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Allergies after riding


isellacuras

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Seeing if anyone else deals with this as much as I do. I have bad allergies in the spring (April-June). I take allergy meds in the spring which keeps them at bay for the most part. Problem is that when I ride, I am severely stuffed up for 2-3 days after and this is not limited to spring time but affects me all year. I have always assumed this was due to pollen being mixed in with the water. Problem is that I can't take more meds so I just have to deal with it. I have tried neti pots, different prescription meds and OTC stuff. The night of a day of riding its so bad I can't sleep because my nose is so stuffed up I can't breathe and then switches to a faucet like runny nose and back to stuffed. I'm tired of it and want to see if anyone else experiences this If you do, have you found a solution or remedy for it? Even some slight relief would be great. I have thought about using one of those swimmers nose plugs but I breath out through my nose when under water after a fall and worry about breaking that habit if I were to use one.

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When I get a real stuffed nose from allergies or a cold I go straight to a nasal decongestant spray. The OTC meds work ok and the behind the counter stuff makes me feel crazy.

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The only time I get stuffed up like you describe is if I take a nose full of water. If any water at all gets into the sinuses I am stuffed, however not having bad alligeries I justntahe an allergy pill and it ends.. Good luck figuring this one out, might want to talk to your ENT.

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Dude... I 100% feel your pain. I fight the same thing ALL SUMMER. I have found that if I come straight home, take a shower and use the Neti pot, along with taking Claritin I can manage it. BUT, it doesn't always work. I've thought about going to see an algerist but I have been told they are just going to send me home with Claritin or some other OTC med. Its horrible.

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My seasonal allergies knock me out once in the spring and once in the fall. I go get a steroid shot (not sure exactly what steroid) and it keeps things in line for the rest of the season. Been doing this for the last 3 years, and it works like a charm!

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See the allergist. My kids struggled with this, found out what was causing it. 2 of my kids get allergy shots. Started with 1x a week injections and now we do it every other week. NIGHT and DAY difference. Since they have stretched out their shots occasionally they will start to get a little congestion. Quick shot of nose spray and all is normal again. Huge relief in our house.

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Paging Doc Phil! But what works for me is this in the AM every day.

http://nasacort.com/m/#/home

Combined with Claritin.

Shower right after the lake and a Benadryl before bed. East Tennessee is one of the worst areas in the nation for seasonal alergies.

Edited by jb 156
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Feel your pain too, spent lots of time this weekend blowing nose, rubbing eyes, taking Zyrtec, netti pot and sudafed. Mid May to mid June every year. Friend swears by the steroid shot , but haven't tried it.

The sooner I get back inside and clean up, the sooner I recover. No alcohol for me these 4 weeks either, makes it worse.

Edited by augie09
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I fight the same problem and it really sucks- take a good header and I am miserable! I went through allergy testing and not much there. My ENT told me to use Afrin when it happens, but not to use it for more than a couple of days consecutively. I also use a nasal rinse, I find the bottle type works better for me than the NetiPot (same manufacturer). This gives me some relief and keeps me in the water.

If you figure out a better solution I'm sure that you could market it and then be able to quit your day job!

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A few things. When do you start the neti pot and how often. Most people wait until the problem occurs. You need to do it as preventive. For you I would start first day of spring and do once in morning and once at night. It is a pain but it will help. Maybe change your meds. Not sure what you are using but Claritin works for some but not others. Make sure you are using one with a decongestion. If you have not tried Zyrtec-D give it a try. It does make a lot of people drowsy if this is the case try taking the 12 hour relief around dinner time. Also when out on the boat wear sunglasses at all times especially when underway even if cloudy. Try and stay below the windshield when underway as well. Also, as others have stated take a warm shower when done boating. If you have a bad episode take and soak a warm washcloth then place over face and breathe through washcloth. Good Luck

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I suffer from similar sinus and allergy problems. My wife referred to me as one big sinus infection all spring and summer. I finally caved after year of putting it off and got sinus surgery - kind of like a rotor rooter. The first few days after the surgery were terrible - who knew they could shove so much gauze up there - but the best decision I ever made. I still have sinus problems, but no where near as severe as they were in the past.

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I have dealt with this for years as well. Here is something interesting to ponder though. My wife has switched us to the whole 30 diet plan (no sugar, grains or dairy) and my allergies have never been better. We started the plan 10 days ago and I haven't had any sinus issues in a week and I dropped a couple of pounds. No Meds or sprays just a sinus rinse after skiing.

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I have used pretty much all of the OTC stuff (Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra and benedryl) sometimes when they were still prescription. Symprex was the most recent prescription allergy med I've taken but I don't like the way it makes me feel. I now use Claritin as my regular. It works fine on a day to day basis. I only have issues after I ride. I used to use a nasal inhaler called rinochort that worked well but I can't get that any more for some reason. I always shower right when I get home and try to flush out the best I can. I guess it's time to see an allergist. I ride 2-3 days a week so that means I'm pretty much always stuffed up. The night of riding is by far the worst.

