Violent, uncontrollable sneezing

[RecordBreaker]

I have had allergies and asthma all my life.  When I have a sneezing/hay fever reaction, it's accompanied by the usual itching of palate and eyes, and my medications take care of it.  But once or twice a month, I sneeze uncontrollably, hundreds of times, all day long, and nothing, not Allegra-D, not Claritin, not Benadryl, will stop it.  And the weird thing is, this sneezing is NOT accompanied by the usual itching.  When I have a "sneezing day," I am nonfunctional.  All events are canceled. It is absolutely exhausting.  I sometimes  wonder if it has anything to do with weather or barometric changes; it seems like it rains or there's a temp. change the following day, and my symptoms are COMPLETELY gone.  Any guesses or similarities out there?

[3rdchild]

Sorry, I reread my post and noticed some grammar errors.  Hope you understand what I meant.  
It's just late and I'm sleepy now.  :)

[3rdchild]

My daughter has had days like that.  Where she's sneezed all day long, carrying a box of tissues with her everywhere.  It usually really takes a lot out of her.  I usually think that it's a beginning of a cold or some kind of allergy, although the next day it's gone and all she's left with is a red nose.  I don't think that she sneezes as much as you do, although there's been times I've kept her home from school and other times she went to a school with a box of tissues.  

To be honest with you...I'm obviously not a doctor but I think it might be some kind of allergy.  Something must set it off.  What I would do is write down everything going on with the weather, if you changed any soaps, detergents in closes...etc...  It has to be something...may daughter has not has a sneeze attack day in awhile.  (knock wood)  And like you said, it usually goes away so we usually do not go to the doctor....weird, right?

[Levi212]

It is possible that something sets it off, and it is also possible that weather changes are the cause. Whatever the case I would suggest that you cover one of the bases and see if it helps. I had a problem with the air in my home and a friend of mine told me what she did, which was she got a whole house air purifier. I did a little research and found that it's some pretty good stuff.

It's a Polarized Media Filter that she uses, and I do now, and what it does is it actually attracts the particles to the media with a static electricity. It works a whole lot better than the normal filters which are just standing there on the off-chance that something actually catches.

Anyway, the best place to find these is at www.airlifeone.com. And I'd look at the Electrobreeze brand if you were getting one. I suggest it because it's cheaper, and honestly I don't know what the other company is doing by charging more because it's the same product. Another thing that's really cool about this company is, they don't give you hassles if you have a question about something. When I talked with them they helped me out no problem. It's actually quite refreshing considering most companies automate everything.

Well, I hope that I've helped you out.

[hexified]

my husband is like that when the weather changes! exactly like that.  he can tell 2 days away if the weather is going to dramatically change - and here in texas that happens a lot. trust me, its awful for him. once the weather settles down, he's back to normal.  only the barometric change does anything to him.  you're not alone in this, and nothing - not any medication on the market, rx or otherwise, puts a dent in his reaction.

[kalyson]

I see that I am not alone in my misery.   These fits occur any time of year for me and last about a day.  No type of antihistimine or other allergy medicine makes any difference.  My allergy specialist thinks the cause may be a virus.  No one knows.  Sometimes they occur every 10-12 days, other times I go a month or two.  It is horrible.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
The function of the sneeze reflex is to dislodge foreign matter or irritating material from respiratory passages.The source of irritation that initiates the sneeze reflex is in the nasal passages.
Weather change by itself will not cause sneezing.What is probably happening is the load  of pollen-common allergen-might be very high at that particular time.The pollen level can be quite different in various areas of a particular city or area. Levels of pollen tend to be highest from early morning to mid-morning, from 5AM to 10AM.
On those particular days maybe you go into bouts of uncontrollable sneezing.
You could discuss with yor doctor whether using a nasal spray would be of some help.

[sneezer]

Finally found a site with someone that can identify with my problems. I have the exact same symptoms as you.  The violent sneezing episodes last all day and nothing seems to stop it.  It is impossible to work or function on those days.  I know people think I am "stretching" the truth when I have to call in sick to work on those days.  I teach and it is impossible to be productive on a day when you can't stop sneezing.  It leaves you exhausted when the sneezing finally does stop the next day.  I have had all the allergy skin tests done and wasn't allergic to anything.  The dr. diagnosed me with non-allergic rinitis and prescribed Astelin which has terrible side effects.  The only thing that seems to help me a little is taking double doses of benedryl which probably isn't healthy, but at least it will put me to sleep for a few hours.  I see a new allergy dr. tomorrow and am hoping for some help with this ongoing problem.  

