Allergies Keeping You Down?
For the past week, I have been nothing short of miserable. Coughing, sneezing, blowing my nose 65 times a day, okay, you get the picture. Seasonal allergies are nothing new for me, I've had them for quite some time now. I have taken either Claritin or Zyrtec for the past 5 years every spring and fall. Usually, that regimen alone works well. Not this year.
It all started last week- a little tickle in my throat. I popped a Zyrtec.
Next day: The coughing started. I went to the store and picked up some Tylenol Allergy and Mucinex. My pharmaceutical sciences undergrad has me pretty well equipped to prescribe my own over-the-counter medication therapy. The only issue- the pharmacy was closed and I was unable to get the Tylenol with Pseudoephedrine included. (You may know this to be the active ingredient in Sudafed). This is because some wise guy decided to make Meth out of it, so the pharmacy has to track the outgoing Pseudoephedrine. I ended up getting the bench-warmer of decongestants, phenylephrine. It may work for some, but not for me. I had to take something though, so I went with it.
Easter Weekend: Wow- what a beautiful few days- I even wore shorts! However, this wreaked havoc on my allergies. The coughing got worse and the throat was in pain. Again- pharmacies are closed on Easter, so no luck getting anything that can help.
Monday- miserable doesn't describe the cough that I had. I decided to take action and go get some Sudafed. I also picked up some Robitussin for my cough. It's active ingredient, dextromethorphan, helps suppress coughing. Also grabbed some more cough drops.
Tuesday- Sudafed works. The only problem is the amount of gross stuff coming out of my head. Either way- things are getting better.
The rest of the week- I still have a small cough here and there, but for the most part, my symptoms have subsided.
Executive Summary:
If you have seasonal allergies that are REALLY bad, I would recommend Sudafed, Mucinex, and Claritin/Zyrtec. There are some combinations, such as Zyrtec-D, or Mucinex-DM, but you can only take these once or twice a day, where Sudafed you can take multiple times per day, which in my opinion, allows the drug to be more effective. Throw in some cough drops and those allergies won't keep you down.