Hay fever

[Venier]

My 10 year old son is suffering quite badly from this in spite of a daily cetirizine tablet.
He’s an outdoor kid so keeping him in isn’t really an option.
Eyes streaming and nose too

Any other recommendations to help him?

We’ve got the hay fever wipes which don’t do much, cools flannels on his eyes help a bit in the evening. He regularly washes the pollen off his hands and face but still struggling.

[Driveeasy]

Not sure on the age advice for fexofenadine which has recently moved from prescription only to available from the shelf in Asda and other places. Sold as Allevia and other names such as Telfast.

It was a complete game changer for me, it’s non drowsy. 1 a day. The only symptoms I get now are itchy eyes in the evening and I grab a shower or use eye drops to fix this. Before starting on it I was a mess. You could check with the GP or pharmacist to see if it’s age appropriate. (A quick google shows that you can get lower doses for kids)

Nothing to lose and I’ve found it trial an error after the NHS stopped letting me have a Kenalog injection years ago. These just stopped everything after the first injection for the entire spring/summer and steroid based. I think it wiped out your immune system for two weeks after the injection and they stopped giving it.

[drmike37]

Get onto your GP. Should be a simple matter of some prescription stuff. One of my kids gets hay fever even worse than me and she uses:
Avamys (fluticasone) nasal spray
Opatanol (olopatadine) eye drops
And chlorphenamine (Piriton) tablets/syrup

Seems to work pretty well.

And I agree with you on the Kenalog. I had it once and it was like night and day.

[dontlookdown]

+1 for Fexofenadine. Way more effective than regular AH.

Not sure about giving it to a 10yr old though. Ask your GP?

[Driveeasy]

drmike37 said:

Get onto your GP. Should be a simple matter of some prescription stuff. One of my kids gets hay fever even worse than me and she uses:
Avamys (fluticasone) nasal spray
Opatanol (olopatadine) eye drops
And chlorphenamine (Piriton) tablets/syrup

Seems to work pretty well.

And I agree with you on the Kenalog. I had it once and it was like night and day.

Just had a quick look, it’s still licensed and available in the UK but private only. Cost between £80 and £200 depending on where you get it. I may take a look for next year.

[lemonslap]

You can take as an adult more antihistamine than recommended according to my GP, not sure with children however.

I take 4 x cetirizine, 4 x loratadine and 1 x fexofenadine everyday without any ill effects. My understanding is Loratadine affects the body differently to cetirizine.

[liner33]

Driveeasy said:

Not sure on the age advice for fexofenadine which has recently moved from prescription only to available from the shelf in Asda and other places. Sold as Allevia and other names such as Telfast.

It was a complete game changer for me, it’s non drowsy. 1 a day. The only symptoms I get now are itchy eyes in the evening and I grab a shower or use eye drops to fix this. Before starting on it I was a mess. You could check with the GP or pharmacist to see if it’s age appropriate. (A quick google shows that you can get lower doses for kids)

Nothing to lose and I’ve found it trial an error after the NHS stopped letting me have a Kenalog injection years ago. These just stopped everything after the first injection for the entire spring/summer and steroid based. I think it wiped out your immune system for two weeks after the injection and they stopped giving it.

You sir are a life saver

I am really struggling and usually get prescribed fexofenadine from the docs every year wasn’t aware that it was off prescription but it’s on Amazon for £6.39 for 30 so cheaper than a script and next day with prime

[FilH]

Driveeasy said:

Nothing to lose and I’ve found it trial an error after the NHS stopped letting me have a Kenalog injection years ago. These just stopped everything after the first injection for the entire spring/summer and steroid based. I think it wiped out your immune system for two weeks after the injection and they stopped giving it.

Was impossible to get my gp to ever let me have it. Assumed because it worked so well they wouldn't get any bonuses from pharmacys?

As I was getting several prescriptions a season , all completely useless. Yet one injection of kenalog would sort me out almost overnight!

Paid £50 last year, but has gone up like everything, £70 this year. Still that's only about two weeks of tissues cost!

[Driveeasy]

I hope everyone finds some relief.

[anxious_ant]

liner33 said:

Driveeasy said:

Not sure on the age advice for fexofenadine which has recently moved from prescription only to available from the shelf in Asda and other places. Sold as Allevia and other names such as Telfast.

It was a complete game changer for me, it’s non drowsy. 1 a day. The only symptoms I get now are itchy eyes in the evening and I grab a shower or use eye drops to fix this. Before starting on it I was a mess. You could check with the GP or pharmacist to see if it’s age appropriate. (A quick google shows that you can get lower doses for kids)

Nothing to lose and I’ve found it trial an error after the NHS stopped letting me have a Kenalog injection years ago. These just stopped everything after the first injection for the entire spring/summer and steroid based. I think it wiped out your immune system for two weeks after the injection and they stopped giving it.

