ever figured out why.  As an adult though I don't have them anymore. 

 

I can't tolerate nasal sprays either.  They make me feel like I'm drowning or something.  Just hate that.  So I do understand that. 

 

 

[IfIOnly]

My husband used to spend months of each year with toilet paper up his nose until he was recommended and tried over the counter Flonase this year. It has worked incredibly well for him.

 

Whoops just was the nasal spray phobia. Well, it's the only thing that has worked well for DH. Like incredible night and day difference.

Edited May 11, 2016 by ifIonlyhadabrain

[Carol in Cal.]

Allegra is not drying for me at all, nor does it make me drowsy, and it controls most seasonal allergies as well as severe allergies to dogs and cats.

 

I have tried the local honey and find it helpful.

 

I sometimes use Sudafed, the real behind the counter kind, as a jump start if I wake up congested.  That DOES dry you out though.  

 

Also, even if she hates the neti pot, using steam can really help.  When nothing is working for me I pour boiling water into a coffee mug and breathe it while I'm sitting at my desk.  Once it cools off and stops steaming I zap it in the microwave to heat it up again and again.

[bluemongoose]

Local honey helped some but wasn't a complete fix.

 

Netti helps a lot! Bummer that it won't work for her!

 

Now I'm doing sublingual drops from the allergist. The idea is similar to allergy shots but you can take them at home and get a 100 day supply at a time. Much more convenient! They are helping too. It is supposed to take up to 5 years for maximum effect...

[Daria]

We have good results with Singulair.

[SparklyUnicorn]

 

Now I'm doing sublingual drops from the allergist. The idea is similar to allergy shots but you can take them at home and get a 100 day supply at a time. Much more convenient! They are helping too. It is supposed to take up to 5 years for maximum effect...

 

I'm intrigued by this.  Five years is a long time though!  During this time are you still able to take whatever OTC allergy stuff you want?  I assume they did allergy testing. What is your allergy to specifically?

 

I've had seasonal allergies forever so I'm getting kinda tired of it.

[Allearia]

I was going to recommend Nasacort until I saw about not being able to use nasal sprays. It has changed my life.

 

Sorry, I know how miserable allergies can be. I really hope she finds something.

[gardenmom5]

Nac 1000mg 2x per day
Calc fluor 6x homeopathic. My sinuses really like it.
Professional formula homeopathic nasal spray. I think a doc in the practice mixes it up, so I'll check for something comparable. Hylands might.

 

eta: added a link.

Edited May 12, 2016 by gardenmom5

[J-rap]

My ds had bad spring allergies growing up.  The first big spring wind that came would bring it on, and usually by the next morning, his eyes would be swollen shut.  Then it was just trying to barely stay on top of it by using different allergy meds for about three months.  (One kind helped more in the beginning, but then in a month they wouldn't work as well and he had to move on to a different kind.)

 

Then, in his early 20's, he went on a low-carb Paleo diet.  That has pretty much cured his allergies.  He thinks it's not really because his body isn't allergic anymore, but it can more easily fight off the symptoms since it isn't also fighting other inflammation things that were going on with a more traditional higher-carb diet.

[bluemongoose]

I'm intrigued by this.  Five years is a long time though!  During this time are you still able to take whatever OTC allergy stuff you want?  I assume they did allergy testing. What is your allergy to specifically?

 

I've had seasonal allergies forever so I'm getting kinda tired of it.

 

Sorry I was at an appointment.

 

Yes, they did an allergy test. I am allergic to dust, grasses, trees, and weeds, but the grasses were by far the worst. I chose to do grasses for the drops because they were so bad and the other things were mild.

 

Basically, just like allergy shots, you are given a small dose of the thing you are allergic to and you build up immunity over time. Grasses take the longest is what I have been told, up to five years, but you do feel some relief especially after the first season of doing it.  You only take the drops right before the season starts until the end the season. For grasses that is the beginning of Feb-the end of July. Then you are done until next season. It tastes a bit like sugar, not bad at all. 

 

Yes, you can still take OTC antihistamines. I take zyrtec.

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I am so tired of it, but five years seemed so long. I just decided I could continue to feel dried up and drowsy from antihistamines for the next five years, or do this and feel progressively better each year.

[Ottakee]

Any way you can get her over the phobia of nasal spray?  That makes a serious, major difference for me......flonase, nasacort, etc.  

[Tap]

Any way you can get her over the phobia of nasal spray?  That makes a serious, major difference for me......flonase, nasacort, etc.  

I have talked to her about it, but I don't think so.  It really is an irrational fear type situation, so unless I got her counseling to deal with it, I don't think I can find a resolution.

 

Her allergist even gave her the option of stopping allergy shots (3 shots at a time)  if she would use a nasal spray, and she chose allergy shots instead.  

[sbgrace]

I was also going to suggest nasal spray until I read that wasn't an option for her. Rats.

 

My son does get benefit from pycnogenol--both nasal and allergy related asthma are much improved at doses given to treat asthma in medical studies.

 

However, he also takes Zyrtec and Singulair. 

[aharrington]

We went for allergy testing last spring after he was on the couch for a week sleeping all day with congestion and gastrointestinal symptoms.  We discovered that he had allergies to nuts, peanuts, soy, trees, grass, mold, cat, dog, dust, etc.... along with oral allergy syndrome.

