I tried to go off over the counter meds.

[janedoe]

I've been trying to eliminate OTC meds and stimulants (caffeine and sugar) and go with more natural remedies and healthier foods. I'm at minimal caffeine and one to two desserts a week in small portions. Cut out ibuprofen and decongestants. Not too difficult since I started drinking a lot more water and eating more greens.

Then I tried to eliminate antihistamines.

Forget it. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. Almost completely nonfunctional and wound up in bed for the better part of a couple of days. Then they mowed the neighbor's hayfield and I thought I was dying.

Oh well. Four out of five ain't bad.

[POPTOP]

Good work!

Years ago I cut out refined flour and sugar and it was amazing now much better I felt. I've been slipping some the last couple of years; home made sweet breads are my downfall. Got one hip that is really barking and have been taking an Excedrin before bedtime to be comfortable. Need to get to the ortho for a steroid injection but have been putting it off.

If you need the antihistamines, take them especially during this time of year.

[Maxx&Emma]

If I had to give up my Zyrtec I would be a snotty, swollen eye mess! Spring, late Summer and Fall are the worst. There is no way I could cut grass. Just walking in grass that touches my feet/ankles causes hives halfway up my legs. The itching is enough to drive me insane. Not sure I could give up caffeine/sugar either, lol! Life without sweet tea and Pepsi would just be sad, for me! And then there is chocolate...

[SoapySophie]

Sugar is as addictive as heroin to me...but when I eliminated sugar and grains from my diet a few years ago, 20 lbs dropped just like *that*. No additional effort to exercise. Food intake is 80% of the equation - don't even start "working out" until you've corrected your diet.

By "working out" I mean more than you're usual day-to-day exercise that you're doing already.

[Jeff]

Now is not a good time of year to give up antihistamines. I would stick with your current plan right now and then Mid october after the first big frost, which will kill off most of the stuff causing your issues then give it a try. I used to have allergies and hayfever horrible in my life. I could almost always count on August 15 to October 15 being pretty much hell, like having a cold for 2 months. Then I slowly every year held out and gave up antihistmaines longers and shorter. So like I would go on them August 15 and get off them october 15. Next year, august 20 to October 10, no matter how I felt I stayed off them. Next year August 25 to october 5. My symptoms were easing up now. I think it took 5 years or so with the last year taking them only on really bad days 4-5 times that year.

[SunDance]

Look into methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)...a naturally occurring sulfur (not to be confused with sulfa drugs)...that is AMAZING for sinus stuff associated with allergies (and superb for asthma remission in cats...). It's a wonderful anti-inflammatory that's usually touted for the inflammation of joints/arthritis but it soooo good for lungs and sinus'.