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If anyone has any advice on this I would greatly appreciate it!
I have allergies and at times get horrible sinus headaches. I also have a heart condition in which I get palpitations. The problem is… I haven’t been able to find any medication to help with my sinuses that won’t irritate my heart. Any suggestions?
Posted in:
Tylenol Claritin Inderal Allegra Long QT syndrome Benadryl Mucinex Sarcoidosis Arrhythmia Allergies Flonase Fever Hay fever Singulair Pain Nasonex Zyrtec Diphenhydramine
my doc told me to take claritin. NOT the one with the d hope it helps
Dawn
I have the same problem with allergies and arrhythmia. I can't take claritin as I'm allergic to it. Zyrtec can aggravate arrhythmia, so it's also out. No decongestants are safe. My EP's nurse told me that my only alternative is benadryl (diphenhydramine), but I can't take more than 25mg at night and none at all during the day as it makes me dizzy. And I use saline nasal spray and Astelin for my sinuses. Try a neti-pot or something similar if you don't like the spray.
Wyldeflower
i tried the excedrin sinus and that seemed to work really really well also.
good luck. finding something that you can safely take with heart meds gets kind of dicey at times.
evie
My son takes Singulair and Xyzal( another form of Zyrtec) for his allergies along with his heart meds. Maybe a nasal spray like Flonase or Nasonex may help reduce the sinus inflammation. My husband swears by saline nasal rinses. Mucinex can help with any congestion too. Good luck!
I have the same problem. My ENT gave me a script for Astelin nose spray. It helps prevent the sinusitus. Diphenhydramine or Benadryl actually will dry up the secretions and add to the feeling of pressure, leading to worse pain. My son has had success with saline nasal washes. You can actually mix a very small amount of salt with warm water, at home. I am sorry, I have forgotten the amount of salt, but you can probably look it up. My son bought his wash contraption at a drug store. I have had terrible pain with sinus headaches, but now I don't get sinus infections anymore. I think the Astelin really helps. Good luck!
Wow! I didn't expect so many responses...Thank you Everyone!!!
Any decongestants are out...I think I've tried nearly all of them. I did try Excedrin Sinus before and I think it worked but for some reason I have't been able to find it in the stores anymore.
I've tried singular, but ended up with fluid build up in my ears. I have also tried Astelin a few times... I'm not sure if I did it right...I feel like when I use it, everything just runs back out (did that make sense?) Perhaps I need more practice : ) Nasal sprays seem to be the most common recommendation from everyone.
Thanks again all, for your help!
Here's a link to some natural harmless home remedies that cost virtually nothing, might be worth a try?
http://www.squidoo.com/remedies-4-sinus-problems
Lidia xx
Thank You so much Lidia!
I will definately check it out and give it a go!
Julie
Lidia,
Once again you've found a good one. Thank you, I plan to try them out on my son. Wintergreen oil works too. Sure to make your nose run!
Lisa
Hello.
I am not sure of your heart condition but I have MVP and use Claritin or Nasonex and have no problems. Flonase and Allegra was helpful too without any heart problems. Stay away from sinus meds like benadryl or tylenol sinus. They speed up your heart rate and make you drowsy. Same for Zyrtec. Flonase and Nasonex are coristeriods and work great for sinus pressure and relieve allergies in an instant. Hope that helps. Also I am not sure what you take for your palpitations. I use inderal 10 mg and that keeps my heart valve under control.
Marilyn.
Hi! Iwas told by my doctor to use Claritin (plain) or its generic form, as it does not increase heart rate. It also doesn't help me much, just takes the edge off a little. Benydryl will have a drying factor, but does not increase heart rate and should only be taken under the advisement of your doctor. If I am having a severe allergic problem benydryl is what I take immediately; otherwise I might have to use the epi-pen which will rack havoc on my heart, but it is better than anaphylactic shock. I am diagnosed with afib; supra ventricular tachycardia and mitral regurgitation. The first 2 are probably linked to sarcoidosis. The other person you can consult in an emergency is the pharmacist - sometimes they will know more than the doctor when it comes to meds. The saline solutions and netti pot are possible solutions. God bless! Elsa
Hi Julie:
I try to avoid medications whenever I can so I use something called a 'nettie pot'. They had them on Oprah a while back. Basically it is a ceramic (usually) pot with a spout that fits into your nostril. You put a solution of warm salty water in it, gently put the spout into one of your nostrils, tilt your head forward and to the side and 'rinse' your sinuses out with this solution being careful to gently blow all the water out of nose each time. You repeat the process with each of your nostrils. You can use your nettie pot twice a day for the full benefit. I just use it when I feel stuffie or have a headache. I know it sounds gross/weird and I originally only agreed to try it because a friend of mine makes the pots and then was very surprised when it worked. Keep in mind that nettie pots were around 100's of years ago. Sometimes there is a little stinging sensation that means you haven't got the temperature of your water exactly right.
