Hayfever

[Thomk]

The grass pollen season has started but seems fairly benign so far, probably due to the funny weather. Anyone suffering? I'm just getting itchy eyes so far in the evenings but OK so far on the bike.

 

[Thomk]

You using drugs?

 

[Hacienda71]

Yep grass pollen in full effect. Itchy eyes time. :-(

 

[berty bassett]

you wait till today ! i was ok yesterday but just been down the fields with the dogs and feel like i've caught mixy of the rabbits- while i was brushing against the grass there was big clouds of pollen going off like bombs

 

[Moodyman]

Take 1 Loratadine every morning. It's a bit weaker than the alternatives, but it's not drowsy.

 

[Hacienda71]

It is bad in the Northwest today.

Any views on the merits of Loratadine versus Cetirizine?

 

[Globalti]

Never heard of Cetirizine so I've just checked both drugs on Wikipedia. I would need to read up more but it looks as if Loratadine is less likely to make you drowsy. One a day certainly works for me and the Boots own version is a bargain:

http://www.boots.com/en/Boots-Non-D...ief-10mg-Tablets-Loratadine-30-Tablets_12406/

I suffered badly from about 13 until about 50, now at 56 I only get hay fever mildly in the evenings when the cows are stirring up the grass in the field behind and upwind of our house.

 

[ColinJ]

I didn't think I suffered from pollen allergies but I have had streaming eyes and a wheezy chest a couple of times in the past few weeks, most notably on totallyfixed's Rutland forum ride in the course of which we rode along lanes between fields full of oil seed rape. Apparently, a lot more rape has been planted this year because the price of the oil has shot up. Maybe that's a factor?

 

[calibanzwei]

Take 1 Loratadine every morning. It's a bit weaker than the alternatives, but it's not drowsy.

Loratadine here - the only one that works for me. 1x 10mg tab normally, double drop when the pollen forecast is high. Might got the odd sniffle first thing and again in the evenings.
@Globalti - http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/alle...ine-90-days-clarityn-substitute_1_177327.html

 

[Globalti]

Blimey!

 

[calibanzwei]

Blimey!

Lol, indeed. P&P is a bit steep, but you still get 90 tabs for about a fiver.

 

[Hacienda71]

You get 20 for a quid from Sainsburys.

 

[Mike5537]

I use citirizine, once a day, its doesnt make me drousy but then I'm 6ft 2 and weigh 15st so I normally need double doseage before things effect me. Bloody hate hayfever tho, had 26 years without it and 4 years with it now!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Melonfish]

its not the grass pollen for me but rather the Elder. Elderflower KILLS me, its been flowering like crazy atm and it really hits me hard.
mostly its tree pollens with me anyways.
double loratadine in the mornings, but this morning my eyes were red and streaming. didn't help i got Mint Source shower gel in my eyes this morning either lol.
pete

 

[Thomk]

It is bad in the Northwest today.

Any views on the merits of Loratadine versus Cetirizine?

Yes. I took Loaratadine for many years but about 3 years ago did some research and found that studies seemed to suggest that Cetirizine was more effective for more people. I have taken it since and have been better and have never found that it caused drowsiness (in fact i think it is a non drowsy antihistamine). Whether my improvement is down to the placebo effect or simply my imagination though I'm not sure. I think the most effective treatment is nasal spray twice daily started 2 weeks before symptoms are expected and continued throughout the season. It seems to help with hayfever eyes as well for some reason.

Here's one study to have a look at but you can search for others:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9600501