OUT OF OPTIONS-CAN ANYONE HELP???

It took me a month or two to wean myself off pseudoephedrine after the drug czars
made it way too expensive to buy my loratadine-D.
Now I use the lora straight up.
result--clearer head, and congestion finally gone.
The damn stuff not only was no help--it was making it WORSE.

Thanks to all of you who have responded to my post. You have offered great suggestions and insights into my dilemma.

I do not wish to offend any of you so I will keep my course of action private at this time. However, when and if I do find a solution among your suggestions I will gladly share with the forum...

At the very least it is comforting to know that I am not alone...there are others who are suffering or have suffered from the same condition. I was beginning to think I was the ONLY person who has been burdened with this affliciton...

Should any other members or guests have additional comments or suggestions, please feel free to post. I know for a fact that "what works for one does not work for all" so I am keeping my options and mind open...

Again, thanks to all of you who have taken the time, energy and concern to respond to my post!!! Hopefully something that one of you have suggested will be the "magic cure" for this problem!!!!

I have been dealing with this for 2 years!!! Somedays, I feel like I am going insane. I have tried eliminating my high blood pressure meds, treated for acid reflux, tried Mucinex, do Nasonex, etc, etc, etc. I am now seeing doctor #4 on Wednesday. Newest doc is an allergy/asthma doctor and will through all the allergy testing. My drainage is so bad that I often throw up. Sometimes multiple times a day. This is so aggravating. I am now using an inhaler 3-4 times a day, as my coughing has turned to wheezing. Sometimes the inhaler helps, sometimes not. Thanksgiving day turned miserable as 30 minutes after eating, I had a 3 hour coughing fit. Almost everynight, I have to use my inhaler, as I wake up coughing/wheezing. This cough is actually what got me diagnosed with sleep apnea just over a year ago. Since then I've seen an ENT and he has referred me for further testing. I feel your pain!

I have a ton of post nasal drip at times, even on Nasonex. What it takes to control it is the addition of Astepro, a nasal spray antihistamine. Patanase is another one that can be tried, although that one did not work well for me. There are others. Other avenues to take are sprays like Astrovent, which are drying (it comes in two different strengths).

Dori, when you spray it, spray away from the septum. One way to do this is to imagine a straight line from the tip of the nose spray bottle to your eye aim down that line, toward your eye. That way you're not spraying toward your septum.

ikidsmom wrote:...Thanksgiving day turned miserable as 30 minutes after eating, I had a 3 hour coughing fit. Almost everynight, I have to use my inhaler, as I wake up coughing/wheezing. This cough is actually what got me diagnosed with sleep apnea just over a year ago. Since then I've seen an ENT and he has referred me for further testing. I feel your pain!

This sounds like what I experienced on lisinopril back before my BP returned to normal. I coughed so hard, I'd rupture tiny blood vessels, my face would turn beet red, and I had trouble carching my breath afterwards -- I facilitated online/teleconferences and my company had to schedule others to that because my coughing was so horrible & near continuous. Cardiologist, who had to check out if I'd damaged my heart during my untreated apnea, switched me immediately to Cozaar which as it turns out is the ideal class of drugs for treating apnea-induced hypertension. My coughing stopped within a day of no more lisinopril. Might check if any new med or supp or food might be contributing to your condition. You have my complete sympathy.

Do you run your CPAP with a humidifier? If so, I wonder if turning it down or running without might dry things up a bit.

Good point to check all your meds for this as a side effect.

Check the web, as well as your doctor. Don't believe everything the web says, but it can help you. I had two different doctors swear up and down that zestril/lisinopril didn't cause a cough. I checked the web to find out that the manufacturer listed it as a side effect, and insisted to my doctor to try something else. My multi-year cough went away. One of the doctors told me a few years later that several of his patients had that problem.

Try Neilmed Sinus Rinse. It's cheap, and pretty safe. It probably won't help, but it's worth a try for a while.

Realize that allergists have a limited collection of things they can check for. Do your own investigation. If possible, spend a week or so away from home. Friend or family's house, vacation, holiday out of town, etc. See if things change.

That doesn't sound like a food allergy problem, but try that. When I was chasing a different problem that could have been a food allergy, I ate nothing but boiled chicken breasts for a week. Then, after eating normally for a while, I'd eat some other very limited diet with no chicken for a week. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out anything I was allergic to, but it gave me a pretty good indication it wasn't food. Note I didn't go on a restricted diet for long, just enough to do a test.

Watch out for things like vitamins or other "healthy" supplements. Sometimes those have ingredients you may be allergic to. Stop ALL supplements for a week or two and see if anything changes.

Did no doc mention the possibility of something called "vasomotor rhinitis?" If it is the problem, none of the suggestions (except possibly the nasal lavage with the water pic) will actually work. Ask your doc about it. You may be prescribed something like Atrovent, but for nasal use.