Looking for allergy relief

[cantdrv55]

I'm having some remodeling done to my house right now and even though we do a great job cleaning up after the workers leave every night, my sinuses still act up and my eyes and throat are itchier than heck. I've tried over-the-counter stuff like Zyrtec, etc but nothing works. I've been popping Sudafeds for congestion and Advil for the headaches regularly for the past week now. Got any suggestions?

[livi]

Do you have any previous history of allergies? Against what?
In such case, what symptoms? Nose, eyes mostly or also asthma?
What previous medications?
Is Zyrtec an antihistamine? How many days have you taken it? No effect at all?

What symptoms are worst? Nose, eyes, throat, airways?

Depending on the above, I would suggest two different kinds of antihistamine daily, combined with a nasal cortisone spray and perhaps allergy eye drops. In worst case two-three days of a medium dose of oral cortisone. If you have asthmatic symptoms, thats another ball game.

Darn, this is so much easier in Swedish.

[Willem Fick]

Had a tumor removed a few years ago which cost me both my frontal sinusses, so I know exactly how bad allergies can be! Stay away from using decongestants too often, as they can cause damage if used long term.

Rinse your sinusses out with a "neti-pot" first thing in the morning and then again in the evening. Can be bought from your local pharmacy. Looks a bit like a small watering can, that you fill with a saline solution which you then pour through your nose - sort of into the one nostril, out of the other. Might sound a bit gross but it works a charm. During the day use a saline based nasal spray.

[flatbutt]

the work might be stirring up mold and spores. A decongestant isn't likely to offset your bodies' reaction to those. An anti-histamine might be more useful. I'm not a doctor just a fellow sufferer. In the evenings I must resort to Benadryl if I'm to get any sleep.