You sir are a life saver

I am really struggling and usually get prescribed fexofenadine from the docs every year wasn’t aware that it was off prescription but it’s on Amazon for £6.39 for 30 so cheaper than a script and next day with prime

Cheers for this, ordered from Amazo, although for me it's not next day but can wait few days.
On cetirizine which doesn't help much, and I have resorted to using a FFP2 facemask.
120mg though, so hopefully not too strong. I need it to be non-drowsy as will be driving.

[snoopy25]

liner33 said:

Driveeasy said:

Not sure on the age advice for fexofenadine which has recently moved from prescription only to available from the shelf in Asda and other places. Sold as Allevia and other names such as Telfast.

It was a complete game changer for me, it’s non drowsy. 1 a day. The only symptoms I get now are itchy eyes in the evening and I grab a shower or use eye drops to fix this. Before starting on it I was a mess. You could check with the GP or pharmacist to see if it’s age appropriate. (A quick google shows that you can get lower doses for kids)

Nothing to lose and I’ve found it trial an error after the NHS stopped letting me have a Kenalog injection years ago. These just stopped everything after the first injection for the entire spring/summer and steroid based. I think it wiped out your immune system for two weeks after the injection and they stopped giving it.

You sir are a life saver

I am really struggling and usually get prescribed fexofenadine from the docs every year wasn’t aware that it was off prescription but it’s on Amazon for £6.39 for 30 so cheaper than a script and next day with prime

Will also give these a go. My hayfever has gone off the charts in the last few weeks and normal hayfever tablets aren't touching the sides. So will def give a go

[egomeister]

liner33 said:

You sir are a life saver

I am really struggling and usually get prescribed fexofenadine from the docs every year wasn’t aware that it was off prescription but it’s on Amazon for £6.39 for 30 so cheaper than a script and next day with prime

I noticed this the other day too! I used to have terfenadine as a kid before they withdrew it and could never get my doc to prescribe fexofenadine either.


OP: You'd have to check what's appropriate for a kid but I'm in a similar position in taking a daily cetirizine and it not being enough. My next steps would be swapping to fexofenadine, and to add a nose spray - I find Fluticasone to work best for me.

With the fexofenadine take note of the side effects (mainly when grapefruit juice is consumed from memory). For the nose spray I always found it takes a couple of days to kick in and I'm wary about long term use as I end up getting mild nosebleeds - i don't know if that is specific to this product or a function of continued nose spray use.

There are a good few products out there available off the shelf - I'd start by buying one of each as see how he gets on!

[Cabsi]

I've been using Quercetin exclusively this year (tree and grass pollen) and have done pretty well so far. Not sure if its age appropriate but its a natural product that has wider benefits than just hay fever.

I started taking it last year but the Solgar supply has been patchy in 2022. The one I've been using this year is by toniq.

Hope you find a solution that works for your son.

[aaron_2000]

I had that injection and it stops it completely unless I'm in a field full of plants. I'm gonna have a second dose to see if it stops it entirely.

[Simon_GH]

Beconase nasal spray works well for me. Eyes still itch but no dry mouth like the antihistamines.

[egomeister]

Simon_GH said:

Beconase nasal spray works well for me. Eyes still itch but no dry mouth like the antihistamines.

Have you tried Fluticasone (commonly branded as Pirinase). I find it much more effective than Beconase - it may get rid of the itchy eyes too.

[Simon_GH]

egomeister said:

Have you tried Fluticasone (commonly branded as Pirinase). I find it much more effective than Beconase - it may get rid of the itchy eyes too.

No but thank you - I’ll take a look.

[egomeister]

Simon_GH said:

egomeister said:

Have you tried Fluticasone (commonly branded as Pirinase). I find it much more effective than Beconase - it may get rid of the itchy eyes too.

No but thank you - I’ll take a look.

Someone tipped me off on it a few years back, so I'm happy if I can do the same for someone else!

[BrabusMog]

Suffering extremely badly this weekend after a few days of respite, I saw the thread yesterday and ordered some Allevia - here’s hoping they work!

[evenflow]

lemonslap said:

You can take as an adult more antihistamine than recommended according to my GP, not sure with children however.

I take 4 x cetirizine, 4 x loratadine and 1 x fexofenadine everyday without any ill effects. My understanding is Loratadine affects the body differently to cetirizine.

and you stayed awake long enough to post this?!