How to treat seasonal allergies (hayfever)

My wife and I suffer from allergies. My PCP told me my allergic reactions are most likely pine allergy. I live in Florida where the most prominent trees are pine trees.

Problem is when (per my PCP) allergy tests are done at Mayo Jacksonville they do not test for pine allergy. I know kind of _____!

I see a ear, nose, throat (ENT) specialist every 6 months. What I take per my ENT for allergies is an OTC allergy medicine. However per my ENT I am told to change the type every six months. I take a nasal spray for nasal polyps. It is a steroid to lessen irritation of nasal polyps and keep from growing.

I take a prescribed medication called Azelastine Spray to redue nasal irritation. What I do wiht the saline rinses is to do a OTC saline spray every time I shower to clean nostrils out. Then at least once a week to a nasal rinse.
Seems to help with mine but when the wind blows and a grimie green gook is all over my car I know the pine is in full bloom.

Have you done allergy testing. I have done both the pin sticks and blood tests.

I have significant issues with post nasal drip. Persistent micro aspiration is one theory for the bronchiectasis, trees-in-bud, etc. I also had an opaque frontal sinus. For those reasons, docs have been aggressive in treating mine. While taking steroids is not ideal, docs felt it more important to get control of the secretions.

The single best agent, IMO, is Ipratropium, a prescription med. I get it in Mayo triple spray that also includes Mometazone and diphenhydramine. I also have it as a separate spray because it’s shorter acting than other two. I just use extra spray as needed, usually on windy or high pollen days. Despite those and antihistamines, I was still having persistent hoarseness due to drainage and Penn ENT had me add Mometazone to my saline rinse bottle. I stopped that for a while over winter (continued saline rinses 1-2x/day), but am on it again now that it’s spring.

Edit to add: I agree with jc76 that allergy testing gives helpful info. I also used Azelastine before I went to Mayo and it was helpful. Their spray doesn’t have its awful taste and is just 1 spray, not 2 or 3. Their pharmacy mixes it, but they told me docs in other states can order it.
Good luck to you!

I will talk to my PCP about those options. Since I am 69, I am not supposed to use diphenhydramine, but I hope the other medications are OK. I purchased OTC prescription strength Azelastine and used it this morning and it seemed to help.

Thank you. I will try to get in with an allergist, but for now I tried the prescription strength OTC Azelastine spray and it seems to have helped.

I understand how severe it has been this year in particular. I could not breathe well at all for the last month. I could not bend to tie my shoes or even walk on grass without getting out of breath. My dr asked me if my 02 sat was normal and I said yes and my sputum did not look bad so he ignored me. A week later I insisted that I get PFTs and a culture. No growth but WOW! 25% decrease in lung function! I was in tears and he was almost in tears when he came into the exam room. I am now on a very high dose prednisone which is not something we wanted to do but there is no alternative at this time. I have already lost almost an inch in height and I am having regular back pain due to compression. I use azalastine nasal decongestant inhaler followed by fluticasone and then gargle. I use claritin or zyrtec or allegra twice a day. I wear a mask outside at all times. This is getting really ridiculous. Just heard about it on NPR where they said that, due to climate change, there are at least two months of additional super pollen and allergic components in this country and it will only get worse.

@sburton56
Good luck.
My ENT told me the Azelastine spray helps reduce inflammation and irritation.

What some have posted about Azelatine is it can taste bad if comes down the back of your nasal passages in throat. What I do is drink something after I spray it and seems to offeset this as I don't get that after taste.

My daily regimen is Mucinex to keep the mucus thin, Symbicort to control asthma and the fact that airways get hyperreactive, Azalastine (Rx and OTC are the same strength), Xyzal daily and diphenhydramine (benadryl) for acute allergic reactions. Also HEPA air purifiers and masks in dusty conditions.

Sue, Mucinex used to work good for me but not sure if it has any long term effects. I believe my nighttime coughing is just sinus drainage and Flonase and Nasacort do not do it for me, nose still runny all day. How long have you been doing Mucinex? I am switching to Astepro today to see if it works better than those two. I also use a breathe right bandage at night, that helps open up the sinuses.

@picartist I've been using Mucinex for over 40 years - I just calculated it yesterday for the PharmD who was reviewing my meds. Periodically, I stop it to see if it still works - every time, after a few days I feel the effects of thickening mucus in lungs, sinuses and ears and restart. He told me as far as they know, there are no known long-term effects to be concerned about.

For allergy symptoms I use Flonase plus generic Astepro (azalastine) and was having a problem with nosebleeds. The ENT advised me on a different way to use sprays - tip your head forward, angle the tip of the mister towards your ear, and sniff strongly afterwards to move the spray upwards. It worked for me. Astepro takes up to a week to show if it is working, so be patient.

I add a 24-hour antihistamine when necessary, taken at bedtime. I will not share which one, because there are quite a few, and which you use depends on any other health conditions and what your doctor recommends.

Before my diagnosis I struggled with thick drainage down my throat. Once I got my lung congestion under control with daily airway clearance I could tell the drainage from my sinuses was a huge part of the problem in my lungs. I have a great ENT who has worked with me to try to figure this out. I have a Sjögren’s syndrome diagnosis so I cannot use antihistamines regularly. Allergy shots did not seem to work. Flonase slowed the drainage but not enough. Sinus surgery corrected some anatomical issues. Finally we tried Budesonide using a sinustar nebulizer cup. This is held under the nostrils. It takes about 7 minutes to nebulize and the thick stuff is gone for the day. If my allergies are particularly bad I can do it twice a day. This has been a game changer for me.