Crashed. Could hayfever have done this?

@Hell..hath..no..fury...

That picture! And what you said, "the truck driver is a prize a-hole"

I'm my case, it's a steam-roller driver. Totally squished me flat. Yeah, I've had a lot to handle, and maybe I underestimate the impact it's had on me because I've ALWAYS had a lot of stress to handle with my kids and husband.

I've got used to making lists, lots of lists, and getting the things I have to keep track of, and do, out of my head. The lists are there, and I know I'll get to them. Stress averted.

But my organisational skills have deserted me, and I can hardly MAKE a list, let alone see to it in my usual gradual, easy pace.

But the TASKS don't stop just because I have. The responsibilities. Big ones. No one to delegate to.

I'm being kind to myself, sleeping a lot and resting, because I simply can't do anything else.

People who have ME, who think seriously about having children... They are the best things in my life. I'd do anything for them. I sacrifice myself for them. I HAVE sacrificed my health for them. It's excruciatingly difficult, still, after 11 years ill, and this is at 16 and 20. Physically independent of me.

 

Hope your OK

 

Yes.
I really hope you improve soon.

 

Thanks @Skycloud and @dangermouse

I do too. My son is coming home in 2 weeks for a visit, and I had plans! I don't want it to be a washout. I better get off my phone and have a nap RIGHT NOW!

 

That’ll be lovely

 

I have allergies to five types of tree, so often get hayfever (or tree-fever) in the spring. I used to take over-the-counter remedies for it (cetirizin, and another one) which helped. However, since ME I can't take cetirizin or anything else because it completely knocks me out. So I just get through the hayfever without taking anything. Fortunately it doesn't seem to be as bad as it used to be. Or maybe I'm just spending more time inside.

 

@TiredSam
I'm very glad for you that your tree-fever is less bad these days. You've reminded me of when I was pregnant, not allowed to take antihistamines, and losing my mind with bloody awful hayfever. I used to stick my head in buckets of ice water to numb it all!

Antihistamines aren't controlling my symptoms now - my eyes are itching infuriatingly - but I'm hugely grateful I'm not like THAT.

Did your doctor try you on steroid nasal spray for your hayfever, like the one I think might have messed me up, as an alternative to the antihistamines? Or were they sensibly too wary?

 

Nope, never tried that. I had a nose spray and inhaler about 20 years ago when my allergies started, but I don't think steroids were involved, and I'd stopped using them long before my M.E. Started.

 

Modern antihistamines have limited side-effects, and can in principle be taken in higher than nominal doses.
I have found Loratadine (available in 240 packs OTC on amazon) at around 30mg/day very useful.

It has been used theraputically at these sorts of dosages - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20226302 for urticaria, with some other trials showing similar results, and toxicity data at the increased dose looking promising.Many patients do not get any significant benefit at the nominal dose for urticatia, but do at a higher one.

I initially took this for hay fever, but it seems that it may mitigate onset of PEM in some cases.
The first symptom I used to get was often swolen lymph nodes - with a recent dose of loratadine, I do not see this.

 

I don't know about antihistamines.

 

Yes, there’s several others (non drowsy & drowsy ones) on prescription. I think fexofenadine is the one they’ll try next if Cetirizine & loratidine don’t work. Also you can take Cetirizine twice a day (pharmacist told me), if once a day doesn’t work well - but make sure you check that with pharmacist due to interactions with meds.

 

I had an anaphylaxis at the end of 2019, when I was 72, a reaction to eating a satsuma ( no previous reactions to any food, tree, pollen, just out of the blue). Was in hospital for 5 days, treated with steroid tablets which initially wouldn't go down because my throat was so swollen, and discharged with loratadine an H1 blocker. I still take them daily.

Early in 2020, I had a private appointment with Dr Gratten ( NHS immunology appointments have long waiting lists in my area) who advised me to continue the loratadine and carrying epipens, but also advised a "rescue remedy" 2x cetirizine STAT for any further episodes of throat swelling. Have been glad of this advice since taking the covid vs since I reacted to AZ with throat swelling and have become more reactive to foodstuffs in general eg to wine, prunes, so I always carry cetirizine which does help, and am omitting certain foods to which I have become sensitive.

My GP prescribed fexofenadine for an unexplained rash just before the ana but I felt nauseous and unwell. I have no reactions to the other atihistamines.

I can't remember which drugs are prescription only, and which are available over the counter but obviously the pharmacist could advise.

My reactions began when I was 72 so older age doesn't seem to be a deterrent. I have now been pinprick tested by the local immunologist for a range of regular foodstuffs including a satsuma and no reactions occurred. Dr Bansal diagnosed my issue as mast cell irritability.

I hope you can sort out what your reactions are @NelliePledge. I have found this a confusing and worrying area especially with anaphylaxis involving oral swelling. Pinprick testing, if your GP will refer, might help identify any sensitivities.

 

Choice is between drowsy and non drowsy - the former can be useful for sleep problems. Fexofenadine seems to be the NHS standby non drowsy (well non drowsy ish, I have to take it at night otherwise messes up the day): https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/fexofenadine/ note the issue with fruit juices !

 

As @lunarainbows says, yes there are. Talk to a pharmacist, they're really helpful. Some people can mix a drowsy with a non-drowsy antihistamine, for instance, as their actions are slightly different; I was also cleared to take fexofenadine and loratadine on the same day but 12 hours apart. It is individual, though, it depends on various factors.

One thing that works well for me is alternating loratadine and cetirizine, as it seems to get around the fact that the effects of one will fade if I take it all the time. Both can be bought practically anywhere and are as cheap as chips (there's no need to pay for the branded ones, Wilko's own are just as good). Fexofenadine is prescription only.

That's fairly normal. Some allergic people do find they collect new ones as they go along! I'm hoping against hope that I'll hang onto my one saving grace in summer. Non-tanning skin that burns in March, tick; sunstroke, tick; muscles that pack up altogether when it gets above 25C, tick. But I can help set a moth trap next to a lake at dusk and get eaten alive by mosquitos, and have nothing to show for it the next day.

 

Honestly the first thing a GP will say is to increase your dose of the over the counter antihistamine. The NICE guidelines for hayfever - last time I looked at them, at any rate, which was a couple of years ago - instruct GPs that most OTC antihistamines can be taken at 4 times the recommended dose.

Certainly that's what I do - the packet says to take 1 tablet per day, but I take 2 in the morning, and if it wears off then I take another 2 later.

Best to talk to GP before doing this though.

 

I've never found OTC antihistamines, in the UK, to be dose dependent.

For me taking 2 has never had a more pronounced effect than taking one.

Unlike virtually everything else they seem more akin to flipping a switch than something where dosage matters.

So I am surprised that not everyone, and medicine, thinks differently.