Running Nose and Sneezing Allergy

Hi All,

I have been suffering from some kind of allergy for the last 10 years. It will happen once in a while. I will call it as a sneezing day. I get sneezing and running nose from the moment i get up from the bed. It lasts till the night. I dont know what i am allergic to. Its not dust, because i am the cleaner in my house and i dont get sneezing when i deal with dust. Its not any season specific. I am kind of confused.. When i get this allergy, thats a spoiled day.. i sneeze continuously... and by the middle of the day i will be very tired.. Could you please put some light on my allergy and suggest me what kind of medicine i should take to stop this sneezing

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

It seems that you are having hay fever or allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis is a collection of symptoms, predominantly in the nose and eyes, caused by airborne particles of dust, dander, or plant pollens in people who are allergic to these substances.

When a person with allergies breathes in an allergen such as pollen or dust, antibodies are produced. When the antibodies are stimulated by pollen and dust, histamine and other chemicals are released. This causes itching, sneezing and sometimes mucus production.

Pls contact an allergic specialist and get skin tests like skin ***** test done. In this a small amount of allergen is introduced into the skin of the forearm and the reaction of the skin is noted. If there is any redness then that person is allergic to the allergen introduced.Then avoidance of allergen is the best treatment.

You can also get blood tests like RAST done.

You can take OTC antihistaminics like benadryl or Claritin. Non sedating antihistaminic medications include fexofenadine (Allegra), and cetirizine (Zyrtec).

You can also use nasal corticosteroid sprays like nasocort or flonase. Decongestants may also be helpful in reducing symptoms such as nasal congestion, but they should not be used for long periods. Cromolyn sodium is a nasal spray (Nasalcrom) for treating hay fever.
If the symptoms are intense then you can go in for immunotherapy

Hope it helps.Take care and pls do keep me posted on how you are doing or if you have any additional queries.