 

He has two nasal sprays, because insurance won't cover the one that contains both meds, eye drops, and was told to take claritin in the morning and zyrtec at night.  We just started the sublingual drops in March.  We have two vials, which are for all of his environmental allergies.  He will be on the drops year-round.  Doctor said we would not see benefit of those this year since we started so late.  We drop most of the meds when the pollen dies down and then use only as needed.

 

Over the past year, we have eaten more organic, did about 6 months of juice plus, increased his magnesium by using epsom salt baths, started using essential oils (eucalyptus and peppermint)  in diffuser on nights he is stuffy, and of course eliminated foods he is allergic to.  This year we are not where we would like to be, but it is better.  I am not sure what exactly might have helped.  Still a lot of "I hate spring" comments.

Edited May 11, 2016 by aharrington

[caedmyn]

Haven't read responses...but I've had pretty good success for my mild (spring) to moderate (late summer weed season...our backyard is a jungle) allergies with sublingual b12, 5000 mcg 1-3x/day. Takes a few days to kick in but helped quite a bit once it did.

 

Freeze dried nettles are supposed to be really good for allergies (best form of nettles). They were next on my list if the b12 hadn't helped. Also quercetin has some studies showing that it prevents the release of histamine. Idk if it's been specifically studied for seasonal allergies but have heard of some people successfully using it for them.

[KarenNC]

We've had good success with taking quercetin with bromelain capsules, one to two as needed, for several years. I don't usually take it more than twice a day, and only occasionally. Most antihistamines make me very drowsy, and this relieves congestion, etc without the drowsiness or drugged feeling. I started with some my mother-in-law ordered---Querciplex from Douglas Labs---but have found the quercetin with bromelain from The Vitamin Shoppe to do just as well for us and it's cheaper plus I can get it locally. My 15 yo daughter takes it as well occasionally.

 

Edited May 12, 2016 by KarenNC

[momacacia]

My kids have great success with D-hist Jr., and I've read similar good results from D-hist the adult version. Just a thought.

[Sandragood1]

I haven't used these, but I've been eyeing them for a while: nose filters. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_s_ss_i_1_10?k=woody+nose+filter&sprefix=woody+nose

 

I think your best bet is going to be getting a counselor to help with the nose spray phobia, though.

[6packofun]

My dd has had some luck with D-Hist (which also contains Bromelain as Karen above mentioned).  She cannot swallow pills, so she takes 2 of the Jr. version, but I think she could use the full adult dose because the effectiveness has reached a plateau.  It "wears off" so then she takes an OTC med, but I'm glad to have something natural so she's not maxing out on drugs.  LOL

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ortho-Molecular-Product-Natural-Capsules/dp/B0006ON6D8

[kbutton]

Fish oil and probiotics help me, but it's not a cut and dry thing (I had shots). It does improve things. Cutting overall inflammation is never a bad idea.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I didn't have allergies as a child but they appeared with my first pregnancy and got progressively worse with each one. A couple of years ago I spent the entire fall feeling completely miserable. I felt like I had the worst head cold ever along with itchy eyes, nose, throat, and skin. They were worse in the fall but I had them year round and woke up every morning sneezing. OTC allergy meds either didn't help at all, dried me out, or made me incredibly drowsy. A couple of things that helped me was nettles in a homemade herbal tea and raw, local honey.

 

I eventually got so sick of feeling sick all the time and no traditional remedies helping that I started looking into diet and nutrition. About a year and a half ago I cut all added, processed sugars and noticed a big improvement. I also started taking a probiotics, vitamin D, and fish oil. Last summer I did my first Whole30 and the fall allergies were significantly more mild. (Whole30 eliminates dairy, sugar, grains, legumes, and alcohol.) I did a second Whole30 in January and discovered that processed sugar and dairy cause my allergies to flare up. If I avoid them I have no allergy symptoms at all. I still limit legumes and grains too but I'll eat them occasionally (and sugar and dairy too if I'm honest but I'm very careful with them) I've also added probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kombucha to my diet. I feel like overall, my body is getting healthier and carries over to improvements with allergies. I'm hopeful that if I keep this up I'll still be feeling great in the fall.

[Katy]

:iagree:   I was just coming back to ask if you've tried an elimination diet.  Especially common allergens, dairy, and gluten.

[Penguin]

Me: Lifelong sufferer of various debilitating allergies. Am 2.5 years through topical steroid withdrawal, so nose sprays are not an option.

 

Giving up dairy all but solved my sinus problems. It also helped my eczema. I see less improvement on the itch factor within my nose and eyes.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Penguin

[Shellydon]

Nasal sprays are the best thing there is.  Sorry.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

My ds, age 14, absolutely refused to try nasal rinses until last week which I have asked him over the years when he gets sick. He was just about phobic over it I would say. Finally I convinced him by emphasizing that with the Neil Med Nasal Rinse bottle that he can control how much goes in the nose and press very gently. I also emphasized that it was the one of the best things to help him get better since he has been so sick sick so much this year. I also described that he would keep his mouth open and gently squeeze bottle and let it flow out the other nose and breathe through mouth. Neilmed has a video on it that may be reassuring. 

 

I am sorry if I am redundant.