I think I already know the answer to this which is that I just have to wait it out and deal with it, but it won't hurt to ask anyway.
I am having one of the worst allergy attacks I have had in years right now (the past 3-4 days) with today being the worst. My eyes are so irritated I can't open them unless it is dark, or else they water like crazy. I'm talking people thinking I am crying in public. Today I couldn't sit anywhere near a window, evern with the blinds closed. Now that is is dark out I have some relief but I am worried about tomorrow. The only thing I am approved to take by my OB is Claritin, which does nothing for my allergies anyway, so I am not even going to bother. I can deal with the constant sneezing and itchy, runny, burning, nose. But this thing with my eyes I can't take, I need some relief!
My OB said it was ok to take Zyrtec so I used that will all 3 of mine. For attacks I would take Benadryl.
I feel your pain. My allergies get really bad this time of year and somehow being pregnant always makes them worse. In my case my allergies cause my asthma to flare up and I can only use my inhaler. It sucks. On the eye thing are you sure that it's just allergies? I had the same thing happen with my last pregnacy and it turned out that I actually had a form of conjutivitis. You might want to see if you can get into an opthomoligist and get checked out. Hang in there.
My husband thinks you can take Benadryl as long as it's in the first 2 trimesters. It'll probably knock you out but it might be worth it!! (he's a pharmacist but only works with specialty drugs now and has forgotten some of the other stuff! You can ask your local pharmacist though!)
Also, wash your hair at night... this washes out any pollen that has landed on your hair during the day.
Change your pillowcase daily.... otherwise, you are just rubbing your face in any pollens/allergens all night long.
Also, do check out the possibility of an eye infection... that may be the culprit!
I was able to take rhinocort per my ob and allergist. Do saline rinses/neti pot. Breathe right strips at night. Shower/change clothes after being outside. Keep Windows closed, change furnace filter. Good luck. Allergies stink!
You could try a nasal salt rinse. It might relieve some for a bit while you are pregnant. I would also try some natural eye drops. Its not much but it is about all you can do while you are pregnant. Hopefully when the weather changes you can find some relief.
If it is really your allergies....take some honey. In order for this to work it has to be honey that is made from bees in your area. The bees make the honey from things that you are reacting to and by taking it you are making your body immune in a sense to those things. I made it through many of my pregnancies by eating the honey. You can use in tea, on toast whatever you want. I found for myself, and you will have to figure out the same for you, that if I took a tbsp morning and night (at lunch too if they were really bad) then I would be fine and wouldn't have to take any other meds for it. But like I said the key to makin this work for you is for you to first find some local honey and second to just start eating it and if you aren't getting enough relief use more until you have them under control....then you can back off and it will still help you. Good luck.
J.--SAHM of 7
I was told with both my pregnancies that Benedryl (antihistamine) and Sudafed (decongestant) are safe to take. I was also advised by my OB that Zyrtec is ok to take. I had taken Zyrtec in the past, and thought it did nothing for me, but I am taking it now, and it is wonderful.
I'd ask your OB again if there is anything else you could take, or try the Claritin again... I found that it took a few days of Zyrtec to really experience the benefit of it, maybe it's the same with you and Claritin?
Best wishes! Allergies and pregnancy (together) suck!
ocuhist eye drops. And just for the record I have severe allergies and took benedryl every day of my pregnancy. 2 tablets a day. My son has medical problems but they are all inherited has nothing to do with the benedryl.
First I would see a doctor and be sure it's allergies. This is so far one of the worst years in sometime and I look like a wreck myself from eyes itching and swelling and watering and the whole eye thing. The sneezing, blowing and wheezing is worse this year too. I am using something my eye doctor suggested, and it's over the counter, ask the pharmacist first, and doesn't say anything about not taking if pregnant. It's called Zaditor. I'm sure it's not as strong as some eye medications but it does seem to help me a little. You could use it morning and night and just one drop in each eye but please check and be sure that's all that is causing the eye condition and not something other than allergy. I would guess it is though. See if these drops help your eyes then and maybe try for a few days before you decide as it seemed to take a couple of days before mine started to actually stop itching as badly. Then don't touch your eyes or the corners of them at all or it starts up again with the itching.
Are you sure your eye problem is allergies? Being light sensitive sounds like a different problem. Do your eyes also hurt?
I suffer sometimes from iritis - an inflamed iris. It waters, hurts, light sensitive, swollen.
You might want to check with the eye doc.
Look up the Allergy ReLeaf system. It's an herbal mix that calms down the histimine reaction. It's something you take consistently and only comes to full effect after a couple days. Make sure you run the ingredient list past your OB, but I think it's safe for pregnancy.
Good luck!
I feel your pain. I've never really suffered from allergies and last year while pregnant they hit me like a mac truck. Horrible! Unfortunately I had to wait it out. The drainage made me cough a lot so my ob prescribed something to take care of the cough at night and to help me sleep that was safe, but as for the allergies, I couldn't really do anything. Do your best to stay away from things that seem to trigger it...flowers, being outside a lot, etc. I know it's tough, but it might help. Hang in there!
I remember feeling exactly how you describe during both of my pregnancies. I was allowed to take Claritin or Benadryl. The Claritin didn't help, and the Benadryl knocked me out. So, I really did not have an option either. When I was nursing my daughter, who is now 2 1/2, a friend told me about a nutritional supplement. I started taking it in March of 2010 and it has helped me dramatically with my allergies, headaches, migraines, etc. I have not taken any allergy meds since May of last year! That is huge for me. It is safe to take during pregnancy and you could use it instead of your prenatal, with your OB's approval of course. I really wish I had known about it sooner since my allergies were so bad during pregnancy too. If you'd like some info, let me know. Hope you are feeling better soon!
