Anyone have any Allergy Tips?

[Craig P]

I went fishing this morning and there went the Allergies, just like any other time I go fishing this time of year.  I only fished til noon and here I am typing this at 7pm with watery eyes, a runny nose and feeling run down.  I don't care how much of a good night's rest I get, when I get home, I feel like a zombie and I usually require a nap, unfortunately, I always wake up feeling very lethargic.  Tomorrow I'll be fine but man, it is really starting to wear on me.  FWIW, I am 51, in good shape, no medical issues and live in SE PA.

 

Does anyone have any tips?  Over the years, I have done the continual doses of Clariton, Zyrtec, Xyzal and a Nasacort Nasal Spray with some success but the side effects with vivid dreams take their toll and I stop taking it.  Anyone else have that issue?  I've tried the local bee honey thing, it did not seem to make a difference.  I shower after fishing and put on fresh clothes and that does help but the damage is done by then.  I even have one lake near me that gets Algae Blooms and I have learned to stay away when it gets into summer as I will get bumps and rashes on my arms and legs.  Obviously, I am allergy sensitive but I cannot be alone and hopefully one of you guys can help with a possible solution....rather than not going fishing.

 

 

 

[Way north bass guy]

I’d say the best option here would be to go see your doctor, and get an appointment with an allergy specialist. I suffer from hayfever ( mostly pine pollen but also actual hay does it too for me), I started using a prescription nasal spray about 15 years ago or more, and it works fantastic for me. Maybe there’s something else your doctor would know about that can help you out, otherwise all the over the counter stuff might just be a good way to throw away money. 

[GreenPig]

I've been a Flonase user over 20 years. Every day immediately after stepping out of the shower I take a hit or two. Works for me and a few years ago it went OTC. My sinuses used to go from being completely blocked to dripping like a old spigot before Flonase.

Goodluck! 

[softwateronly]

12 minutes ago, Way north bass guy said:

I’d say the best option here would be to go see your doctor, and get an appointment with an allergy specialist. I suffer from hayfever ( mostly pine pollen but also actual hay does it too for me), I started using a prescription nasal spray about 15 years ago or more, and it works fantastic for me. Maybe there’s something else your doctor would know about that can help you out, otherwise all the over the counter stuff might just be a good way to throw away money. 

 

Silly Canadian, we only go to the doctor when it's bleeding too long or it fell off...

 

scott

 

 

[jbsoonerfan]

NOPE! I have been dealing with severe allergies since I was about 14 (I'm 42). There is literally nothing I can do to help alleviate the symptoms and trust me, I have tried everything outside of going to an allergy clinic. I cannot afford what it would cost to do the injections that I would need if I did go to a clinic. My insurance will not cover enough of it. I had a co-worker who did it, and she took shots for over 3 years at about $400 a month (same ins as I have) and she told me it wasn't even worth it. I have no idea what all I'm allergic to, but I have them year round. One time a few years ago I was working on a siding job and it was in July, shouldn't be allergy season. But I sneezed so many times (at least 500) by 10:00 am that my boss told me to get in the truck, he was taking me home because he was tired of hearing me sneeze and I wasn't getting anything done anyway. LOL

[Woody B]

Claritin and Flonase for me.  Recommended by a Doctor a few years ago.  

[NHBull]

If the usual meds bother you treat the symptoms.

 

Acular or Pataday (sp) for the eyes…both work great and most docs will just call it in.

 

Flonase for nose and sinus I believe is now available over the counter.

 

good luck

[Craig P]

Thank you for the responses. I have not tried Flonase and ironically, my wife had a fresh package sitting in the medicine cabinet. She always has my back.   

 

I’ll give that a run for a few weeks and see if it helps.

[J Francho]

Another vote for Flonase.

[WRB]

Alegra morning and night along with Flonase at bed time.

It take a few days to build up resistance.

Tom

[gim]

My neighbor is wearing a high quality N95 mask when he mows his lawn this time of year because his allergies from all the crap floating in the air and from mowing the grass is terrible.  I asked him about it and he said its effective, even if he looks like an idiot doing it.  The key is to wear a tight fitting N95 or similar quality mask though.  A loose one won't do much.

 

I'm not saying you should wear a mask while you're fishing, but...if the shoe fits, wear it.

[Craig P]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

My neighbor is wearing a high quality N95 mask when he mows his lawn this time of year because his allergies from all the crap floating in the air and from mowing the grass is terrible.  I asked him about it and he said its effective, even if he looks like an idiot doing it.  The key is to wear a tight fitting N95 or similar quality mask though.  A loose one won't do much.

