Matthew's Journal

I seem to have developed hayfever over the last few years. I first started taking loratadine (a non-sedating antihistamine) in 2003, when living in Girton. This is rather annoying, as typically hayfever declines during ones 20s!

This year seems to be particularly bad. I've been taking the loratadine for what must be pushing a couple of months, and it's working less well (notwithstanding the time I got a cold on top of it, which really wasn't fun). I'm pretty sneezy for the hour or so after getting up, and have a good sneeze when I get home, too, and my nose runs a bit during the day. It seems to be making me wheezy when I exercise, too, which is not good. If I stop taking the loratadine, things are much worse - I have to stop 4 or 5 times on the way to work, for example.

I don't know what I'm allergic too, which doesn't help with management. I can say with some certainty that Nefyn doesn't have any of it (I didn't need the antihistamine at the weekend); I'm not sure if the bad patch I have each morning is just due to phlegm and suchlike building up overnight, or that there's something in or near home that I'm allergic too. It doesn't seem to get better or worse on wet or dry days, either.

AIUI, the NHS won't want to investigate unless it goes on for a year, or causes more serious breathing problems (or if loratadine stops keeping things at least plausibly under control). It's a bit annoying.