Edited by isellacuras
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I think I'm going to try the nascort before and after riding along with my daily regimen before checking in with the Doctor. And maybe some hot wings. Love me some hot wings.

  • Like 2
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Solution for me is to keep water out of nose. I do it by using clear waterproof medical tape before I ride. Can't see it from 80 feet away. Yep looks a little funny but it works. I can still breath out of nose that way but it blocks water from getting in.

  • Like 2
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Paging Doc Phil! But what works for me is this in the AM every day.

http://nasacort.com/m/#/home

Combined with Claritin.

Shower right after the lake and a Benadryl before bed. East Tennessee is one of the worst areas in the nation for seasonal alergies.

At your service JB. Sorry I was busy taking care of my real patients. ;)

Can I ask what the OP has tried exactly? What OTC meds and nasal sprays specifically?

Also have any been used in combination?

Edited by DocPhil
  • Like 2
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I have dealt with this for years as well. Here is something interesting to ponder though. My wife has switched us to the whole 30 diet plan (no sugar, grains or dairy) and my allergies have never been better. We started the plan 10 days ago and I haven't had any sinus issues in a week and I dropped a couple of pounds. No Meds or sprays just a sinus rinse after skiing.

something similar helped me. I am that kid that allergy shots every week for years growing up. did NOT help. I would get a sinus infection 2-3 times every year in my teens and 20's. but a few years ago I switched to paleo diet and also started running outside 4-5 days a week for 30-90 minutes each time. This combo relieved 100% of my allergies for the years I did it. This year, however, I have slipped on the diet and the running and am getting severe allergy attacks again. time to step up my game again.

  • Like 3
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At your service JB. Sorry I was busy taking care of my real patients. ;)

Can I ask what the OP has tried exactly? What OTC meds and nasal sprays specifically?

Also have any been used in combination?

I have used pretty much all of them. I change them up when they start to be less effective. I have had severe allergies my whole adult life. I use Claritin-D 24 hour now for my daily routine which works fine unless I am riding. The only nasal spray I have ever used is Rhinocort which was probably the best results I have had but last time I talked to my primary, he said it was no longer available. That was years ago. I have not used any OTC inhalers. My problem is not a basic sniffly nose (thanks for the reply annonmys user). I am talking severely stopped up nasal passages that I can't even blow out. If I blow and blow and blow and I'm finally able I pass some air through my nose, that starts the faucet drip. I wipe my nose until it goes back to being completely stopped up again. The severe portion is the night after riding but the normal congestion lasts a couple days. The night of, I am unable to get any kind of good sleep (nor can my wife) because when I do finally fall asleep, I snore enough to bring the house down, then I wake up from a dry mouth and throat. I understand this is not uncommon but just looking for an easy remedy to lessen the symptoms or at least manage them a little. Back to the Rhinocort, I didn't use that in my wakeboarding/riding days. That was a daily dose to manage the normal spring time allergies.

Edit; I have not combined allergy meds because I didn't want any counteraction (if that's a word) or to over do it.

Edited by isellacuras
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I have used pretty much all of them. I change them up when they start to be less effective. I have had severe allergies my whole adult life. I use Claritin-D 24 hour now for my daily routine which works fine unless I am riding. The only nasal spray I have ever used is Rhinocort which was probably the best results I have had but last time I talked to my primary, he said it was no longer available. That was years ago. I have not used any OTC inhalers. My problem is not a basic sniffly nose (thanks for the reply annonmys user). I am talking severely stopped up nasal passages that I can't even blow out. If I blow and blow and blow and I'm finally able I pass some air through my nose, that starts the faucet drip. I wipe my nose until it goes back to being completely stopped up again. The severe portion is the night after riding but the normal congestion lasts a couple days. The night of, I am unable to get any kind of good sleep (nor can my wife) because when I do finally fall asleep, I snore enough to bring the house down, then I wake up from a dry mouth and throat. I understand this is not uncommon but just looking for an easy remedy to lessen the symptoms or at least manage them a little. Back to the Rhinocort, I didn't use that in my wakeboarding/riding days. That was a daily dose to manage the normal spring time allergies.

Despite manufacturer comments, there is not one nasal steroid proven to be more effective than another. Rhinocort, Nasacort and flonase are very similar in terms of molecular activity. So you clearly have not exhausted your options if you are not using something like that. They do not give an immediate clearing of the nasal passages like Afrin will, so you need to look at it like maintenance, don't try it for 2 days and then give up on it. After a week you should know if it is going to be helpful.

Then if that fails, you probably should see a real doctor, and make sure there is not a crayon or something stuck up there since you were 3 years old. :)

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I use to have the very same problem as you describe, so stopped up nothing would help, sometimes it would lead to a sinus infection. Get the nose plugs. Once I started using them, no more problems. They were kinda a pain in the arse but well worth it.

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