What allergy medication works best for you?

My seasonal allergy problem.. Help!?

• I started having seasonal allergy problem since about 17 years ago. That was 2 years after I came to America. It usually last about 1 month from April to May and gets worse year after year. I first tried OTC medicines and then got prescription drugs. Most of those drugs work to keep my symptom onto a bearable level. However, whatever I take this year will not work the next year. Therefore, I have to change my medication every year. In the year 2001, I finally had enough of it, as suggested by my co-worker, I started my allergy shot. I was the best patient a doctor could have who followed every schedule. It didn’t seem to improve that much after several years. And in 2006, the spring allergy hit me harder than before. So I gave up. In 2007, I went to see my family doctor for help again. My doctor said the allergy shot works for someone but not everyone. He prescribed me Respa, Cingulair, and Clarinex. That put my problem in control. This year, I tried to use the same things. They don’t work as well to me as they did last year. The prescription drugs I used before are Allegra, Claritin, Zertac, and the three above. I also heard about alternative medicines like honey, herbs, etc. but never really tried any. Can someone provide some idea of what I should do?

• Answer:

  Well, what your doctor should have done was keep you on the medications year-round. Taking them only at the spring time and then not the rest of the year can cause you to yo-yo with symptoms and your body can build a tolerance to the medications to where they don't work when you want them to again. When your doctor next puts you on something STAY on it throughout the year so it's constantly in your system. I like Flonase and Rhinocort for my allergy symptoms. Right now I'm also taking Clarinex but that's because Zyrtec has gone over the counter and with my prescription plan it's just cheaper to use the Clarinex. It sounds like you've used just about every allergy med out there. Vistaril may be the only one left that you haven't had. You may want to start back with the first one you ever had. Enough time may have passed to where it would be successful again.