Hay fever remedies?

[MrRockliffe]

So I, among other many people in the world, suffer from hay fever. Unfortunately, I get it really badly, to the point where all the non prescription stuff doesn't work (well all the stuff which I've tried, which is a hell of a lot)

Do you know of any natural remedies or found something that works for you? When living in Spain, a tea spoon of natural honey (straight from the hive) a day used to work, but I'm unable to find anywhere here that can offer such a product I have tried prescribed stuff, but it makes me drowsy and I end up unable to do work anyway..

Cheers!

[g8ina]

Look out for "local" honey from a farm usually unpasturised.

[MrRockliffe]

There aren't many local farms that sell produce here in Cardiff (well I haven't been able to find many) and the ones I have found don't sell honey

[kalniel]

Drowsyness is mostly a side effect from anti-histamine treatments. If you've tried them but they aren't effective enough then I'd move onto corticosteroids sprays - talk to your pharmacist for more qualified advise, but there are lots available non-prescription. I'd start with Beconase which is cheap, off the shelf, and very effective. If things aren't improving after a few weeks then there are more powerful ones available over the counter (but still without prescription) such as Pirinase.

Failing that, go see a doctor - it's what they're there for!

[MrRockliffe]

I have tried some of them, but not the ones listed here. I'll give them a go - I hope they work! Most people look forward to summer where as I hate it - would rather it be winter all the time

[BunsenHoneydew]

Can't add a URL, so go to the Lloyds Pharmacy web site and search for "Allergy Reliever" . No tablets, no other remedies at all, just stick a red light up each nostril and away you go! I know it sounds very weird, but it definitely works. My wife had hay fever which also brings on her asthma, and since getting one of these a few years ago, is hay fever free. a few minutes every day for a while and then just when you feel that you need it.

Steve

[Ttaskmaster]

My mrs and I suffer from the hayfever thing - Her with her sinuses and me with her constant whining, sniffing, nose-blowing, sneezing, etc etc!

Why she chose to live out in teh countryside surrounded by farmers' crop fields, I don't know...
She uses Becconaise, Piritin, some kind of eye drops, a squirty sniffy nose thing and sometimes just paracetamol. No idea what is best. Seems to change, depending on symptoms.


Local honey:

CAESAR'S WELSH FOOD PAVILLION
They specifically state that they make their own honey!!
Creigiau
Cardiff
CF15 9NN
029 2089 2322

You could also try:
http://www.thornhillfarm.co.uk/farm-shop/

[TheAnimus]

Ask about Fexofenadine, it's a 3rd generation antihistamine and for me, works a lot better than loratadine. It shouldn't make you feel drowsy, rather it's reported side effects do not include drowsiness (unlike Loratadine, which despite claims to the contry many people found did).

The red light allergy relievers work to a point, and it has been observed to be more effective than other placebos, but nothing I've found works quite so well as Fexofenadine. You can also try combining it with certain sprays.

In the UK it's a prescription drug, so you will need to have a chat with your doctor about it, also, it has some side effects, I'm guessing from your name you won't have issue with the menstral cramps, but yeah, ask the Doctor.

I'm polyalergic, so this time of the year in Europe is brutal for me, but this new 3rd gen antihistamine is for the first time meaning I don't need so much steroids, which is a very good thing!

[MrRockliffe]

Thanks for the tips guys, I'll give them a try over the next few weeks. Sneezing isn't the issue for me really, it's my eyes. They swell up and I can't see :/ When I lived in Spain, I had an injection of something which cured it for 3 years, and started the year I came back to the UK. I'll book an appointment with the doctor me thinks and see what they recommend.

[TheAnimus]

They used to inject people with steroids, they prefer not to do that now!

If it is just swelling of the eyes, there are some good eye drops on the market that may help, but also have you considered wearing some Aviator or Sports sun glasses? I find it helps.

[MrRockliffe]

I was told reaction is due to pollen up my nose rather than in my eye - don't get me wrong, there is a lot of sneezing, but it doesn't irritate me as much as the itchy eyes. I do have a pair of aviators yet don't find they have any effect on the matter.

[TheAnimus]

My gf told me it's like when a dog has to wear a cone, it stops me being able to rub them!

[iMimix]

If its just your eyes that have a reaction then I believe there's a certain eye drop you can take that helps to reduce the irritation. I cant remember the name but mention it next time you see your GP.

[Revvvhead]

The recommendation is to take a different type every year in a rotation, to stop the body getting used to it.
So Loratidine one year the Citrizine HCl the next year. etc.

[kalniel]

The recommendation is

Whose recommendation is that? They're anti-histamines, not resistance-threatened anti-biotics

[TheAnimus]

Whose recommendation is that? They're anti-histamines, not resistance-threatened anti-biotics

Is this one of those we'd don't really understand the goings on of allergies, lets just do any old random thing type plans?