[sadie63]

i am not a good speller or writer but here goes, I am so glad to know i am not the only one possibly overdosing myself on antihystimins i too have these sneezing attacks about 2 times a month i have known allergies and take meds daily with good results usualy symptom free but when an attack comes nothing stops it i cannot function i cant seem to figure out what triggers it and then the next day im warn out.

[carrie8]

I am not alone! I too have this, it is so draining.  the benadryl  only makes me sleep so that is used as a last resort. Some days it is all day. I too have wondered is it due to weather, I live in the tropics and  think it is the moist air, the change in pollen content or weather ( sudden downpours cloudy days brilliant sun) as well as the various molds and spiders we have. I don't think it is an allergy as much as just a very sensitive nose. Dust gets me,  a smell,  perfume,  the sun  but then some days nothing.  I noticed this happening when I was pregnant with my first child 17 years ago. The nose was so sensitive to touch, if my husband leaned close to kiss me and his breath  touched my nose it would tickle it and cause a sneeze!  Weird!  The terrible thing is some times the sneeze itself triggers another  you get so stuffed up  but drippy too, that you can hardly breathe for fear of more sneezes.  You can stand up and start to sneeze!  A fan blowing can trigger it, cooler air form an air con, then going into warmer air.  I have tried all medication and the nasal sprays ( which often trigger a sneeze  themselves!) I've had x-rays to see if there is a blockage or an infection, nothing!  Do you think stress can cause it? I noticed a few times when I have to tell off my children I get stopped by a sneeze or two or 6! I don't know if it will ever go away or there will ever be a cure.  We just have to make do the best we can.  Bless you! all! Caroline

[FurballsMom]

I'm having a similar problem with my allergies.  It doesn't last just one day either.  I have had the most awful sinus pain for days.  Nothing I've done has helped very much at all.  I've used the nasal spray, which will wash out what ever is bothering me, but I still get no relief.  I'm using Nasonex, which has been like using nothing.  I used Flonase in the past.  Same thing.  I'm on Benadryl all the time, otherwise I would have an itchy runny nose, sneezing, plus this sinus pain.

I can't take ANYTHING for pain.  I've been dealing with a kidney issue, so NSAIDs are out.  I'm allergic to Tylenol, and I'm allergic to all opiates.  When I was hospitalized with renal failure, the hospital had me lying down on a K-pad to deal with the intense kidney pain, because there isn't anything left that one can take for pain.

So, that means I can't take anything to deal with the sinus pain and headaches when this is happening.

I'm at a loss as to what I can do.  I can't afford to get an air purifier.  It's on my wish list of items to buy some time in the distant future, which means not in the forseeable future.

This is almost the same as what these other allergy sufferers are going through.  This is very debilitating.

In addition to the pharmaceuticals I mentioned that I'm allergic to, I am allergic to everything under the sun, with a long list of food allergies, because I also have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).  So, I have to be particularly careful of what I take into my body.

[jackygirl]

Holy moly..I have to tell you I thought I was alone. I just came back from the Drs took today off. Woke up 3 am violent sneezing for hours..have to  have a tea towel because my nose is raw from Kleenex, running like a tap..clear, eyes are watering,and my body is drained. I know tomorrow will be like nothing ever happened, and I'll just have a red nose to show for my lost day. When I'm like this I can't even talk to people because my nose  is running down my face, in my purse, lap...desk..
I'll be going to a specialist to find out what I'm allergic to..but I drank red wine yesterday, and now that I think about it...I think the last time I was like this I had drank red wine that day...hmmm..with what I've just googled I may be allergic to what is in red wine, and alot of other food that have sulphites (to preserve foods) or the histamines...well I'll be testing this....no more red wine...I hope that's it..because that would be sooooo easy to fix this.

[Klrice]

So maybe I'm not alone.... but I still feel that my uncontrollable, violent, head wrenching sneezing has to be the worst.... Now I'm a 23 year old, African American with Asthma, Sinuses, and hundreds of food allergies, outdoor allergies, and inside allergies.... fortunately for me I've never had one of these reactions outside of my home... but let me tell you If I did they would lock me up in a zoo for behaving like an animal. My sneezes comes in doubles, triples, quadruples, and I can be sneezing for hours.... my sneezes aren't clean sneezes...I'm draining snot like a water faucet....  no conventional medications work... I have to let it go away in its on time.... If you know anything I can do... let me know.

