The only reliable allergy cure I've found!
Written: Jul 11 '06 (Updated Jul 14 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Works well and consistently, no side effects, better pricing than most RX copays
Cons: 3-6x daily dosing to start (may be able to reduce after few weeks)
The Bottom Line: If you haven't had luck with any other allergy meds, give this a shot. It was definitely the magic bullet for me!
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| soundguyandy's Full Review: NasalCrom |
I suffer from year-round allergies...dust, pollen, mold, if it's small and granular, odds are it'll get me all sniffly and stuffed up. Year after year I've bounced through prescriptions and OTCs, without finding one that would work consistently. For years, I was on a varying regimen of some sort of antihistamine with a prescription steroid nasal spray, with effects ranging from okay to none.
In desperation, when I hit that week early in Spring where I end up miserable as my allergies start to flare up, to the point where I can't stray more than a quick sprint from a box of tissues, and am in complete misery all day at work just trying to breathe and stop from sniffling, I decided to give Nasalcrom a try. I'd thought about it the year before, when it's OTC status and pricing looked appealing, but was turned away by the 4-6 times a day dosing.
At this point, though, I'd have tried anything. So I switched from a prescription antihistamine and corticosteroid to generic OTC loratadine and Nasalcrom.
Nasalcrom is a mast cell inhibitor (active ingredient is cromolyn sodium). But what does that mean in English? Mast cells are the cells in your nose that produce histamines, which as anybody who's taken an antihistamine knows, are what cause the sniffles, stuffiness, watery eyes, etc. from allergies. Nasalcrom works by stopping these cells from producing histamine.
Essentially, for a totally oversimplified non-scientific answer from this non-doctor, non-pharmacist, non-scientist, antihistamines block histamines from acting on your body. Nasalcrom, instead, stops the histamines from being produced altogether.
To take it, you pinch one nostril shut, insert the end of the spray bottle into the other nostril, and inhale while pressing the collar of the bottle (just like any other measured-dose nasal spray). One spray per nostril, 3-4 times a day to start should do the trick for most people, although some need up to 6 dosings a day. After you've been on it a little while (it takes a week or two to achieve full impact, which is why it's recommended you take it a couple weeks before your usual allergy season/exposure to environmental allergens), many people can reduce to 2x a day.
In my experience, it was just like any other nasal spray, a quick mist into the nostril, with no particular odor or sensation beyond that of the mist itself. While other sprays I've used had particularly nasty sensations (I can't quite label them as either tastes or smells, somewhere in between), I haven't noticed any with Nasalcrom.
Because of how it works, it's safe to use with most any other medication, even antihistamines or decongestants. In fact, odds are that if you also suffer from watery eyes or other non-nasal symptoms, you'll still need an antihistamine to supplement the Nasalcrom, since it works locally in the nasal cavity.
Within days of starting on Nasalcrom, I was on my way to being clear again, and within a week, my allergies were practically non-existent. Lately, I'd gone down to 2-3 times a day, with no negative effect that I could perceive.
The test, though, came this week, when I misjudged how much Nasalcrom I had left, and ran out at the same time the local pharmacy did. I figured I'd be okay for a day or so until I could pick up another bottle. Was I ever wrong. Within a day of being off Nasalcrom, my allergies were back with full force. Never again, LOL.
So, at least for me, this is the dream solution for my allergies, short of a permanent cure. Of course, as with any drug, consult your doctor!
One last note--shop around when buying it. I've seen a wide range of prices for both the 100 and 200 spray bottles, at times as much as a $7+ difference on the 200 from one local store to a national chain.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
soundguyandy
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Member: Andy
Location: New York, NY, USA
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Theatre/concert sound engineer, confessed gadget slut
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