‘Tis the season to be sneezy. At least for me, hence: antihistamines. They help get me through the day. I’m not thrilled about taking these, since they could have considerable side effects: Dizziness, Dry mouth, Dry eyes, Blurred vision, Problems urinating, Constipation, Mental disturbances (Whaaa?! – these descriptions are taken from a website), and they can also be sedating if you don’t choose the right one for you. I use Fenofexadine (generic Allegra) since Loratidine (generic Claritin) stopped working for me a while ago. Luckily, I notice none of the above side effects, but I do notice a decrease in my energy and strength, a scratchy throat and a bit of distraction. On the other hand, I can see and breathe. I’ll take it.
Natural antihistamines are more gentle, though may not really tamp down the debilitating effects of a big ole’ allergic reaction. But one could try local honey about a month before allergy season to give yourself a little dose of allergens that will be floating towards you. I do this, and in any event it tastes nice. Exercise always works for me because of the adrenaline response and blood flow that flushes the tissues and decreases circulating histamines. A Neti pot/salt water snuffle will rinse allergens off nasal membranes, and a shower seems to make me feel better too. Something about rinsing off a layer of possible allergens. I make sure to not allow the first dose of water from my hair to run into my eyes. That happened once in mid allergy season and whammo. Instant itchy eyes. There are some other options, but really, for the short period of time one needs antihistamines (hay fever season) I tend to just go with the big pharmaceutical guns and drink lots of water after to flush things out of my system.