Anyone gone off allergy meds?

[lauree1183]

I went off my allergy meds last week (I've taken zyrtec or its generic form every day for the past 10ish years) and I never realized how much I relied on it until now. My allergies have really flared up, whereas while on the medication they were virtually non-existent. I've read that zyrtec is ok to take during pregnancy and there are no known effects, but it shouldn't be taken during breastfeeding. I figured if I'm going to have to quit for that, might as well quit for the whole shebang (we start TTC next month)... Anywho, I've been taking a teaspoon of local raw honey everyday to help with my allergies, but I don't think it's really kicked in yet.

Just wondering if anyone else has quit allergy meds for pregnancy purposes and how you dealt with it? Also, does anyone have any tips for controlling allergies naturally?

[lanyac]

I'm not sure what you're allergic to, but we went and got a honeywell air filter for our bedroom, which helps a lot.

If you're allergic to cats and dogs, stop touching your face. I only get bad reactions when I touch my eyes or my ears after touching the dogs.

Remove all the candles and such from your house. I feel like if I'm exposed to more than one allergen, it compounds and my reaction is worse.

Use an allergen-free detergent (free and clear ones) to help at night so you're not breathing in stuff.

Good luck!

[winecheery]

I stopped taking allergy meds when I went off the pill (August) That first month sucked! I just get seasonal allergies; like pollen, mold, etc. but it was still pretty horrible.

I found saline nose spray really helped flush things out, and drinking water. My body adjusted itself luckily. We'll see how I do in the spring tho!

[panicked]

When I was pregnant, I went off everything. I couldn't breathe or fully open my eyes until my OB said "why are you making yourself miserable?!" She suggested I stay on my nasal spray (Flonase). She said it has a very localized effect, so the chances of it doing anything to the baby or affecting BF-ing was almost non-existent. It helped tremendously and I BF for 16 months without issue.

[rosetyler]

I still take Benadryl before bed. It seems to carry over into the daytime. That's the best I got.

[mandapanda18]

went through this recently, I waited until I actually got a BFP to stop and wish that I hadn't! I was on Zyrtec and singulair for several years, the first week I was congested horribly, my eyes and ears were really itchy and I ran through like a box of tissue a day... slowly it got better. I have benadryl which I take when things get really bad. The worst side effect from stopping the Zyrtec was the constant itching I had all over my entire body for about 3 weeks, the funny thing was that I never have had issues with itching before! It eventually goes away... but I was pretty miserable for the first month or so of my pregnancy. Kudos to you for trying to get off now. Also, Zyrtec is not a medication that my Dr has said is okay to take while pregnant, she said we could discuss more options at my next apt if the benadryl didn't work for me (which it doesn't, it puts me to sleep!). She said there was not enough studies done on the Zyrtec to guarantee safety in the 1st tri. I know every doctor is different, but I'm erring on the safe side since I had so many problems getting here!

[lauree1183]

Dec 4, 2012 11:11:14 GMT -5 mandapanda18 said:

went through this recently, I waited until I actually got a BFP to stop and wish that I hadn't! I was on Zyrtec and singulair for several years, the first week I was congested horribly, my eyes and ears were really itchy and I ran through like a box of tissue a day... slowly it got better. I have benadryl which I take when things get really bad. The worst side effect from stopping the Zyrtec was the constant itching I had all over my entire body for about 3 weeks, the funny thing was that I never have had issues with itching before! It eventually goes away... but I was pretty miserable for the first month or so of my pregnancy. Kudos to you for trying to get off now. Also, Zyrtec is not a medication that my Dr has said is okay to take while pregnant, she said we could discuss more options at my next apt if the benadryl didn't work for me (which it doesn't, it puts me to sleep!). She said there was not enough studies done on the Zyrtec to guarantee safety in the 1st tri. I know every doctor is different, but I'm erring on the safe side since I had so many problems getting here!

Thank you this is encouraging! I've read about the itching withdrawal symptom online, thankfully I haven't encountered that yet, hoping that symptom bypasses me...

[mrssandro]

Midwife told me that Zrytec is fine during pregnancy. I am not sure why you are going off of it. Talk about 9 + months plus of torture. If it interferes with bf I may go off it. But for now I am sticking with it.

[mandapanda18]

Oh... I forgot, local honey in my morning tea has been a lifesaver! It will expose you to your local allergens in a smaller dose with anti-inflamatory honey to offset the allergens! My dr said to just swallow a spoonfull each day, but I coudln't bring myself to do it!

[pooh8402]

Dec 4, 2012 12:03:59 GMT -5 mandapanda18 said:

Oh... I forgot, local honey in my morning tea has been a lifesaver! It will expose you to your local allergens in a smaller dose with anti-inflamatory honey to offset the allergens! My dr said to just swallow a spoonfull each day, but I coudln't bring myself to do it!

I was going to suggest this very thing.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using proboards

[anonymess]

I've been on allergy meds year-round for around 20 years now. Currently taking Claritin otc & Flonase. Forgot to pick up some Claritin for like 3 days in a row & guess what - saw EWCM for the first time! Started it back up after O since it seems safe for pg based upon Dr Google. Think I'm going to stop it from cd10 to O this cycle.

[statlerwaldorf]

I switched from Allegra to Claritin. It doesn't work as well for me. I figure I would rather switch before TTC since it takes a while from when I start taking it to start working and I didn't want to go through that while dealing with the other pregnancy stuff. I was able to take Claritin while breastfeeding. My allergies are awful. I'm allergic to everything including grass.

[winecheery]

Dec 4, 2012 18:11:21 GMT -5 anonymess said:

I've been on allergy meds year-round for around 20 years now. Currently taking Claritin otc & Flonase. Forgot to pick up some Claritin for like 3 days in a row & guess what - saw EWCM for the first time! Started it back up after O since it seems safe for pg based upon Dr Google. Think I'm going to stop it from cd10 to O this cycle.

This is the reason I stopped actually. I read that it dries you out everywhere.

[tarheels]

I don't know that this is safe for pregnancy, but I assume it is because it works by plugging the receptors in your nose that are freaking out from the pollen with particles larger than the pollen (capsaicin). It doesn't enter your bloodstream. But do google bc I don't know for a fact, just a guess.

For right now anyway, it is a godsend!! I rotate my OTC allergy pill brands for efficacy, but will still sometimes be overcome by attacks so severe I'm short of breath and the only thing to do is take 2 Bendaryl and sleep til the next day. This stuff stops one of those freak outs in their tracks. Literally within seconds I've stopped sneezing and my throat and eyes have stopped itching. Now, disclaimer, capsaicin is what gives peppers their heat, so it stings a bit, but that lasts a mere second and the results are so, SO worth it to me! All the cry babies who gave it low reviews online are just that

m.drugstore.com/allergy-buster-all-natural-nasal-spray/qxp213823