Allergy remedies?

[newwhole30er]

So my allergies have been TERRIBLE lately and Zyrtec/Claritin haven't really been helping. I've heard about taking local honey as a remedy, but obviously that's not Whole30 and honestly even if you told me I could do it for medicinal purposes I don't really WANT to because I know it'll cause cravings.

So....is there anything else? 

[purplepadres]

Do you use a neti pot or some other form of nasal irrigation? I find it helpful to use one a couple of times a week during allergy season to keep things moving through my nasal passages.

[ladyshanny]

It won't work just now, but the point of the honey is that it's made with bee pollen from (hopefully) local bees. What happens is that by consuming it in small doses and building your way up, you "inoculate" yourself to the pollen in your area so that your body doesn't view it as an invader. Fortunately bee pollen is Whole30 compliant. Unfortunately this inoculation usually takes several months. It's something you would start in the winter for spring allergies.

If you've been taking your same allergy meds for a long time, you may need to switch to something totally new. Reactine or Allegra maybe? Sorry, I know the hell on earth that is allergies. If you do find that Reactine or Allegra (or the old-school Chlor-Triplon) works for you, try rotating through them so you aren't using the same one all the time.

Finally, try taking those allergy meds at night. They are usually 24-hour so it could be that if you use them at night, your body has a chance to rest while the meds work and you won't be hit so hard in the morning.

[Guest]

If you are willing to use a nasal spray, my doctors over the years have all said Flonase works way better than pills, and it's otc now.

[LadyLisbette]

Flonase works for me when my allergies flare up. The house brand is a bargain. You'll want to place the nozzle at a slight angle so the product goes into your sinuses rather than down your throat (that's no fun!) 

[Carol]

On 3/27/2017 at 1:48 PM, newwhole30er said:

So my allergies have been TERRIBLE lately and Zyrtec/Claritin haven't really been helping. I've heard about taking local honey as a remedy, but obviously that's not Whole30 and honestly even if you told me I could do it for medicinal purposes I don't really WANT to because I know it'll cause cravings.

So....is there anything else? 

Claritin can be notoriously ineffective at the labeled 10mg dose:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/11/magazine/the-claritin-effect-prescription-for-profit.html

That being said, my BF takes it year round at that dose.    The tablets appear to degrade quickly.  Make sure yours are not out of date.   

If all else fails, call your doctor's office and ask to speak with a triage nurse about taking 20mg of claritin instead of 10.   They might agree, they might suggest something else -- but they are the best folks to make the call since they know your medical history.

[Zen_whole30]

So is it ok to take Zyrtec during Whole30?

[SugarcubeOD]

2 minutes ago, Zen_whole30 said:

So is it ok to take Zyrtec during Whole30?

Technically probably not because ingredients, but you're an adult who has allergies... if you want to take it, then that's your choice... I personally wouldn't suffer...