When to increase allergy meds?

Questions and Answers

What side effects do you have with your allergy medicine?, I found this article on AOL health and thought it was interesting.

http://body.aol.com/condition-center/all...

I was wondering if anyone else had noticed any of the side effects mentioned with this article. I'm on zyrtec and have had increasing weight gain and mood problems since being on it, but I never considered that those might be side effects from my allergy medicine. Has anyone else noticed side effects from their allergy meds?

on Zirtek im grumpy and with prolonged use i get hives ironically.

why did my cat appetite increase alot when we started to give him antibiotics and steroids?, we have to give my cat steroids for his allergies and antibiotics for a cold he got....we started doing both of these recently maybe 3 days? and he had a big a kinda big appetite before the meds and now it is ridiculous how much he eats now...why is this?

The steroids will increase appitite and drinking.

Normal behavior for a dog on allergy meds?, My dog was diagnosed with environmental allergies last saturday. We took him to the vet because his eyes were oozing, red, and apparently itchy. The vet checked his eyes thoroughly (a stain test, I believe) and he prescribed an ointment called Neo-Poly-Bac Hydro (every 8 hours) and 25 mg of Benadryl every 12 hours for 14 days.

His eyes are all cleared up now and he seems fine. The Benadryl makes him very sleepy, which I understand, but he seems to be getting very fond of sleeping on my lap now. He is a beagle/terrier mix, 1 year old. He is already almost 26 pounds and he doesn't quite fit, but he prefers to be uncomfortable than to go sleep in his comfy bed. He also rubs his back on the carpet a lot, wiggling like a crazy worm. I used to think he wanted to rub himself because of some smell he liked, but now I think he might be itchy? He doesn't really use his nails to scratch himself, though, only on rare occasions. Is this a normal behavior for all dogs or is it a symptom that the allergies are still bothering him? Do you notice this increase need for cuddling and attention in dogs on allergy medications? He was never like this before... He could not stay still for one minute of petting! How do your allergic dogs react to the medicine?

The rubbing on his back is because it itches. Some dogs on meds that make them sleepy are more prone to wanting to feel secure so he is looking to you for comfort. My westie had allergies too but benadryl didn't work well for him & he was always cuddly. My westie would rub his back underneath wood furniture so he had a brown stripe going down his back. Try having a great dane sitting in your lap for uncomfortable! Good luck & I hope this clears up your dog cuz allergies are a pain. I groom many dogs with them & if vet didn't give you a special shampoo, only use a good hypo w/o soap, detergent, dyes or perfumes on your dog.

going to a party, taking sinus meds, bad idea?, I think I have developed a head cold or sinusitis that began Sunday . I'm taking sinus and allergy meds (non-prescription). I'm going to a party Thursday, and I read that the combination of the meds and alcohol will increase drowsiness. How else will it affect me? I only plan on having a few beers (i'm very light weight).

Thanks.

Yeah trust me - it will cause drowsiness!
I took a couple of cold and flu tablets whilst drinking one night and I almost couldn't walk, and was drunk after about 3-4 drinks.
I looked like an idiot - either stop taking the tablets or don't drink. You could have one drink say in an hour and then see how it affects you.
Just because that happenned to me, it may not affect you the same way. Also depends on how much and when you hav eaten too.

can you get pregnant while on the pill with other pills?, fem-con fe -birth control pill
over the counter allergy meds
trileptal
lexapro
geodon
sometimes tylenal or excedrin migraine
so, does taking other meds while on the pill increase the risk of getting pregnant

The big no-no for birth control pills is antibiotics, so many people become pregnant after having their wisdom teeth removed because they have to take antibiotics, and their doctors don't tell them. This is the only interaction I am familiar with. Also be careful of herbs and supplements because they aren't regulated by the FDA, so the drug interactions are not fully known.

Small children on Inhaled steroids, meds moodiness? or terrible twos?, So my daughter has severe asthma, March-June is the worst for us, Last year she was hospitalized twice once in PICU, and had multiple ER visits

She's been on inhaled steroids for her asthma twice daily, they increased the dose in Nov, for the winter and I asked it be increased (and the specialist agreed) for the allergy season since I noticed last year that this is the worst for her. They also gave me singular to start if I don't see a significant improvement with the steriods steroids weeks.

