iccky

So I've always has allergies. From roughly mid-April until September I sniffle and sneeze, and try to keep a box of Kleenex close at hand. But up until now it has always been a minor nuisance.

Not this year. For some reason this you is brutal. I can't go ten minutes without blowing my nose. My head aches, my sinuses feel like they are imploding, and my throat is sore. To top it all off, I think all this sneezing if making me dehydrated. I've self-medicated with some over the counter Claritin, which has made it livable but far from plesant.

So I'm finally thinking of going to an alergist and starting to get alergy shots. Does anyone have experience with this? Are there other treatments the allegist might reccomend? If I do get shots, how often will I get them, and more importantly will they really help.

Willravel

I took allergy shots for 7-8 years of my childhood. They work for some people, but not for me. Every time I had a shot, I had a reaction. They did not help me at all, but they could help you. If you want to invest the time, I suggest trying it...but if it doesn't work after a few years, it's alright to just use an over-the-counter antihistimine.

Gatorade Frost

Do it. I was miserable for 17 years of my life. Consant sinus infections, it was awful for me. Half the time I couldn't breathe.

Then I started getting allergy shots.

My entire life turned around. I was able to breathe for the first time in my entire life.

On how many shots you'll get and how often, that depends.

How I've had it done - I get shots twice a week until I get to the highest level of allergy serum, then it will be once a week for a while, then once every two weeks, once every three weeks, once a month, and eventually once every two months or so.

My sister just had something called cluster shots done that basically speeds through 9 months of build up in about a month. I'm not sure how it's done. I think for her it was incredibly painful, but after it was over I think it worked.

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newtx

I had the full testing and took the shots for about 2 years. It is not a cure but it helped me. I got tired of taking the shots after I felt so much better the second year. I told the doc I was doing much better but he kept stretching the time between shots. At this point it was 1 shot every 2 weeks. For some reason doctors and dentists never want to turn you loose..........................................

maleficent

Allergy season turned me into the seven dwarfs - Sneezy and wheezy when spring hit... Sleepy, Grumpy, Dopey when taking the OTC allergy meds or even the prescription meds.... So i stopped being so Bashful and went to see the Doc for some relief -and ended up with shots -which helped immensely... and made me almost Happy...

I haven't had the shots in a few years and the way I'm feeling, I'm probaby due for them...

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raeanna74

I've not had the shots but I've heard from some people who did and it helped.

I've played around with different medication combinations and found my golden key - Claritan daily for prevention, Flonase (prescription) and/or Phenyphrine Hydrocloride for treatment of symptoms. Together I have few bad allergy days.

I have found that using a saline spray daily (when I remember to) seems to help reduce my sensitivity and problems don't come up as often.

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iccky

Thanks for the tips everyone.

Since it sounds like the shots won't really kick in in time to help much this allergy season, I think I'll be going the Claratin/nasla spray/eyedrops route for now. Depending on how much the shots cost and how much my insurance will pay I might start them next winter.

Has anyone had any luck with air filters like they sell in Sharper Image?

Plaid13

i dunno about the sharper image air filters but i have one of those fancy ionic air filters that works really well. although its a hassle i need to clean it every 5days to a week. but it does alot better job then the hepa type air filter things and dosnt make any noise. It has helped my allegys a fair amount.

thingstodo

It would still be good to see a Dr. They might not even reccomend shots as there are quite a few other meds on the market that work well. My wife doesn't do as well with Clariton as she does with another one whose name I can't recall right now. Anyway, your Dr. would know.

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CaliLivChick

I developed allergies seven years ago... thought I had a cold for six months... doctor asked if I had allergies, and I said no. He said try again. After trying a few different allergy meds that would work for a few months, then quit working, I found Allegra, and have taken it every day (I went from nothing to everything) ever since, with great success. Even when Claritin went OTC, and my insurance company recommended getting that because they were raising the copay on my Allegra, I stuck with it because I knew it worked. I never got to the point where I needed shots, but things change.

As for the air filter, I LOVE my Ionic Breeze Quadra. I got it for Christmas a few years ago, and yes, you do have to clean it every week, but you just take a washcloth that you don't care about, wet a corner of it, clean the blades, dry the blades, and put it back together. A few minutes a week is worth the benefit it gives. If you set it for too large of a room, you'll know, because you smell the ozone, and it smells really funny, so you turn it down. I also got a pillow case and pillow for allergy sufferers, and that has also helped.

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snowy

Yeah, I'm one of those who needs something stronger than Claritin. I took Zyrtec for my allergies during the particularly bad seasons. It's a long-lasting allergy medication that works especially well for those who have indoor/outdoor allergies like I do. Between that and Flonase (go Flonase), I'm good to go for allergy season.

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ChrisJericho

I think I got allergy shots for about 5 years (beginning in high school and a few years in college). They virtually elimnated my pollen allergies. Before taking the shots I used to always have to keep a few pills of sudafed with me. Spring was horrible, and if someone was wearing a strong perfume I would be sniffling and sneezing for a long time. However, they didn't really chaneg my reaction to cat/dog hair allergies, but I don't think they were intended for those allergies.


So after the allergy shots I'd say my nose was clear 85% of the time, but soemtimes my nose would just be "stuffy" without any snot or anything. So now I take Flonase which is pretty awesome, because it got rid of this coccasional stuffiness PLUS when I go to relative's houses which have dogs and cats I don't sneeze. it's pretty incredible.

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noodle

I've taken every allergy medication known to man, I think. Flonase made my taste buds fry, Claritin was a joke, Sudafed made me sleepy, Benadryl had opposite effects depending on my mood that day and I had a very not-nice mental health reaction to Zyrtec. The only thing that worked for me was the allergy shots and this thread reminds me that I need to get off my bum, get retested and go.

I live in Florida (aka pollen hell) and I'm allergic to every tree, grass, and mold that exists in nature. Cats, dogs, and... cockroaches (this one brought a HUGE laugh from me and the staff as it was my biggest reaction). Glycerin, lanolin, iodine, fragrance, makeup ingredients. Woo hoo! The testing, for me, is quite awful since I react to everything (all 65 standard serums) and then require usually 20-30 more in my arm to make up the serum. Luckily there are no foods that I've reacted to on the skin tests. But, when I was getting the shots, I had reactions each time for about 3 months and then again at the beginning of each new bottle of serum as the does increased. Overall, though, I got sick less and less, my headaches improved, skin itched less and I could actually hear again. My whole family has gotten them for years. We don't have the sniffling/sneezing stuff... we get the clogged, thick, nasty crap in the entire head and I tend to itch like crazy. *sigh I think it's time. The initial testing only costs about $50 on my insurance, then $10 a week... but it's a lot less than the continual trips to the quick-care center and antibiotics/steroids in the long run.

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HoneyB

I had severe allergic reactions during the same time period to pretty much everything outside.. grass, trees, pollen, ragweed etc. and had the same symptoms. I got the allergy shots when I was younger for about 5 years and it dramatically helped. I do still get symptoms, but nothing like it used to be. I think it's very much worth it.