Hayfever

mez24wmb · May 2007

Hi.
With summer approaching once again I am faced with my yearly problem of how to manage my love of riding combined with crippling hayfever. Previous attempts have seen me consume box upon box of anti-hystamine tablets before, during and for a good couple of hours after riding I recently saw someone in town wearing an urban anti car emissions mask and wondered if the filter on one of these would be good enough to block out grass and tree pollen. if not, are there any masks available that are specifically designed for this problem[?]
cheers

Unknown · May 2007

have you been to see a Doc?

when i was riding in the UK i would have anti hystamines and a corizone spray nose and eye drops and that kept it under control.

but chat to a doc and find out what is the best solution for you.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

been to the docs every year since i was 9! i tried to get them to give me the injection which will last for the entire summer but apparently i dont have it bad enought to warrant that. eye drops and spray have never worked for me. the tablets do work but completly bugger me up afterwards. so drowsy that i just fall asleep for the rest of the day after the ride!

guilliano · May 2007

Can't believe the doc won't give you the jab. Surely if the tablets make you incapable of working (tell them this) the jab is the only way.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

i suppose that it really doesnt stop me working as i dont work outside, never get affected at work so dont even think about it, just when riding through forests or open moorland. Doc says that the jab has worse side effects than the tablets etc.

guilliano · May 2007

I used to have the jab when I was younger and the side effects last a day or so, but after that you're fine for at least the whole summer, if not longer

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mez24wmb · May 2007

i'll try and get to see the doc this week then, try and play on the its affecting my work card!

guilliano · May 2007

Take a couple of good long sniffs of a flower first

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mez24wmb · May 2007

ha! that might just work, i'll probably crash getting to the surgery though

Capt. Jon · May 2007

have you tried eating local honey?

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mez24wmb · May 2007

i have but not with regard to curing hayfever. just because i like it! is it meant to have an effect? exactly how much would i need to consume? dont get me wrong i quite like the stuff but if it means eating jar after jar i think i'll pass!

guilliano · May 2007

Couple of spoonfuls in a bowl of porridge each day, sweeten some tea with honey a couple of times a day. Gets your body used to the local pollen. Not sure how well it works though

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mez24wmb · May 2007

ah, i have heard of that but i think that is geared up to flower pollen primarily. my nemisis is grass pollen which comes from overgrown fields and hedgreows mainly. im okay with flower pollen and to a lesser extent tree pollen. but grass pollen wipes me out in about 10 seconds of being in contact with it!

Unknown · May 2007

I never even knew there was a jab you could get! Think I might go see my own doctor soon.

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Unknown · May 2007

Have you tried some of the newer anti histamines? Many of the old ones make you drowsy.

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Capt. Jon · May 2007

Eat more grass then.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

i think keeping on with the tablets seems like the only option. just wanted to do a summer without spending a fortune on tablets and having to make sure that i had them with me in case they wore off. does anyone know if the masks would work?

Unknown · May 2007

Many bike shops have various masks.

What does your doc say about the hayfever? A prescription should last a month, no matter what dose you are put on. OTC stuff costs a fortune for 7 days supple, and the basic antihistamines, though cheap, have more side effects.

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Hamishwmb · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by mez24

bthe tablets do work but completly bugger me up afterwards. so drowsy that i just fall asleep for the rest of the day after the ride!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

The older antihistamines like Chlorpheniramine (Piriton) are the sedating ones. Newer ones such as Cetirizene (Zirtek) or Loratadine (Clarityn) don't have sedating side effects. Both are available over the counter.

As a doctor and a hay fever sufferer, who's fortunately growing out of it eventually, my best advice is as follows:

Discuss medication with your GP if you wish or just go to the pharmacists. You can usually get generic (cheaper) antihistamines on special offer in monthly packs at places like Boots and it's actually cheaper than paying for a prescription.

Try and start taking medication if possible just before your symptoms start and take them regularly, as prescribed (i.e. at the very first awareness of the hay fever season starting). Antihistamines are designed to try and prevent histamine release which produces most of the symptoms. It's harder to block it once it's started.

The same goes for eye drops and nasal sprays - start early and keep taking regularly.

Try and avoid anything that really sets it off. It used to be cherry blossom for me. A face mask sounds like a decent idea but there are so many allergens in the air that it'd be difficult to avoid everything.

If you want to do some reading then here's a good site for advice (from the British Medical Journal publishing group): http://www.besttreatments.co.uk/btuk/co ... 16486.html

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Unknown · May 2007

i found the injections didnt work for me. mind you, this was a few years ago (err maybe 15+!!!)

loratidine work best for me now. depends on the year though. some years im really bad, to the point of pretty bad nosebleeds from constantly blowing to clear the rubbish out. iirc rhinocort was about the best nose spray for me. as with all meds, there's many brands and many types, finding the right one for YOU is sometimes tricky.

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Unknown · May 2007

do you know it's grass AND tree pollen that gets to you? you might find its a certain type of plant or grass that causes you more agrro than another. get an allergies test done!

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Hamishwmb · May 2007

Oh, I forgot to mention that if it gets too much then there is as close to a cure as you can get:

Go to Australia. The grass and tree pollens there are completely different. I didn't have a problem at all there.

Or go to Alaska/Siberia where there isn't much cut grass to worry about.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

australia it is then! i think it is obviously a case of persiverance with the tablets. didnt know whether the masks would work or not but thought i would give them a go. might no bother now as i didnt fancy the big white face i would have from riding all summer anyway!

Unknown · May 2007

I'm with Jon on this one, apparently one of the greatest things for prevention of hayfever is to eat locally sourced honey regularly. It helps build up a degree of immunity to pollen which is what sets hayfever off.

Not a great fix short term, but in the long run it's the best.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

with all this honey im now going to be eating i'll be too fat and too lethargic to get on my bike anyway!

Unknown · May 2007

A spoonful each day is enough, and honey is naturally low fat & low cal anyway so nothing to worry about.

Do the hayfever symptoms manifest themselves in itchy eyes or runny nose or something else?... Mine are usually itchy dry eyes and I've found that no amount of oral antihisthamines help so I've started using the allergy eye drops and they work a bleedin' charm!! Cheaper than antihisthamines too.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

not so much itchy eyes, as puffed up and almost welded shut! runny nose also joins in too if im really really lucky. tablets are ok if i can catch it early or if i use them as a preventative. but if the pollen has got into me then no amount of tablets or eye drops etc will work. its normally worst when i use them as a preventative and they wear off half way round a ride!

Unknown · May 2007

What about the nasal sprays? Beconase or Nasanex are both ones I've tried in the past, you should ideally start using them before hayfever season kicks in and you HAVE to use them regularly but they always worked for my brother and I and if you ask your doctor nicely they'll sometimes give you 2 on one prescription.

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mez24wmb · May 2007

i have tried them and they never seemed to work, that was a good 10 years ago mind so maybe they are different now. think i might print off all these posts and dump them on my doc's desk! he'll just prescribe me some honey though no doubt!

Unknown · May 2007

Lol, I think you're doomed to suffer hayfever forever [:D]

(just kidding [;)])

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mez24wmb · May 2007

ha! tell me about it, i bloody love the summer as well. curse you pollen!!!

Hayfever

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