So she's been on a higher steroid dose since Monday. Also since Monday she's been moody, and exhibiting terrible toddler behavior. She had an attack 2 days prior and was on Albuterol 6x/day Sat/Sun, moving to 4x Mon/Tues and 3x daily Wed/Thurs.

The specialist said if she didn't improve with the latest issue by today to call him and he'd prescribe an oral steroid. I have a call into his office to get that tomorrow AM and will address my questions with him also, but I'd like to see if anyone else has been in my shoes

So I am curious as to other opinions if she's just entering terrible twos (She's 21 months) She's screaming at the top of her lungs when told no, and generally being a typical toddler, lots of temper tantrums, etc (she's almost perfectly behaved otherwise) Or if this is the result of the higher steroids (she's never acted like this before and has been on it a year) She also went 2 weeks without seeing her dad and then seeing him for an afternoon...emotionally upset?

I'd love to hear from mom's who have experience with kids on meds like this, as well as those that don't.

I'm pretty sure it's a combination of many things; the terrible 2's and the emotional upheaval to do with her dad, in addition to the slow recovery from this latest attack, and our super busy schedule this week.

Thoughts?

My son got a bad case of RSV at 3 months which ended us in the ER a couple of times. That left him with symptoms of asthma that are worst during the winter due to colds. Two winters ago was really bad (he had just turned 1 in Oct.) and I was told to give him a treatment of Pulmicort in the nebulizer 1x a day if I even suspected a cough or cold. If the cough got worse, we bumped up to twice a day on Pulmicort. If I heard a rattle or wheeze, I began the Albuterol 6x a day and would cut down to 4 and then whenever needed. This past winter was much better for us. He is now 29 months. the pulmicort being used at the FIRST sign of a cold or cough kept his airways from getting inflamed. Didn't have a need to use the Albuterol more than on one occasion when he got bronchitis. It doesn't seem to make him aggressive like I have heard others. Or hyper. and the oral steroid didn't do anything either to either of my children. My daughter had bad croup this past winter and needed the oral steroid for about 6 days. She was fine. I think your daughter has a lot on her plate at this specific time, and it is very hard to discern what is causing her to behave this way. See if it continues, reduce the dosage if possible, and see if it happens again when you increase it. If you don't want to go through all that, there is another option instead of albuterol that many people I know have used successfully. I think the name is Xopenex.

Hope I have helped. Hope your daughter feels better!

HELP! I just had my copay for Allegra increased from $10.00 to $40.00 a month?, Insurance company won't cover generic any longer. Any over the counter allergy medications (non-dowzy) that are very similar to what Allegra will do. I will be in a world of hurt without it. Or other Allergy meds that may be covered by insurance.

I've taken Zyrtec for years and I find that it works better than anything else. It's just been released OTC and is available in many generic forms based on the retail store in which you wish to purchase it.
Generics are federally mandated as well and contain the same concentrations of the same medications as the name brand, just at 50% of the cost. Consider trying Zyrtec or it's generic equivalent. There's even a decongestant form available.
God bless.

How can I get any relief from my respiratory problems?, my allergies/asthma have been off the hook in the last few years, and I even find that my allergy meds stop working every so often, and I find myself having to rotate them around, and then the new ones start working again. Then the steroid drugs for the asthma, mostly the prednisone, but also a bit with the inhaled steroids, speed me up and give me unbearable side effects, and lower my immune system, where I've even developed oral thrush! My immune system was so low that I kept getting sick almost every month! I felt like an HIV patient!!

literally.

Then after months and months of being sick and from having uncontrolled allergies, which kept leading to poor health and asthma attacks,

i said enough is enough, and I decided to finally go to an allergist, get tested, and find out what I'm allergic to and get it taken care or.

The only problem is after all of this, I gained alot of weight, became out of shape, my general health declined, my mental health suffered too, because of dealing with it all, and i developed a somewhat chronic chest-wall inflammation, where i can actually "feel" my lungs even in the back!! It's like tingly, inflammed/pressure like sensations 24/7.

