Hayfever

Muddy.Bail

I really enjoy mountain biking but in the summer months I start to get hayfever when I am out on my bike and it really is annoying. So getting to my point here I was wondering if anyone else on this forum suffers from hayfever and has any advice on how to avoid it when riding?

rocketraz1982

yeah i get it real bad had it all my life... First off find out what pollen you are allergic to mine was grass pollen my friend is allergic to tree pollen the only thing that has ever worked for me and him was (PIRITON) it costs a few quid but worked for me great if however you look at i think its Sainsburys own brand it has the same ingedients and costs 6 times less and i now use theres..In the worst months Apr-Aug i have to take it eveyday otherwise im a bubbling mess hope this helps

Muddy.Bail

rocketraz1982 wrote:

yeah i get it real bad had it all my life... First off find out what pollen you are allergic to mine was grass pollen my friend is allergic to tree pollen the only thing that has ever worked for me and him was (PIRITON) it costs a few quid but worked for me great if however you look at i think its Sainsburys own brand it has the same ingedients and costs 6 times less and i now use theres..In the worst months Apr-Aug i have to take it eveyday otherwise im a bubbling mess hope this helps

Yeah thanks alot I will look into what type of pollen I am allergic to, I allready take tablets, nasal spray and eye drops it's really annoying but it helps abit my hayfever is really bad

trekmtb1081

Sounds to me a little like 'Allergic Rhinitis', the symptoms you describe are those of AR and not just hayfever.

Do you get symptoms all year round but worse in the summer? Perhaps best to see the GP and have a chat about it. Do you suffer from asthma at all?

There are other treatments available but a chat with the GP is best first. Without going into too much detail, nasal polyps, sinusitis etc can all affect your condition.

Nothing to worry about but nevertheless if you can get sorted all the better for your biking!

Used to get it myself so I can understand your frustration.

Good luck

rocketraz1982

The magic ingredients that works for me ive found out was loretadine Check spelling Piriton has it as does the own brand..Its the only thing that gives me a normal summer and my doctor was no help just told me to stay inside LOL

77ric

yes

10mg cetirizine hydrochloride once a day everyday during hayfever season.

elcani

I get it and the only thing that works for me is Benadryl Allergy Relief capsules, which contain the antihistamine Acrivastine. Unfortunately there is no generic/own brand version, meaning I have to spend a fecking fortune every summer.

simmo3801

Local honey!

If you can find some in garden centres, small independent local shops or actual bee farms as opposed to the bigger supermarkets. In spring and summer I take a teaspoon of my local honey every morning and I find with tablets that it helps more than just the tablets on their own. Basically hayfever tablets come in two types of ingredient - Loratazine (spelling?) and cetirizine hydrochloride. Virtually all manufacturers use these as their ingedrients. As rocketrraz said, Sainsburys, Tescos etc all sell their own which are exactly the same as the brand names. I buy tescos for 99p as oposed to about a fiver for piriton or others. I've also wierdly found that some years cetirizine works whilst other years its loratazine, but local honey definitely helps. It's a bit like a flu jab where you take in the by product of pollen and your body builds up an immunity to it.

Airienteer

I get it really bad, it depends exactly when you get it on what type of pollen your affected by. I take cetirizine hydrochloride and if it gets really bad I sometimes top up with becanaze (nose spray) and opticrom(eye drops). Also, wearing glasses helps......A LOT.....and don't be folled by piriton, it's exactly the same as other own brands that are literally sometimes 1/6 of the price.

nonnac85

My brother has hayfever and the doc told him to put vaseline across his nose / middle of his face (a bit like cricket players sometimes have the white 'stripe' of sunblock across their face) Its supposed to trap a lot of the pollen before it has a chance to get into your body and cause a reaction. It does seem to make his symptons less.

jimih73

This may sound a little strange but look for 'hayfever' research trials at your local hospital. I'm just starting the second year of my second trial and even if you only get the placebo you get free 'rescue' medication so I didn't have to buys meds for the entire of last season!

I'm allergic to grass and tree pollen so have horrific problems from April right through to August!

captainfly

I found a product called HayMax works for me it is like a balm that you apply to the inside of the nostrils, I got if from some health food store. Works alright for the for the nose/head not perfect but I find almost all antihystamine make be really drousy. Ephidrine nasil drops are also great if you don't over do it :roll:

cat_with_no_tail

Best bet is to go see your GP. I suffered for ages with mine, tried all sorts of over the counter stuff and none of it really worked properly.
I'd wake up on a morning and within about a minute my nose would start itching and my sinuses would fill up. My nose would then run all day long, itchy eyes, heavy head, the usual crap. Then it'd clear up around 8-9pm. This was beginning to happen almost every day.
Then went to go see the GP and she gave me some Flixonase Aqueous Nasal Spray. That seems to have done the trick.
YMMV

Muddy.Bail

Thanks for all the advice I am going to look into what type of pollen I am allergic to and I will start taking tablets, nasal spray and eye drops early this year because someone told me it needs to build up in your system :? . Last year I did use Vaseline under my nose and that helped alot but I will also take a teaspoon of honey every day. I hope that using all this advice will calm my hayfever in the summer so I can get the most out of riding.

dave_hill

There's a homeopathic remedy called Apis Mel made by WIleda, usually available from herbalists and hippys. It's actually a preventative cure for the effects of insect bites and stings but my dad finds it works like an anti-histamene.

The problem with it is (like most homeopathic remedies) you have to start taking it before the symptoms occur...

bamba

If you suffer badley then really should see a gp, esp if your taking expesive tablets,i suffer allergic rhinitis on an off,as well as a few other allergic conditions, normally worse in summer.as some said the benadrly are expensive, cost about £4 for a box off 7, your gp can get you these on prescription,all antihistamens do the same thing, there are 2 types , H1 and H2 blockers,every one will find differents one will work best for them,but for sure if you take them for a long period they will gradually be less effective , time to switch to a different, ingrediant

stevet1992

I used to suffer from hayfever quite badly ... I then moved into the country side right oppisite a rape seed field ! Luckily a place near by sold local honey, teaspoon of that every morning and i didnt have to worry about tablets !

RichMTB

There's a homeopathic remedy called Apis Mel made by WIleda

Homeopathy=Placebo with funny name.

FInd an over the counter drug that works, If you are really suffering visit your GP

dave_hill

RichMTB wrote:

There's a homeopathic remedy called Apis Mel made by WIleda

Homeopathy=Placebo with funny name.

But if it works...???

50% of illness is in the mind.

I have an absolute aversion to putting chemicals into myself. I won't even take aspirin if I can avoid it, because most of it is now synthetic.

RichMTB

But if it works...???

50% of illness is in the mind.

Agreed which is why it works, it works because you think its working.

Its also why people pay money for Nurofen rather than just buying generic painkillers, they think it works better so it does work better.

elcani

http://www.badscience.net/2007/11/a-kind-of-magic/

On the subject of 'natural' vs 'synthetic' it's a pretty meaningless distinction. Anything you put in your body is a chemical compound of some sort and how it was made is irrelevent to it's efficacy or safety. Deadly Nightshade is 'natural', but I'd prefer to take synthetic aspirin if I had a headache.

Cheers

solsurf

+1 for local honey

jadamson

yer go and see your GP mate i did it and i got prescription stuff that's a lot stronger than shop brought. i got eye drops, nasal spray and pills but only use all 3 when very bad + being under 18 means NHS pays for it but they may be a small charge if you are over 18.

bobcheese

I know its basic but I always put some vasaline under my nostrils before going out for a ride. I was told that it catches pollen before it goes up your nose therefore reducing the amount of sneezing