Hunters with Alergies

[RedIII]

Want to get my son started hunting. The guy is hell on the binos and can pick up anything that moves, but suffers from killer allergies and won’t stop sneezing every 5 seconds. Any tips for getting around this?

 

[Mdr]

Put a grunt tube in his mouth and he can call for you? Just kidding. I’ve never had allergies but my wife has had to take allergy meds. depending on where we lived, her allergies would come and go.

 

[Mdr]

But I do hope you get it figured out. It sounds like he would be great at picking out critters for you. Good luck!

 

[Wallydeuce]

None that I know of. I suffer from the same symptoms. I've tried everything I can think of without relief. Claritin D, kenelog shots, nasal sprays...you name it.

You slip into an area nice and quiet,.set up and start sneezing. Eyes watering. Bogies dripping. Ugh.

Not much help. Sorry.

 

[Gynaroo]

Allergy meds (Claritin). Or go to the allergist during the off season and get allergy desensitized (lots of little exposures to decrease the persons response).

 

[TheJason]

Other than prophylactic treatment, no. I suffer from seasonal allergies. I always take Benadryl with me. For early to mid-summer outings I’ll need some Claritin and nasal spray as well.

I got allergy shots for a number of years when I was younger, and some of them have subsided with age as well.

 

[Misguided]

Flonase has worked well for me. Have to take it for a few days before it starts working though.

 

[Westxhunter]

Want to get my son started hunting. The guy is hell on the binos and can pick up anything that moves, but suffers from killer allergies and won’t stop sneezing every 5 seconds. Any tips for getting around this?

Fellow sufferer. I take claritin every day. Been doing it for years. My father in law (rest his soul) was a doctor and always explained that things like claritin are better as a preventative and not a cure. Not advice, i'm not a doctor, consult your physician. So, now I take claritin every night. Your body absorbs better at night he also said. again not advice, but what I do.

 

[RedIII]

Allergy meds (Claritin). Or go to the allergist during the off season and get allergy desensitized (lots of little exposures to decrease the persons response).

Interesting

 

[SaskHunter]

I have crazy seasonal allergies, it hits me from spring to fall. I take Mometasone nasal spray and it works awesome! Paired with some eye drops for when my eyes get itchy its almost like I'm a normal human being!!!

 

[winmag]

Go to an allergy/asthma doctor. It could change your life.

I suffered from terrible allergies year round, getting worse my whole life until I was 30. They were so bad I couldn’t sleep for the sneezing and snot March - May. I took every OTC medication available, hell sometimes all together; didn’t work. It was like a cruel joke the world was playing on me; all my hobbies were outside and I was allergic to almost everything outside.

I started getting allergy shots and things steadily improved. I took them about 1.5 years (would have taken half that time if I didn’t skip so many visits, forcing step down doses to work back up, to not overwhelm my immune system). I haven’t had an injection in almost 2 years and my allergies are gone. Now, if I go roll around in grass clippings I will still itch, but normal outside activities are no issue now.

The caveat to shots, which the doctor will tell you, is that 1/3rd of people they take shots and they no longer have allergies after they stop shots, 1/3rd of people they only relieve allergies while they’re taking shots, 1/3rd of people they don’t help at all. At a minimum the doctor will tell you what you’re specifically allergic to, which would help you avoid those things.

The best OTC concoction I found was Zyrtec + Nasacort + Neilmed nasal rinse.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

Same on the Flonase and Claritin D. I also use an inhaler but it sounds like he doesn’t have any asthma issues?

 

[Gary]

If you try any of the over the counter meds to solve your son's allergy problems, go slowly. Like Westxhunter, I take a pill everyday. I use Aller-Tec, which (for me) has no side effects. Most allergy meds tend to make me sleepy or at least not very alert. Dosing him up might tend to negate his ability with the binos. Benadryl knocks me out and dries me up to the point of being very (maybe should say "VERY") uncomfortable. The other meds all tend towards making me somewhat drowsy, to a greater or lesser degree.

 

[RedIII]

Same on the Flonase and Claritin D. I also use an inhaler but it sounds like he doesn’t have any asthma issues?

No asthma

 

[MTGomer]

I got allergy shots for several years and it made a world of difference

 

[Wallydeuce]

Flonase helped a bit with the bogies but that relief was countered by the sound of me grinding my teeth together. Elk could hear me half a mile away! That spray wired me for sound.

 

[kansasdad]

I joke that I'm "allergic to Kansas". Zyrtec daily generally keeps up with it, but I know that I have to stay away from cedars, and in late winter/early spring stay FAR AWAY from cedars and their pollen.

An often overlooked aspect of reducing allergic reactions is to pay strong attention towards hands to face touching. This can greatly reduce allergens introduced to eyes and mouth which can start the waterfalls of snot flowing.

 

[TheJason]

Benadryl knocks me out and dries me up to the point of being very (maybe should say "VERY") uncomfortable.

X2 on this. Sometimes when I have a really severe allergic reaction I’ll need to take enough Benadryl that it really kicks my ass and dries out every mucous membrane.

 

[track1]

Sagebrush totally kills me. Flonase and nasacort worked worked best for me. Only partially miserable in sept and early October

 

[Dakotakid]

I get allergies bad at hunting season and have suffered through.
I “think” it is better since I have been eating local honey.
My wife likes to sleep with the windows open, and on bad days I need a different sleeping spot.

Try the honey thing.