The Student Room Group

My hayfever is so bad, I can't go outside.

Everytime I go outside, or leave a window open in a room i get a huge rash on my face and my eyes. I'm guessing it's the pollen. I've taken eye drops, used benadryl, and taken antihistamines. I have such a bad reaction. It's never been this bad. If i stay inside, my eye swelling goes down and my itching subsides. I've resorted to staying inside to stop the rash from getting out of control.

Seriously, i cannot stay inside for the whole of the summer. :eek: Is there anything else i can use? :frown:

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Reply 1
Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly.
Everytime I go outside, or leave a window open in a room i get a huge rash on my face and my eyes. I'm guessing it's the pollen. I've taken eye drops, used benadryl, and taken antihistamines. I have such a bad reaction. It's never been this bad. If i stay inside, my eye swelling goes down and my itching subsides. I've resorted to staying inside to stop the rash from getting out of control.

Seriously, i cannot stay inside for the whole of the summer. :eek: Is there anything else i can use? :frown:


Have you seen the doctor about this? They can give you all sorts of prescription meds which will work stronger and faster than over the counter stuff... pills, ointments, eyedrops...

My sympathies btw, I love summer and can't imagine having to put up with that :o:
Reply 2
did you go to docs?
they usually prescribe something stronger. i have it too! ive only developed it this year and i used to moan at my hayfever friends, but not any more!
As said above, go see your GP, they will have much better advice for this than TSR.
My GP only gave me Cetirizine Hydrochloride..should i go and see him again? Ugh, i hate this :frown:
Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly.
My GP only gave me Cetirizine Hydrochloride..should i go and see him again? Ugh, i hate this :frown:


go to the dr again!
when i went to my dr with hayfever, i got given cetrizine hydrochloride... then he gave me a stronger one...

neither of them worked but eventually i found the benadryl 8 hr one - the one that starts working in 15 mins!? it actually worked for me, and its got different ingredients to the one that my dr gave me.

Honestly, go to the dr if you've tried all of the ones in a chemist - they'll hopefully eventually hit on the right thing for you!
Reply 6
You could ask about getting a steroid shot (i think thats what it is), Its one injection and lasts all summer. My brother's had one before and it completely got rid of the hayfever.
Reply 7
:doctor:

This sounds like you may need something stronger, maybe even corticosteroids. If the rash continues to get worse and your lips swell up, you feel dizzy, have trouble breathing, then you should go immediately to A&E
Reply 8
Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly.
My GP only gave me Cetirizine Hydrochloride..should i go and see him again? Ugh, i hate this :frown:


If you tell them that it's not working, they'll give you something stronger or osmething else to use at the same time... they won't give you the strong stuff the first time you go, cause they want to see if the weaker ones sort you out first (if that makes sense)
Reply 9
Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly.
Everytime I go outside, or leave a window open in a room i get a huge rash on my face and my eyes. I'm guessing it's the pollen. I've taken eye drops, used benadryl, and taken antihistamines. I have such a bad reaction. It's never been this bad. If i stay inside, my eye swelling goes down and my itching subsides. I've resorted to staying inside to stop the rash from getting out of control.

Seriously, i cannot stay inside for the whole of the summer. :eek: Is there anything else i can use? :frown:

I thought I had pretty bad hayfever, I have the same symptoms except for the rash. Ive currently perscribed sodium cromoglicate (opticrom eye drops), cetirizine dihydrochloride (pill) and azelastine hydrochloride (nasal spray). Maybe ask your doctor to try the nasal spray, it could help.

There is also a anti-hayfever jab you could get, but tbh it doesn't work my GP told me so and my dads had the jab before and no luck. Apparantly it only works for a very small number of people :mad:

Go see your doctor, maybe he could perscribe you some sort of cream as well
Ask your doctor about getting a shot of Kenalog. Its not meant to be given for hayfever but most doctors will agree to it and it is really effective, or atleast for me and the 3 people I know who got it.
Might be a good idea to ask your chemist. They will probably be able to recommend what is best - my chemist certainly did, and told me what was the best drug to get, and I then went to the GP and asked for a prescription for it. Chemists are trained, and probably have a better idea about hayfever than a GP will.
Reply 12
I've never had a rash - that sounds like a particularly bad form of Hayfever. I get the itchy eyes though - awful. Just go back to your GP - different medication works for different people, it's just a case of finding what that is for you.
Reply 13
I've had hayfever badly for a number of years. I can't breathe, my eyes itch, swell, get crusty and water. My scalp itches, my nose blocks, runs, gets crusty.

Fexofenadine hydorchloride is a daily tablet which is better than all other prescription medication. Take one a day. I also use fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray, Sodium Cromolglicate eyedrops and Otrivine Antistin eyedrops. App. this is the strongest stuff around. Ive started a 3 year course of immunotherapy treatment at St. Mary's Hospital in London this year. Just completed 15 weeks of injections and will be moving to 4 weekly soon. No guarantee but for me it is a last resort.
I keep my windows shut, wear sunglasses whenever I go out. As soon as I get in, I have a shower, wash my hair and change my clothes. I put sheets over my desk and bed and carefully remove them when I need to study or sleep. Even with all of this I still suffer really badly. Had to take steroids last year as was borderline A & E. Great, all the way through exam period.

