May flowers

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

If April showers bring May flowers,

What do May flowers bring?

   □    Pilgrims

   □    June bugs

   □    Allergies

   □    All of the above

Although technically all of these answers are correct, I’m not going to elaborate on the Pilgrims or the insects.

Today I’m looking at allergies.

I’ve said for the longest time that my husband is allergic to MAY.

Almost like clockwork, when spring arrives, his nose, eyes, and throat go just a little bit nuts. And he is miserable.

What are the big contributors to allergy symptoms?

In the spring it tends to be trees that produce lightweight pollen:

·  Oak

·  Western red cedar

·  Sycamore

·  Maple

·  Elm

·  Birch

·  Ash

·  Cypress

·  Walnut

·  Hickory

·  Poplar

 

In the fall it tends to be weeds:

·  Ragweed

·  Ragweed

·  Ragweed

So what can you do if you are plagued with seasonal allergies?

First, I guess it would be best for me to say that you should always double check with your doctor before you start self-medicating.

Or you can check with your pharmacist.

Oh, yeah. That’s what I am! 

And all kidding aside, there are several disease states that will prevent some people from taking certain over-the-counter products. So you really do need to be careful.

But for the general run-of-the-mill allergy symptoms for the general public, here are some things that you can try.

Anti-histamines:

These make sense because pollen causes a histamine release in the body. Anti-histamines counter act that. My favorite for short term use are chlorpheniramine (generic ChlorTrimeton) and diphenhydramine (generic Benadryl). These tend to make a lot of people drowsy, though. So loratadine (generic Claritin), cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) or any of the other non-drowsy anti-histamines might do the trick.

Decongestants:

These help to open up nasal passages and ear tubes. But they can make people a little hyper or cause an increase in blood pressure or mess with your thyroid medication. So be careful. My favorite is pseudoephedrine (generic Sudafed). You’ll find several products over the counter like Sudafed-PE or Actifed-PE. These don’t have pseudoephedrine but phenylephrine – and they aren’t as good. No, you’ll have to buy pseudoephedrine at the pharmacy by providing your driver’s license and signing your life away saying you won’t make illicit street drugs out of it. Not to worry. Pseudoephedrine in and of itself is very save and does a great job of opening you up.

Nasal sprays:

Phenylephrine (generic Neo-Synephrine) and oxymetazoline (generic Afrin) are the two most common nasal decongestants over the counter. If you feel like you need to use these, then I recommend that you use them once a day for no more than 3-4 days. Rebound congestion occurs pretty quickly with these sprays so be careful with them.

Also several steroid nasal sprays are available over the counter. Just be sure to take them as directed on the package.

Nasal rinse:

This is one of the most bizarre things – run a steady stream of normal saline into one nostril and it will run out of the other one. Proponents of this treatment say that it rinses pollen and other substances from the nasal passages. It is available in the OTC cough and cold section of the pharmacy in a couple of different forms.

Hard candy:

Did you know you can get just as much relief from a sore throat by sucking on hard candy as you can a cough drop? It is the sugar in the cough drop that soothes the throat. So you might as well just pick up a package of your favorite hard candy to have on hand. Don’t chew it up. It needs to dissolve slowly. Use caution if you are a diabetic. And be careful sleeping with a lozenge or a piece of hard candy in your mouth.

Night time coughing:

Isn’t it crazy how the moment you put your head on your pillow at night, you start coughing? That’s because of the drainage that is going down the back of your throat. And it can be very bothersome. In addition to using an anti-histamine to dry you up, Guiafenesin with dextromethorphan (generic Robitussin DM) or plain dextromethorphan (generic Delsym) are two cough medicines you can use to try to suppress a cough. I recommend that you only do that at night when you are trying to sleep. It’s just not a good idea to try to suppress a cough during the day. You need to get that crud out of your lungs

.

My favorite thing to do for that nighttime tickle in my throat is to drink a soft drink. I recommend a caffeine free, diet beverage. Keep it on your bedside table and take a few swigs to quieten your cough.

Pain relievers:

Acetaminophen (generic Tylenol), Ibuprofen (generic Motrin, Advil), or Naproxen (generic Aleve) are good for aches and discomforts that so often accompany allergies. Use them as directed on their packages.

There are probably another 6-8 things you can try to help lessen the symptoms of seasonal allergies – vitamins, minerals, etc – but these are my favorites. And my husband and I use them every year.

If seasonal allergies tend to bother you, then I would recommend keeping these meds on hand all the time. You never know when allergies are going to kick in and it is really good if you already have the meds you’ll need.

Hope this helps.