I can’t sleep cause the back of my nose feels like it’s on a balloon full of nails. I’m drinking very hot tea, am trying to inhale steam from the cup, have taken several Claritin, and am appealing to the Qt3 hivemind, but so far, nothing!
I think it’s related to my minor hay fever, but I’ve never had a sinus problem like this before. It hurts.
Clairitin D or just plain Claritin?
Plain-ol.
Then take a decongestant, silly. :P
Preferably something with pseudophredine, as that’s the only decongestant that works. Unfortunately it’s also an ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamines, so it can sometimes be a pain in the ass to obtain.
Inhale sea water through your nose. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of mucus coming out.
How about water from my tap that I’ve stirred salt into?
Looking into -D related drugs now.
Should probably work as well.
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=netti+pot&emb=0#
Bonus creepy spokesmodel android.
Also… do NOT use room temp water. Burns like ice. Heat that shit up a little!
Flonase or the generic (Fluticasone Propionate) saves my life every allergy season. Needs prescription tho.
For immediate decongestant purposes, Afrin is a lifesaver. It’s a decongestant you squirt up your nose and it immediately reduces the swelling in the sinuses which in turn creates more space and frees things up.
When I take Afrin I start blowing my nose like crazy about 15 minutes later as all the crap suddenly dumps out. 15 minutes after that I don’t feel congested at all.
Will this turn out like that X-Files episode?
Sudafed PE Sinus and Allergy has worked great for me and others I’ve given it to. Once you get your sinuses clear, use a daily nasal rinse to keep them that way. You can make your own salt water rinse or buy one from a pharmacy. I gave up on Claritin long ago, at least the over the counter version doesn’t do shit. Afrin can be addicting btw and pseudophredine can keep you awake.
For the pain, when I have a sinus issue, I just take advil and it usually helps.
As a classical singer with chronic allergic sinusitis, I’ve been through every fucking sinus remedy that there is. Here’s what works for me when I need quick relief:
Neti pot. Use of the neti pot involves brewing a warm saline solution and using it to flush your nasal cavity so your sinuses can drain properly. It sounds and looks disgusting, but it is a godsend if you have recurring sinus problems.
Lots of water. This is often overlooked and cannot be overstated. You need to be well hydrated for your sinuses to drain properly. In full-on Spring allergy season, I drink at least 3-4 liters of water a day.
Maximum strength Mucinex-D. It’s a 12-hour time release sudafed pill with 1200 mg of guaifenisin, the same expectorant that is typically found in cough syrup. It is the only decongestant that consistently works for me when I am having severe sinus pain. The sudafed can keep you awake at night if your body is not accustomed to it, so be careful not to initially take it too late in the day.
Good old fashioned Benadryl. Kicks the ass of Claritin and all those don’t-make-you-drowsy froo froo second generation antihistamines. It knocks me on my ass, but I will sometimes take two tablets before bed if I’ve been having trouble during the day.
Stuff that is good for preventing sinus problems, but no good for quick relief:
Inhaled steroids, like Flonase or Nasonex. They are prescription-only and are no good for quick relief, since it takes days or weeks of regular dosage to take full effect. If you have chronic allergic sinus issues, though, these drugs are well worth looking into.
Second gen antihistamines. I haven’t had much luck with Claritin, but Allegra/fexofenadine works pretty well for me. I take it in combination with Singular, which isn’t actually an antihistamine but works to prevent some of the same sinus symptoms. These are both prescription drugs and Singulair in particular takes time to become fully effective.
Stuff I avoid:
Afrin and similar topical decongestants. Afrin works like a champ and is the equivalent of pulling out and nuking the site from orbit. However, it is both very harsh and habit forming. When I used it for more than about a day I would get rebound congestion that was worse than the original symptoms, with the occasional bloody nose thrown in. I also found that semi-regular use of Afrin would, for whatever reason, have the side effect of causing laryngitis. It’s a supremely effective decongestant, but I’ve found that the problems outweigh the benefits. YMMV. It may be worth a try for you if nothing else is working.
Hope this helps, man. Sinus pain sucks.
Neti pots are the greatest things, ever. If you get the water close to body temperature, you can hardly feel it going through. They sell the kits at Wal-greens for a few bucks.
I’d suggest using half the salt recommended until you get used to it, especially if you’ve been blowing your nose a lot. It can burn.
If you want something a bit more advanced than a Neti pot, I have one of these and it frequently comes in handy:
http://www.hydromedonline.com/index.html?referrer=google_hma12&gclid=CN747-G7vZUCFQmdnAodz12sRA
Make sure you use NON-iodized salt for nasal irrigation: no need to buy overpriced “nasal salts” if you can get non-iodized salt at the grocery store. 1/4 tsp of salt mixed in 8 ounces of warm water is the usual recipe, I think.
If you’re actually in pain and the above advice doesn’t help, I would definitely recommend seeing your doctor or an allergist: it may be more severe than just allergies. Just hope you don’t have to resort to extreme measures.
See a doctor, isolate the cause, get whatever the good stuff is, and take informed steps to limit your exposure. I’ve been fighting with a house dust allergy for months, and neither drugs nor environmental solutions are adequate alone.
I’ve got that same allergy. It sucks.
I finally got around to allergy testing and shots last summer, it’s the best thing I could have done.
My mother and sister swear by their Neti pots, but the one time I tried it was a disaster.
I only get colds in my sinuses, and the only real relief I’ve found is Tylenol Allergy Sinus. It works!