All I can suggest is using some of the above and hope you get some respite.

By the way, I have actually put in for Mit Circs this year. To make it worse, I am an avid Cricket player (when I can see and breathe!)

Good luck!
BigDave56
I've had hayfever badly for a number of years. I can't breathe, my eyes itch, swell, get crusty and water. My scalp itches, my nose blocks, runs, gets crusty.

Fexofenadine hydorchloride is a daily tablet which is better than all other prescription medication. Take one a day. I also use fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray, Sodium Cromolglicate eyedrops and Otrivine Antistin eyedrops. App. this is the strongest stuff around. Ive started a 3 year course of immunotherapy treatment at St. Mary's Hospital in London this year. Just completed 15 weeks of injections and will be moving to 4 weekly soon. No guarantee but for me it is a last resort.
I keep my windows shut, wear sunglasses whenever I go out. As soon as I get in, I have a shower, wash my hair and change my clothes. I put sheets over my desk and bed and carefully remove them when I need to study or sleep. Even with all of this I still suffer really badly. Had to take steroids last year as was borderline A & E. Great, all the way through exam period.

All I can suggest is using some of the above and hope you get some respite.

By the way, I have actually put in for Mit Circs this year. To make it worse, I am an avid Cricket player (when I can see and breathe!)

Good luck!

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I've been to St. Mary's but only for food allergies. I'm going there again soon so i think I'll bring this hayfever thing up. Wow, i didn't know you could get anaphylactic shock from pollen! I'll keep my epipens nearby! I hope everything works out for you and it gets better! (I'll definately try sunglasses!)
I used to get hayfever that bad when I was younger but it's calmed down a lot over the years. My doctor gives me Chlorophenamine since it's the only thing that really makes a dent in my hayfever. May be worth trying.
Reply 16
Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly.
Thanks for your input. Yeah, I've been to St. Mary's but only for food allergies. I'm going there again soon so i think I'll bring this hayfever thing up. Wow, i didn't know you could get anaphylactic shock from pollen! I'll keep my epipens nearby! I hope everything works out for you and it gets better! (I'll definately try sunglasses!)


Dr Williams and Dr Cecilia Trigg are the two I see. Good luck.
Reply 17
My hayfever isn't too bad most of the time, but I did stay with a friend with a dog (Allergic to some breeds and it can get pretty bad).

Coping tips:

- Take your antihistimine at the first hint of reaction if you know its going to get a hell of a lot worse. With me, I get a itchy roof of my mouth and that tends to be a warning sign that I'm going to get hellish eyes soon.

- Don't go out in the evening or when people have just cut the lawn

- If it gets really bad, wash your hands, face, glasses and change into non -pollenated clothes and stay inside with windows shut.

- Apparently vasiline just in your nose and just under the eyes is supposed to be brilliant - I haven't tried it yet but the theory is it 'catches' the pollen before it gos into your eyes

- Wear sunglasses

- Ask your doctor if you can combine different types of antihistimine. Sometimes you can take a daily one and then use a fast acting one on top of that when things get really bad.

- Ask for a decent one. Cetirizine doesn't work with me but claritin and the benedyrl stuff does. See what works for you.

- If things get really, really severe, go to normed (an out of hours service run at some hospitals). I did this after suffering for weeks really badly before a AS exam (turned out it wasn't hayfever, but an allergy to a room fragrance). They should be able to tell you what to do.

- Check if it is hayfever, not something else! (Consider: grass, dogs, cats, dust, air freshener, washing powder, some fruits, perfume, soap etc)

Hope this helps and hope you feel better soon.
Reply 18
kenalog injection sorted me out and I get it bad as well
Spacecam
:doctor:

This sounds like you may need something stronger, maybe even corticosteroids. If the rash continues to get worse and your lips swell up, you feel dizzy, have trouble breathing, then you should go immediately to A&E


Hi, I was just wondering if this dizziness is a sign of allergies? I developed an allergy to milk last year ( I actually think I've had a minor form of it for a while but it got much more severe last year) and I started feeling ill all the time and as well as an upset stomach I used to feel dizzy and sickly. Then whenever I eat something now with milk in (I try to stay away from it but some foods contain traces and it doesn't always make it clear so I just have to try things and then rule them out) I get this dizzy feeling back and I'm wondering if it's like a drop in blood pressure that can be caused by allergies or something. Sorry to ask you as you probably get LOADS of medical questions but my doctor wouldn't listen so I need information before going back and making her listen...

Also sorry for bursting in on this thread, interestingly I also have hayfever and when I was younger I used to get terrible rashes EVERYWHERE but now I don't although I get the odd small outbreak. My other symptoms have been worse than ever this year up to now though.