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HomeHealthWhat To Take For Severe Seasonal Allergies

What To Take For Severe Seasonal Allergies

Food And Drug Interaction Of Dayquil

Severe Seasonal Allergies – It’s not the virus, I promise!
  • The common symptoms of DayQuil are exacerbated with alcoholic beverages so, avoid drinking these liquids when under medication.
  • Other drugs containing acetaminophen would add to the effects of DayQuil. Overdosage of acetaminophen could cause liver damage, especially to alcoholics. So, dont take in other antipyretics or analgesics.
  • DayQuil should not be taken together with any monoamine oxidase inhibitors as these drugs in combination can react with each other and cause health issues.
  • Limit caffeine intake by avoiding these foods: chocolate, soda, coffee, tea, some herbal supplements, and any food or liquid that contains caffeine.
  • Avoid taking DayQuil with the following drugs as it can interact with them causing adverse effects:
  • Phenytoin

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Your Symptoms Only Show Up At Certain Times

If you have seasonal allergies, your symptoms should arise and go away around the same time each year. For most people, seasonal allergy symptoms begin in the spring and end in the fall. However, depending on your allergy triggers, you may experience allergic rhinitis in any of the four seasons. Here’s a rundown of plants that commonly cause seasonal allergies:

Spring: Tree pollen, particularly that from oak, elm, birch, cedar, willow, poplar, horse chestnut and alder trees.

Summer:Grasses, such as ryegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, Timothy grass, Bermuda grass and more.

Fall:Pollen from weeds is the main concern in the fall months. Many people are allergic to the pollen in ragweed, tumbleweed, pigweed, sagebrush, Russian thistle and more.

Winter: Most people find that their allergies go dormant during the winter months because most plants don’t pollinate during winter. If you still get watery eyes and a runny nose during cold weather, you might be allergic to indoor allergens, such as dust mites, mold or pet dander.

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Keep Your Home Safe From Allergens

There are many steps you can take around your house to help with seasonal allergies.

Use humidifiers and dehumidifiers at the right times

In the spring, summer and early fall, remove excess moisture from the air using a dehumidifier or air conditioner. This can help reduce the growth of mold and mildew spores known to cause some allergies.

In dry winter months, a humidifier can add moisture to a room to soothe dry, irritated nasal passages. Make sure to clean and change the filter regularly. Unfortunately, moisturized air can also cause dust mites to grow.

Change to HEPA filters for your heating and cooling system

A HEPA filter can trap airborne allergens like pollen, dust and pet dander, helping keep more irritants out of the air. Just make sure youre regularly replacing filters particularly during high usage times. A good rule of thumb is to check your filter once a month to see if it needs replacing.

Consider adding an air purifier, too

Air purifiers can also be used to clean finer particles and fumes that your furnace or air conditioning filter cant catch. There are several different types of air purifiers and each works differently to clean the air you breathe. So, research your options to determine which may be the best fit for you needs.

Other ways to reduce allergens in your home:

Are Allergies In Kids Different Than In Adults

Natural Remedies for Seasonal Allergies

It can be especially difficult to control allergies in kids, Dr. Leeds says, adding that kids tend to spend more time outdoors and, thus, are exposed to more pollen. A high pollen count day is not going to deter them from going to the playground, says Dr. Leeds. Thats unlike an adult who might say, ‘Im going to drive my car to work, keep the windows rolled up, and not take that walk during lunch.’

Another difference is that allergies in adults are usually well-established, while in kids there is the hope that they will outgrow them, Dr. Leeds says.

With kids, we talk about the concept of atopy, which is an allergic predisposition, she says. For a child with a strong family history of any allergiesand especially for those who develop symptoms early in lifedoctors look out for the four main allergic diseases: eczema, food allergies, nasal allergies, and asthma. These allergic diseases, in general, are increasing in prevalence, she says.

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Allergies Vs Cold Vs Flu Vs Covid

While symptoms for all of these conditions can overlap, there are some key differences.

Allergies can sometimes be confused with the common cold or the flu, but with a cold or the flu you will have a fever and be more fatigued, you can have body pain, not just sneezing and itchy eyes, says Dr. Lahari Rampur, an allergist who sees patients at UW Medical Center Montlake and Harborview Medical Center.

Sneezing, runny nose, post-nasal drip, and itchy, puffy, watery eyes are common seasonal allergy symptoms and can also happen if you get a cold.

Flu typically involves a fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and possibly a headache or cough. With COVID-19, the most common symptoms are a fever, throat pain, or a new cough or new shortness of breath, though runny nose or nasal congestion can also occur. Some people lose their sense of smell or taste or have gastrointestinal symptoms.

If all you have are allergies or a cold, you probably wont get a fever or body aches and if you do, they will be mild. If you do get the flu or COVID-19, youre unlikely to have sinus or eye symptoms.

While seasonal allergies can make someone wheeze or cough, , it will usually be pretty mild.

