Summer, who doesn't love it?
I must confess that it is not my favourite season, I much prefer Autumn. Warm, sunny days spent outside without the nasty, horrible pollen and the symptoms of hay fever appearing...
I have suffered from hayfever since childhood and I believed everyone when they told me I would grow out of it but here I am aged 34 and still a sufferer. I did have some respite however when I was breastfeeding, has anyone else experienced this?
Symptoms
Itchy, watery eyes
Sneezing, itchy and runny nose (sometimes blocked)
Itchy throat
I suffer from all of the above and each year I have been known to use tablets, nasal spray and eye drops to gain relief from the misery of seasonal rhinitis.
When I mentioned on twitter that my symptoms had started I was tweeted by @hayfeverfree who offered to send me a month's supply of Prevalin Allergy to try. It is non drowsy, antihistamine and steroid free.
The way it works
Prevalin is a nasal spray that blocks allergens that cause the allergic reaction. It works directly where the allergic reaction starts, on the respiratory mucosa of the nose. It uses a combination of oils and emulsifier which transforms from gel to liquid. It forms an allergen-impermeable micro-gel barrier.
Prevalin is to be used as soon as you start to get hay fever symptoms and for best results before coming into contact with allergens, as it prevents them from reaching the nasal mucosal lining to limit symptoms.
How to use
Blow nose thoroughly before each application. Apply 1 to 2 sprays into each nostril, 2 to 3 times a day.
Does it work ?
Yes it does. My symptoms of hay fever are quite bad and this works extremely well. I use it in the morning when I wake up and I have no symptoms at all for a good 5-6 hours. The downside of course is that you have to take it again during the day to remain symptom free.
The first couple of times I used Prevalin my nose felt blocked for a while after use, this is normal according to the instructions accompanying the product. This will disappear with continued use.
I detected a slight minty after taste to it which is pleasant (don't purposely eat it! This just comes from the nose being connected to the throat)
Although I blow my nose before using Prevalin, after using it my nose sometimes tickles and makes me sneeze, so this is best used before you apply any make-up. I also notice that some white product comes out when I sneeze, I assume this is product but it hasn't seemed to affect the effectiveness of Prevalin.
Overall I have been very impressed that this one nasal spray does the job of the 3 items I was using previously.
Of course, we have yet to have a very high pollen day to test its effectiveness to cope with that but according to the BBC Weather page pollen has been high for the last two days.
Prevalin Allergy is suitable for adults and children over 12 years. Prevalin is suitable for use by pregnant and breastfeeding women. One month's supply costs £9.99 and is available from Boots.
They also sent me a free sample and pretty much so far so good, although I am sneezing slightly more at present. I start with tree pollen these days (I was also told I would grow out of it, and I'm 40 this year) and tend to peak in mid- to late-June so as you say it'll be interesting to see how it fares when the season really hits.
ReplyDeleteI used this last year and it is the only nose spray which has actually worked. I really like that it is steroid free as well - I was a bit worried about the amount of steroid nose spray I went through the year before!
ReplyDelete