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.