How Can I Prevent Allergies

Preventing allergies means avoiding the things that trigger them. For seasonal allergy sufferers, that means the great outdoors.

  • Stay inside when possible.
  • Use air-conditioning when possible.
  • Use high-efficiency air filters.
  • Monitor allergen counts in your community and take allergy medication when the readings are high, even before symptoms start.

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Talk With Your Doctor About Allergy Testing Or Allergy Shots

Allergy testing can help your care provider diagnose your exact allergies and come up with a treatment plan to help relieve your symptoms.

Allergy tests are pretty simple. The tests are performed on your skin at your clinic, to determine what allergens are causing your symptoms.

Depending on how severe your allergies appear to be, your doctor may recommend immunotherapy with allergy shots to help reduce and maybe even eliminate your bodys reaction to environmental allergens.

These shots help teach your body to not be allergic and are given over the course of a couple of years until a target dose is reached. Once the right dosage has been reached, your doctor will work with you on a maintenance schedule.

Allergy shots are the most effective way of treating allergies and work better than most prescription medications. A course of allergy shots can give you long-term symptom relief for three to five years. Many people have symptom relief the rest of their life. You can discuss the cost of allergy shots with your insurance provider.

Can Allergic Rhinitis Be Prevented Or Avoided

Science Behind The News: Allergies

Allergic rhinitis cannot be prevented. You can help your symptoms by avoiding the things that cause your symptoms, including:

  • Keeping windows closed. This is especially important during high-pollen seasons.
  • Washing your hands after petting animals.
  • Using dust- and mite-proof bedding and mattress covers.
  • Wearing glasses outside to protect your eyes.
  • Showering before bed to wash off allergens from hair and skin.

You can also avoid things that can make your symptoms worse, such as:

  • Aerosol sprays.
  • Wood smoke.

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Know Your Allergy Triggers

Triggers, or allergens, can vary by region of the country, but two main culprits are to blame for many fall seasonal allergy problems, experts say.

  • Ragweed and other weed pollens. Ragweed is a stubborn plant and grows easily in fields, along roadsides, and in vacant lots. A plant can produce a billion pollen grains in a season, and the grains can travel up to 400 miles because they are so lightweight.
  • Molds. Outdoor molds grow in heavy vegetation, hay and straw, and are found in raked leaves. Outdoor molds increase after rain, too.

Predicting how bad an allergy season will be is an inexact science, but there are some general links with weather, says Gary Rachelefsky, MD, a staff allergist at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. “Usually when there is more rain, there is more pollen,” he says. Outdoor mold can increase, too, with more moisture. So if you live in an area struck by flooding or heavy rains in the spring or summer, you can probably expect a worse-than-usual allergy season.

Ten Ways To Control Allergies Without Medication

The best way to control allergies without medication is to avoid them altogether, but thats not always possible, or realistic. Some allergens like pollen are tiny, which means they can travel long distances and cover a lot of ground, surfaces, skin and hair. So, unless you have severe allergy symptoms that require medication, there are a lot of ways you can alleviate your symptoms and get back to doing the things you love, including:

  • Saline nasal irrigationA nasal rinse clears mucus from your nose and can ease allergy symptoms. Not only can it reduce nasal drip, but it can also wash out any bacteria or allergies youve inhaled.
  • HEPA filtersA high-efficiency particulate air filter is a mechanical filter that works by forcing air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles like pollen, pet dander, dust mites and tobacco smoke. Replace HEPA filters monthly for best results.
  • Try ProbioticsProbiotics may help reduce allergy symptoms when taken during allergy season. Some strains of beneficial bacteria have been shown to regulate t-cells , which can help produce a stronger immune response to common allergens.
  • Take vitamin CVitamin C acts as a natural antihistamine by reducing the amount of histamine your body produces in response to an allergen. It might help reduce mild symptoms like congestion, runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes. The recommended dose is 2,000 milligrams per day.
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    Other Types Of Allergies In Dogs Beyond Seasonal Allergies

    In addition to seasonal allergies, dogs can experience other kinds of allergies. Many kinds of allergies can be challenging for pups and dog owners, and the symptoms of different ones can overlap.

    Skin atopy These allergies are the most common. Skin allergies are also known as atopic dermatitis, and are estimated to affect about 10% of dogs, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.

    Food allergies If a dog has food allergies, it tends to be because they are sensitive to more commonly used types of protein sources in dog foods like beef, chicken, and pork.

    Environmental allergies Environmental allergies like pollen, dust, or mold can be either seasonal or constant. These cause atopic allergic reactions.

    Medical allergies Dogs can be allergic to certain kinds of medications. Its also possible that the symptoms you think are allergies can be attributed to underlying medical concerns.

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    Health Information You Can Trust

    Allergy season has begun

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    While we should be enjoying the beauty of spring, many people suffer from seasonal allergies. From the birds to the pollen, there are many things that may cause suffering from the classic symptoms of an allergic reaction.