 

I'm not saying you should wear a mask while you're fishing, but...if the shoe fits, wear it.

I’ve seen people do that and have even considered it. But the look. Lol People will give me interesting looks on the lake for sure.

[J Francho]

I wear a mask when I clean up the dog kennel, lol. 

[Dwight Hottle]

42 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I wear a mask when I clean up the dog kennel, lol. 

 

I just wear a clothes pin.

[Kev-mo]

Figure out what your actually allergic to or rather what time(s) of the year you're most allergic. For me it's a two week period when the cottonwood starts flying. Not sure it's actually the cottonwood tho.... maybe? I'm for sure allergic to that tall grass that lines the riverbank whose pollen is orange or yellow. Ragweed and mold can also be troublesome late summer early fall.  Through trial and error I've found that Allegra works the best for me. If I'm smart about it I start taking Allegra when I see that first piece of cotton in the sky. If I'm not smart I wait until I get an 'attack' and suffer for a day or two until the meds build up. This year I wasn't smart... allergies kicked in hard Memorial Day weekend. I didn't take a pill until Monday around noon and spent the rest of the day in bed. Stopped taking pills on June 10 and I'm good for the rest of the summer. We'll see what September early October bring....

[FishTank]

Flonase and/or a mask. Next would be tea with some type of antihistamine. My go to when I feel crumy has been Yogi Honey Chai Turmeric Vitality. Sounds weird but it works. I always feel better and I can breathe after drinking it. 

[softwateronly]

I'm fortunate, zirtek works for me and whatever I'm allergic to that corresponds with the dogwood.  If you do find an otc pill that works @WRB  and @Kev-mo are most correct, not sure how it's metabolized, but it's much more effective if you get on a regimen before symptoms.  

 

scott

[WRB]

Ideally a visit to a allergist to be tested for what you are allergic to. I did this about 30 years ago and was allergic to everything outdoors except Pine and Eucalyptus trees.

Probably why I feel good on the ocean off shore fishing and horrible doing yard work.

After determining your allergies the Allergist configures a shot regimen for 6 months and you allergic reaction is minimized, then over the counter remedies recommended by the Dr work well for years after.

Tom  

[Woody B]

Regarding Flonase,  I've used it for years.  At times it would make the inside of my nose too dry.  Flonase Sensimist won't do that.  I was told it's the same active ingredients, but with less other "stuff".   

[txchaser]

Flonase works better for me than Nasocort. Used to get sick 2x per year but not anymore.

Doc wanted me to use a neti pot too, but there was no way that was happening.

[Craig P]

I just wanted to follow up and say thank you for all of the suggestions.

 

Today is day 3 of using Flonase. The first day, I noticed how much better I was breathing when I went to bed. Ironically, I never noticed how bad I was breathing. A win for sure. 
 

Day 2, I felt pretty darn good. No afternoon lethargic feel, no sinus issues. 
 

Day 3 (today) I went fishing with good winds today to blow everything around and I feel great!  No issues whatsoever and I feel normal. It’s been a while since I could say that. I think I have a winner for now…….

 

I say that because I did have some vivid dreams last night but nothing that would make me stop using the Flonase as of yet as it’s results are impressive. I have no clue why medications do that to me, it’s not just allergy medicine, it seems to be all  medicines but who knows, after regular use, that may disappear?
 

Thanks again!

[Woody B]

Has your allergies been keeping you from sleeping good?   I had a pinched nerve in my neck a few years ago.  Dr. administered a steroid shot.  It was pretty much instant relief but I had weird vivid dreams for a few days.  I mentioned it to my Dr.  He said the neck problem had been keeping me from going into a deep sleep.   The dreams were my body "catching up" on sleep stuff.   

[Craig P]

11 minutes ago, Woody B said:

Has your allergies been keeping you from sleeping good?   I had a pinched nerve in my neck a few years ago.  Dr. administered a steroid shot.  It was pretty much instant relief but I had weird vivid dreams for a few days.  I mentioned it to my Dr.  He said the neck problem had been keeping me from going into a deep sleep.   The dreams were my body "catching up" on sleep stuff.   

Interesting perspective. I “think” I do sleep pretty good, pretty normal 6 hours or so a night but I also understand that there are different qualities of sleep. Thanks. 

[jbsoonerfan]

LOL, I have to take melatonin to help me sleep a lot of nights, I have some very interesting dreams sometimes.

[MN Fisher]

Good old Benadryl has worked for me forever.

 

16 minutes ago, jbsoonerfan said:

I have some very interesting dreams sometimes.

This could be a good thing.