[kelbelski]

Holy sneezes! This is very wierd that there are other uncontrollable sneezers. However, I feel that I am different. This is not just a day here or there. This is everyday! Now some days are more worst than others. For instance I have sneezed all day......Maybe a onesie, twosie, threesie here and there if you will. But for the past three hours i have sneezed probably 50 times. and yes I am drained from it. Most days " normal non-sneezers" probably wake up and head straight to the bathroom because " they got to go". I wake up and the first thing I do is sneeze.......atleast three times. I am at a loss here. I dont know what I can do to stop it. I tried to do the process of elimination but I seem to be a creature of habit and I dont change anything. I dont have allergies, asthma bad sinuses or any medical condition that has been diagnosed. I JUST WANT TO STOP SNEEZING!!!!!!!

[james181818]

I'm a 62 year old male who's recently developed allergies. I too have fits of uncontrollable sneezing. I went to an allergist and he identified dust mold and grass as the culprits. Just after visiting the doctor I spent 6 weeks in Mexico and was relatively free from misery. I'm now back in Toronto for a few weeks and the sneezing seems to be returning . The sneezing I can live with---it's 10 hours a day with a running nose that's a killer. I'm starting a nasal spray called Omnaris and hoping it helps. It's truly a debilitating condition and I commiserate with the others who've written.

[4afriend99]

Holy ****! (excuse the language) I  too am having these sneeze attacks. They are debilitating. I get them everyday for at least 1 to 2 hours. I can get them in the morning, in the car, at work, at my boyfriends, at the movie theaters, new places, old places, closed areas, open areas. Everyone keeps saying I must be getting sick but I am not sick. I feel helpless. Now with swine flu everyone looks at me like I'm contagious. Everyone thinks I'm making a big deal out of nothing, but when I feel a sneeze coming on I know I have to run to a bathroom to blow my nose and that my great day is over. I've never had air born allergy's only to grass but as a skin allergen. It almost seems like the tissue makes it worse. We must all have a common bond... What is it in our everyday lives that is causing this?

[graeme_abz]

I am allergic to two things - cats and dust. Now neither trouble me very badly, antihistamine can sort it out.

But like all of you I suffer from horrid sneezing episodes. Last time it happened I sneezed so hard that I pulled a muscle in my abdomen. It sounds funny now, but at the time (and while still sneezing) it was unbearable!

I wish there was an explanation out there.

[Darkstella]

Me too!  I am in the middle of one right now.  It started this morning and now that I am sitting still in a dark room, I am not sneezing.  I would say this happens to me one day a month and like everyone else who has posted it takes A LOT out of me.  I also drank red wine last night and maybe that does have something to do with it.  I always thought it was the "perfect storm" of conditions that caused it: high pollen day, weather change, etc all happening at once.  I just called and left a voicemail for my husband and sneezed 4 times while leaving it!!!!

[SirSneezeALot]

I know exactly what you're talking about.  Except oddly enough, the last 3 hotel rooms I checked into I just went ballistic in sneezing...possibly the cleaning agents used??? It got so bad the third night that I went for a walk at midnight in Atlanta.  My hypothesis on the causes if this are:
A: Pollen
OR
B: Paulen

[enjoylife670]

I too am a chronic uncontrollable sneezer and can relate to every one of your posts.  Nothing worked for me either when I would take allergy medicines and nasal sprays. Please be open-minded when I say this, even you parents who are opposed to illegal drugs.  One day this past summer I had been suffering from a day of sneezing when my friend offered me a pill of Ecstasy to do just as a fun drug without knowing it would help me with my sinuses.  After I took the pill,  about 30 minutes later my sinuses completely dried up and stopped sneezing and I could breathe so easily. Oh my!  I was so happy (thats what the drug helps with anyways) but I was so impressed with the fact it took away the sinus itch that you normally have.  Now I really dont do drugs, only on rare special occasions and live a pretty clean life, I am 36 yrs old and pretty healthy, have been an athlete in my past. Lately, the past few weeks my sinuses started getting bad as the Santa Ana winds blow in from the high desert here in San Diego, CA and I have had more days now lately where my sinuses flared up and a lot of sneezing again, so I got another ecstasy pill to take when I had another spell of sneezing and I could have a day off from work to test it out.  This time I only took half of the pill and Lo and behold it worked again!
I'm not sure if I want to take this drug very much and may just experiment with taking as little as possible to see it it still works. Like a half or less of the tablet.   I am going to give you a quote from a person who used ecstasy a lot and let her describe it, but there is something in that drug that dries you up and I think someone who know about pharmacy & tests pharmaceuticals could look into it further, may be a way to get a pill or liquid dose that could help us all out.

