Generic loratadine, it's the cheap/effective part of the expensive Claritin, Alavert, etc. You can get it at Walgreens or Fred Meyer for under a buck a pill and it seems to be effective for my only-since-I-moved-to-Portland allergies even if I give up and take it halfway through the day because I can't stand the misery anymore (as opposed to dutifully taking it every morning like the box says to, which I eventually give up in mid-April and do...).

I've heard from several folks that eating local honey is helpful too. There's some good stuff at the available at the farmer's market in Raleigh Hills, as I recall...

herbal remedies are chemicals too

/pedant

but I've heard about the eating local honey thing too.

Okay, you got me, gaspode!

I'd forgotten about the honey thing...

I was going to point out that it's all chemical, but I thought it would sound snotty, so I didn't.

But now that it's been said...

Claritin worked for me during one wonderful week in 1995. It hasn't worked since. Allegra, though, is the bomb. And so is Flonase, which doesn't treat allergies so much as prevent them. They're both prescription drugs.

I tend to believe that the honey-allergy cure is about as well-touted (and as well-confirmed) as about 98% of suggestions you hear for how to keep from crying while cutting an onion.

I realize that local bees collect local nectar and such, but a lot of ambient pollen doesn't come from flowers that bees would be attracted too. A lot of it comes from trees without flowers that say "Hey, bee, over here!" So maybe local honey will help you build up a tolerance to ragweed [when my dad raised bees, one year we had a batch of honey created entirely from ragweed nectar; it tasted like dirty socks], but it won't protect you from, say, mulberry pollen.

Y'all all try the honey cure if you like. But I've been suffering for 3 weeks, and I'm not taking the chance. I'm sticking with my pharmaceuticals. You can pry them from my cold, snot-covered hands.

I had a prescription for fluticasone, the generic Flonase, about three weeks ago. I would get up after a decent nights sleep, snort the fluticasone, and within half an hour I felt as if I hadn't slept in about a month. Just absolutely spent before I'd even finished breakfast. I did that for about a week, becoming progressively more tired with each passing day, until I finally had the sense to get my doc to change the prescription. I'm now taking Rhinocort Aqua as needed and feeling 1000% better.

Around the same time, a friend of mine was also prescribed fluticasone; he developed tinnitus within three days. After he stopped taking it, his hearing returned to normal.

I'm not saying that you'd experience either of those side-effects, but it's something to keep in mind.

Have you tried the Dolisos homeopathic spray for your area? I've used the ones for NY and SoCal.

Weird, bmarkey, I don't have any side effects at all with the name-brand Flonase. (I had a scrip for the generic one for a while, but it had zero effect -- go figure -- so they switched me back to the name-brand one.)

Guess it all proves that YMMV.

Claritin worked for me during one wonderful week in 1995. It hasn't worked since.

It's really kind of a crap shoot, isn't it? Different monkeys, different drugs: we all react at least slightly differently to these things. I had a great couple of days on Claritin last week, then something new started flowering and it stopped working. I've been having a relatively miserable week using generic suphedrine, which barely controlled the itching and sneezing and running, then started Claritin again today out of desperation. I feel fine tonight, but don't know how long it's going to last this time.

Be sure to ask for the pseudoephedrine-containing versions, if there is one, of whatever over-the-counter remedy you take. They keep those behind the counter now and you'll probably have to show ID because they're scared you'll be a home meth lab owner, but you don't need a prescription; they just moved them back off the shelves a bit. My pharmacist says the new pseudoephedrine-free versions of Sudafed, Claritin and the like that are now stocked on the shelves are much less powerful than the originals. Just ask for the real thing.

Oh, and folks have been raving to me about Flonase this year, but I haven't gotten to my doctor for samples yet. It apparently takes up to a week to start working but a couple of folks have told me it's the best thing they've tried. Allegra didn't do much for me (or my boss) last year, but maybe we didn't try it long enough.

I'd had good luck with Cetirizine (bog standard OTC antihistamine). One tablet can last a whole day. Acrivastine (the stuff in Benadryl) kicks in quickly but wears off too quickly. Loratidane isn't effective for me.