My pulmonologist prescribed RESCON JR - it stops my post nasal drip and doesn't cause me any palpatations nor does it raise my bp.
Thank you so very much everyone for all of the great advice/suggestions!!!! I am incredibly grateful!
Well....I finally broke down and got a Nettie Pot. Although it gave me nerves, I tried it and I actually do feel better. Haha, though I still have to say that...it is just weird...but very helpful!
Thank you!
I have pretty bad allergies and have been taking an old tried and true antihistamine called chlorpheniramine--Brand Name Chlortrimeton for years.
It makes some people drowsy, but doesn't seem to bother me at all. You can ask for it at a pharmacy, they sometimes keep the 4 mg. generic behind the counter. It's really cheap too, you can buy it at Target and Walmart for about $3 for 100 pills.
There will be the 12mg (which is a 12 hour form of it) dose of the Brand Name--Chlortrimeton back on pharmacy shelves around the end of July. They have had some manufacturing issues of some kind. It is made by Sheering Plough. There was a generic version of the 12mg/12 hour time spansule, but the company just recently stopped making it.
Some of the newer antihistamines don't seem to work very well for many people.
Also with heart issues you probably want to stay away from anything with a decongestant in it, esp. ephedrine or pseudoephedrine which can speed up the heart, etc.
Of course if you are on any other medication, or have any medical conditons where it would be contraindicated, you could check with your doctor just to be sure.
I've used it for over 25 years, and I now know I have Long QT Syndrome. My PCP doctor feels like it is a safe drug in the cardiac dept. All doctors might not agree, however.
Hope that helps.
As I have aged my allergies have increased over time. In my 20’s I had none as I did up to that time. Getting into my 30’s summer became a problem with “hay fever” in August. Into the 40’s I was using Seldane and Seldane D for the Ragweed allergies. I was tested and found multiple environmental issues for me. Seldane was discontinued due to fatal effects. Allegra was useless and Clariton worked well however costly when it went OTC. Found that Cordyceps Sinensis (caterpillar mushroom) mushrooms worked quite well. Maitake, Reishi, Shitake were also quite good to boost the immune system for not only the “Hay Fever” but also the seasonal Flu. It did not matter which strain of Flu it was all were very short and had mild effects on me. GNC stopped selling mushrooms as did Vitamin World, Iherb is a good source. All natural and when taken ahead of the season you need it for to allow the body, "boost time" it works quite well. 3 weeks to a month will give time to make this happen. Very affordable in comparison to the drugs I was taking.
What a concept... strengthen the bodies own defenses naturally to prevent the onset of disease. If the population as a “whole” did this the Flu would not be very strong as it is. The Flu mutates in the population of weakened citizens and gets stronger to become a pandemic that we are facing currently (2009-06-28).
I had testing done at my Orolaryngologist doctor, for allergies the test required the nurse to check for swelling at 1 minute and then at 3 minutes after I was injected with the allergens. At 1 minute she explained to me I was so allergic to Ragweed the templates she had were too small to make a measurement the 1st interval so 3 minutes was not going to be possible.
Using mushrooms I have defied all that I have learned about taking medication prescribed to me by all the medical doctors. It also has worked for me with the seasonal flu.
I was tested positive to grasses, Trees (birch, oak, maple), Ragweed and Plantain. With the injections at the Orolaryngologist doctor during the method they used, Plantain was eliminated from my allergy list. Using mushrooms in advance of the Flu season as I describe has caused me not to have bad effects in the season.
I failed to say that I take 1 (one) mushroom caplet a day and a bottle of 90-100 lasts that many days. ALL NATURAL! How good is that? 3 months supply...
D Henry
Hi -
Whenever I get sinus problems.......
I put 1 - 2 Tablespoons of " Apple Cider Vinegar "
in either water or apple juice....
I drink this at least 2 times a day....
Clears mine right up !!!
A good brand is "Bragg" (check around for it)
Otherwise any brand will do...
Since the apple cider vinegar is quite natural,
it may work o.k. with you !!! Good Luck !!!
Stay on Mediterranean diet, ORGANIC.No preservatives,no additive.
No stimulants:caffein,decongestant,anti-depressive.
For nasal congestion:Ocean,nasal spray(Saline)
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