Cycling with hay fever :(

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JozeeB

Regular
Location
Stockport
Had a great ride this evening on a lovely quiet cycle path out of town and into the country. Trouble is I really struggled with hay fever all the way and very frustrating having to keep itching my nose and eyes! Can anyone recommend anything to help? I wear cycling glasses which really help with the eyes, but I wondered if there was any kind of mask I could use which would reduce the pollen I'm breathing in?!
I'm fairly new to cycling and going to be doing the Great Manchester Cycle on Bank Holiday Monday! Can't wait! But if the pollen count's anything like today I'll be going crazy by the end!!
Thanks!
 

HovR

Über Member
Location
Plymouth
Had a great ride this evening on a lovely quiet cycle path out of town and into the country. Trouble is I really struggled with hay fever all the way and very frustrating having to keep itching my nose and eyes! Can anyone recommend anything to help? I wear cycling glasses which really help with the eyes, but I wondered if there was any kind of mask I could use which would reduce the pollen I'm breathing in?!
I'm fairly new to cycling and going to be doing the Great Manchester Cycle on Bank Holiday Monday! Can't wait! But if the pollen count's anything like today I'll be going crazy by the end!!
Thanks!

I'd recommend against any kind of mask/filter. Just restricts breathing too much.

Are you already taking anti-hayfever/allergy tablets? They work well for me.
 

Dave 123

Legendary Member
Benadryl works for me. You could also try smearing vaseline around your nose and eyes to catch the pollen. Do you have any local honey producers out in leafy Cheadle?
 

zizou

Veteran
A combination of sunglasses, nasal spray and anti-histamine tablet help massively for me.
 
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JozeeB

JozeeB

Regular
Location
Stockport
I'd recommend against any kind of mask/filter. Just restricts breathing too much.

Are you already taking anti-hayfever/allergy tablets? They work well for me.

I did wonder whether that would be the case and just make me hotter. I do take hay fever tablets - tried various but nothing seem to help much. A couple of years ago I got some good stuff from the doctor (think it was called atarax) but it made me drowsy, which is obviously not ideal!!
 
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JozeeB

JozeeB

Regular
Location
Stockport
Benadryl works for me. You could also try smearing vaseline around your nose and eyes to catch the pollen. Do you have any local honey producers out in leafy Cheadle?

Ha ha! I work in 'leafy' Cheadle. Don't know about honey producers, but I heard it had to be very, very local i.e. within a couple of miles.
Went along Middlewood Way this evening if you know the area - nice ride (apart from some stinky horses!)
 

stephen.rooke

Senior Member
get beconnaise. i 100% recommend it, and also benadryl plus. i used to take just normal hayfever tabs and they didn't help too much and i hated summer, i find the beconnaise and benadryl combo works great and dont suffer as much. different brands of beconnaise are available. just check the label as some recommend that you only take it for a month at most while others you can use all summer
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
Try Clarityn, it contains Loratadine so actually anything with that drug would work. Just one tiny pill a day and no drowsiness.
 

lulubel

Über Member
Location
Malaga, Spain
I've tried lots of different hayfever tablets, and the only thing that works for me is taking either loratadine (non-drowsy) OR cetirizine (drowsy) once a day, AND Piriton (or the cheap equivalent containing chlorphenamine maleate) as often as I need it. I'm pretty much immune to the drowsy effects of anti-histamines, though, so that particular combination might knock anyone else out!
 
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JozeeB

JozeeB

Regular
Location
Stockport
Thanks everyone for the replies. Not much better today despite finding a packet of last year's loratadine (think that's clarityn). Maybe I need to visit the doc and try a nasal spray again (Beconase i think). Tried it once before but I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to things like that and didn't use it. Got a motivation now to give it a go though as I really want to be out on the bike in this lovely weather!!
 

byegad

Legendary Member
Location
NE England
I've had Hay Fever for about 15 years and went through misery until i found THE right tablet. There are lots of different kinds. Since I developed Urticaria I now take two different anti-histamines* every day of the year, for the Urticaria. Since I've taken the two tablets, no more Hay Fever!

*This worries pharmacists the first time they dispense the two together, until I tell them why I'm taking them.
 

stephen.rooke

Senior Member
beconaise takes a week or so to kick in fully but once it does its great and can be combined with normal tablets. im not suffering much at the moment which is unusual as i normally have the worst symptoms of anyone i know lol
 
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