It's such a tough thing to deal with because the asthma drugs can prolong and increase your chances of developing illnesses like bronchitis, which will only make ur asthma worse.....but you need to take them because they're your only defense against the asthma too so it's like a f'ed if you do, f'ed if you don't type of deal.

as with the allergies, heck you can be allergic to ANYTHING. dust, pets, whatever,...and especially when I'm sick, my lungs overreact to ANYTHING and everything.
That's where I'm at now.

It's so bad that I overreact to it all, and nothing seems to work.

It's getting a bit better thank god,..thanks to Claritin and Singulair....Xyrtec/Xyzol didn't seem to do much for me,... atrovent works to a degree to open up the airways, and xopenex to a degree, but the steroids really do the job (although they mess you up as well), and unfortunately...

NOTHING seems to work on the chest-wall inflammation!!!

nothing. nada. only pain meds to mask the pain...

if you were me and felt like walking death ....all the time,

what would you do? It's all getting me morbidly depressed because just thinking that Ih ave to exist ilke this possibly for al ong time, makes me want tojust u know...bye bye. :-(

* 2 days ago
* - 2 days left to answer.

Additional Details
I'm already under everything under the sun, and I had to stop taking nasal sprays because they sped me up and gave me panic attacks.

I feel like this is a losing battle.

What if the allergy tests find nothing? I still seem to react to things.

Maybe just being ill triggers things.

I need some advice because I'm just..I don't know where to begin or what to do anymore...I"ve had to sleep in my car at certain times too out of the fear of being home with allergens.

it's DESTROYING my life, my health and everything...

2 days ago
Oh I also can't drive that much beacuse I seem to react to highway pollution too even with my car windows closed, and stress/anxiety seems to be a trigger too, but allergies/asthma can also trigger THAT, so it's like this ...never-ending battle.

I feel like I'm allergic to life, and my body wants to just go nuts.

i can't keep "living" like this, if you can even call it that.

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. I don't think it's fair to call what I do anymore "living" either. Avoiding things which can cause an attack- which is pretty much a risk everytime I leave my home. (And, somedays, even in my home.)

I've lost several friends over this. "Why don't you just go live in a bubble?" and "How about if we just stick you in a wheelchair and be done with it?" and "Yeah, but we want to sit in the smoking section so we can get drinks faster, so about if you just don't breathe? It's my birthday, afterall; and it's not like air really matters!" were the kind of comments that had me kicking people out of my life.

Advair made a difference for me, by the way. Not a life altering huge thing, but I could function and get through the day and stuff.

The oral thing- do you always rinse your mouth and gargle after you use your inhaler? And wash the plastic mouth peice every day that you've used it? I know you want to add a little bottle of mouthwash to the pocket with the inhaler like you want to add another hole in your head...
You know, I never had to carry a purse until this breathing thing! Ugh, it sucks so bad!

Anyway. If you just want someone to vent to, I'm around. I get to be a shut-in everytime it's over 75 degrees outside,... summer is coming- and hauling my depression right along with it.Yup.

:(

Im trying to conceive? im on like 5 meds?, and my doc has me on a ton of pills are these all good when trying to have a baby

im on prenatal, calcium and vitamin d, progestrone and ne baby asprin a day to thin my blood

im also on claritan for allergies.

if you know anything else about increase my chances of conceiving please let me know thank you

Those are all fine. The prenatal, calcium and vitamin D are nothing more than vitamins that your body needs.

Progesterone will help to create a better uterine lining for the embryo to implant. It won't help you to concieve . . . but when you do conceive it will help you to carry the pregnancy through.

Baby asprin is commonly prescribed if you have a clotting issue which it sound like you may and Claritin is an ok allergy medication to take when ttc and during pregnancy (my OB told me that I could take it if needed).

None of these things will "help" you conceive . . . but the vitamins, progesterone and baby asprin will help you when you do conceive. I would not add anything else to the list unless your doctor recommends it as some medications do not interact well with what you are already taking.

Best wishes & baby dust!