    In fact, research shows that approximately 35 million Americans are dealing with seasonal allergies, as well as hay fever. And, as the sneezing, scratchy throat and watery eyes become increasingly unbearable many people will reach for pharmaceutical drugs to help lessen these symptoms. While these drugs may provide temporary allergy relief, drugs almost always come with undesired side effects.

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    How To Treat Allergies

    In some cases, the best way to manage allergic reactions is to completely avoid the allergen triggering substance. But when the allergen is impossible to avoid, or allergic reactions are getting in the way of your life, our doctors offer solutions that will help you manage them.

    Allergy shots help desensitize your body to allergens by exposing your body to a small amount of the allergen, slowly increasing the amount over time. Our doctors develop a treatment course to your triggering allergens, starting with weekly shots and moving to monthly over time.

    Other allergy treatments our doctors prescribe include medication, inhalers, and sublingual immunotherapy tablets, a tablet form of allergy shots. For certain life-threatening allergies, our doctors prescribe an epinephrine auto-injector for you to carry with you in case of exposure to the allergen.

    Medications For Seasonal Allergies During Pregnancy

    • diphenhydramine
    • loratadine

    There are always risks when taking any medication during pregnancy. Women should talk with their doctors before taking allergy medicines to make sure they arent potentially harmful. While doctors consider many oral over-the-counter medications safe for seasonal allergies, using both oral and nasal spray decongestants isnt as studied or well-known. Use of nasal sprays may be safer than oral decongestants. Thats because nasal sprays arent as likely to be absorbed into the bloodstream. An example is oxymetazoline, an ingredient in brands like Afrin and Neo-Synephrine. Women should exercise caution when using nasal sprays for more than three days. This is because using decongestants for longer can make allergy symptoms worse by causing nasal swelling. Some women also get allergy shots. These are compounds of allergens that are injected as a means to desensitize a person to an allergen. If a woman becomes pregnant while she is in the course of her allergy shots, she can usually keep getting them. Pregnancy isnt a good time to start getting allergy shots. Its possible they can cause strong allergic reactions. Without knowing a womans reaction, its best to delay starting allergy shots until after giving birth.

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    What Causes Allergies

    Depending on what youre allergic to, your allergies may be triggered by different pollens such as tree pollen, grass pollen or weed pollen. Ragweed, for example, is a common weed pollen that bothers many allergy sufferers.

    Mold spores from naturally occurring molds, like those that grow in vegetable gardens or leaf piles, can also cause allergic reactions. Even mowing the lawn can unearth mold spores and trigger symptoms for some.

    Depending on what youre allergic to, your symptoms may be worse in the fall or spring. Molds are prevalent, for example, spring through fall, whereas ragweed and other weed pollens are worse in late summer and into the fall.

    If your symptoms persist year round, you may actually be dealing with an allergen in your home or other environment, such as dust or pet dander.

    Ask For Allergy Shots

    How To Relieve Severe and Seasonal Allergies With A Secret Natural Remedy

    If antihistamines, nasal spray and staying inside arent controlling your symptoms, theres a more extreme measure you can take: getting allergy shots.

    Like vaccines that protect you against viruses, there are shots that can prevent your body from reacting to pollen exposure. They treat the underlying problem rather than just the symptoms.

    Unlike regular vaccines, however, you cant just get one allergy shot and call it good.

    You have to come in regularly for shots for three to five years, its labor intensive and there are potential risks, Ayars explains.

    Those risks range from mild things like redness at the injection site, to hives, to rare but serious things like anaphylactic shock.

    Still, if youre someone who used to have mild sniffles during spring pollen season and now cant get through the day without antihistamines, it might be worth talking with your doctor about other treatments including allergy shots.

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    Tip : Recognize Allergy Symptoms

    Seasonal allergies mainly affect the eyes, nose, sinuses, and mouth, but not everyone will experience the full array of symptoms. An itchy roof of the mouth, hives, and watery eyes are classic allergy symptoms, but others can mimic signs of infection. If your symptoms like a stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, cough, red or watery eyes, or sinus congestion and pain dont go away after a week or two, you may be reacting to seasonal irritants.

    These irritants vary from person to person. What triggers one persons allergies may not trigger them in another. And they can vary by the time of year. Knowing when your symptoms are at their worst can help you get an idea of what you may be allergic to.

    In early spring, tree pollens are the most likely culprits. In later spring and the beginning of summer, grass pollens are at their highest point. Weed pollens like ragweed hit people hardest in late summer. If your symptoms are bad all year round, they may be the result of allergens in your home or work environment, like dust, mold, or pet dander.

    A persistent cough or sore throat are two of the most common allergy-related complaints patients report in our practice. But these symptoms also are red flags for infections like the flu or strep throat. Come see us to determine if you have allergies or an infection if you experience a persistent cough, sore throat, or one of these symptoms:

    • Body aches
    • New rashes

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