Here is her excerpt: ("I took E every day for 2 years, & it messed me up bad, I had a complete mental breakdown. When I first started doing it it was awesome. I loved it so much I got hooked. It is a mood enhancer, it increases the seratonin in your brain, which makes you feel happy, euphoric, peaceful, & loving. If you abuse it like I did though, the seratonin has a hard time replenishing itself, & you get the opposite affects, paranoia, depression, anxiety. So if you do decide to try it, only do it occasionally, like on the weekends, & you only need 1 tablet the 1st time. I still do it, but only 3 times a week, & my buzz is wicked again, like it used to be.")

So I recommend getting some for those times when you start sneezing and can have some time to mellow out without having to work too much.  That's my 2 cents for what its worth, and I'm happy I've discovered something that works for me and will for you too. Just do it in moderation please.

[pavel119]

My girlfriend has the same thing. Violent sneezing and watery eyes all day with no other symptoms. The next day she is fine with little or no sneezing. It happens to her more often (once a month) in winter than in summer (once every few months). She had an allergy test done and it showed that she wasn't allergic to anything. She just got done with a very strict candida diet while taking Candex and probiotics. She just had a sneezing day yesterday so that didn't affect it.

[4DME]

I've had this problem for awhile.  I've been sneezing all day long today.  
My girlfriend reckons this happens a day or 2 after I drink beer, that it might be the yeast in the beer.

I feel cold, like a chill but can also feel hot, kind of sweaty at the same time.  It's a strange sensation.

It's very draining and embarrassing, especially now with the Swine flu out break.  

The days it happens, it very hard to get anything done.

Have been taking the plant extract 'Luffa Complex'   it hasn't stopped it, but has helped a little.  
It also comes in a nasal spray

Peace

[sneezyandgrumpy]

Sneezers unite! At least it is reassuring to know there are so many others out there. I too sneeze all day long; normally, I have to simply go home and lie down because I can't function. Plus, if I'm at the office, sitting at my desk with kleenex stuffed up my nose is quite a lovely picture! I have been:  allergy tested (zip); to a ENT specialist who promptly gave me steroid nose spray (which gave me a raging headache); and to a naturopath who practices biofeedback who is convinced it is related to my colon. I did a cleanse and sure as shootin' I was good for almost 6 months (I had been having at least one episode a month prior)! But now, I have started again. 3 episodes this month alone, one of which was preceded by a scary 2 days of vertigo. So, whatever it is is still with me. I have also done the nasal wash thing. It's OK and likely has some benefits, but it doesn't stop the sneezing.

[SNEEZER030110]

My sympathies to all fellow sneezers.  What's going on????

This has only started happening to me in the last month (I'm 37). I've always sneezed in summer - hayfever, drinking milk /eating milk products, rubbing my eyes, old dust in charity shops, old books, cats, my body temperature changes (i.e. after excercise).  I have avoided parks and these situations, with a combination of antihistamines and nasal sprays I was sorted!  All under control for 13 years.........but no!....lately, I have developed what you all seem to have, chronic sneezing in winter!   This is not the sort of sneezing I get from allergies, just a small breeze or my own breath sets me off!  From the time I open my eyes in the morning to the time I fall asleep I sneeze uncontrollably and my nose is constantly tingling.  It's draining trying not to sneeze, otherwise I would sneeze none stop - It's so embarressing and I can no longer function.   I recently used my usual miracle nasal spray and this made my sneezing 10 times worse!  Antihistamines don't even touch it.  Is there a name for this condition?  Has somebody been fully diagnosed? Are there any legal solutions out there?  To the guy who mentioned the 'Ecstasyremedy' I don't doubt you, but I'm not brave enough to take it, not being one to want to touch illegal drugs at all - they trained me well at school and scared me senseless.   Since Ecstasy seems to work, does this mean we're run down or have a chemical deficiency?  Hey doctors out there....is anyone investigating this?  I don't want to hear about pollen and allergies, this is different.

Fo now I'm going to change my laundrey liquid which I recently started using (it's 'green' and I've just read it has 'limonene' which is dangerous, I wonder how this can be good for the environment in that case eh?) I have used loads of different types of detergents and have been fine.  The only other change is that I have consumed many milk products over Christmas as I was being polite, perhaps I am suffering from it now.   Did you know that cows milk we buy contains hormones....especially the processed ones like skimmed milk, also aggrevating acne?  I'll stop all milk products first then the detergent and buy a room purifier.  If that doesn't work, I'll be moving to a warm country, or even better the desert!

God bless you all.

[KenM_Calif]

Try Allavert (or Wallvert). It is the only medication that works for me when I get the "all day" kind of sneezing. I prefer the type that disolves in the mouth over the other kind. (Wallvert tastes like Valentines hearts, so is very pleasant)