Non stop Sneezing

[campbellsoup]

Some days I am fine. Some days I am not. Today is one of those days.

Usually if I feel sneezy, I take a claritin and I am good to go. If I am having a particular fit that will not go away..... I double up. Usually wait an hour to see if it will kick in and then take a second dose.

Today I took a double dose and I am sneezing my head off. When I am not sneezing I am itchy and wiping.... and then I sneeze again. I am miserable. (I know I am allergic to dust and some seasonal stuff - not sure what.) These days(the truly miserable ones) happen no more than 5% of the time. I take claritin about 25% of the time.(year round)

What should I do? I am thinking about making a Dr.'s appointment but I am not sure where that would lead me. Not a big Dr. person.

Is there something better OTC I should try? or better yet a natural/herbal remedy? It is hard to function like this. I would really appreciate any help you could offer. Hope I am in the right place.

[KimPM]

A few years ago, my DH started doing the same thing, bouts of non-stop sneezing. We thought he was getting allergic to the cat. But after he had some food sensitivity tests, it turned out he was becoming gluten intolerant. As long as he stays off gluten, there's no problem. He still keeps a little Claritin around just in case he accidentally gets some gluten; this only happens maybe once a year.

Having said all that, you could be intolerant to any food, not necessarily gluten. It may even be more than one thing. Every allergist that I know of doesn't run food intolerance tests (IgG testing); they only run the IgE true allergy tests. You could either search for a doctor who does these kinds of tests, or try an elimination diet on your own.

[campbellsoup]

I never gave any thought to this being a possible food allergy/intolerance. Will have to explore that idea. Wondering if it is (for example) a gluten intolerance why it wouldn't bother me all the time? I suppose that is why you said it could be any food. Food diary time?

If my problems are of the respiratory variety are there any supplements (vitamins/herbs/etc) that would be beneficial?