Is Hayfever/ pollen bad this year?

I think it's been bad this year, very wet may and as we all know "rain in may is good for hay" followed by a dry sunny June

Yes, suffering this year here. Different pollen yesterday as it was my nose that was irritated rather than my throat for the past few weeks. I’ve got through 3 packets of tablets so far, normally I have one packet a year.

Vaseline or Vicks around your nostrils helps a little, apparently it traps some of the pollen.

I've been struggling every day for a couple of weeks. Feels relentless.

Chewing gum and sunglasses also help but get some tablets aswell

Never used to get Hayfever but its been kicking my arse over the last few weeks! Chlorphenamine tablets are keeping the worse at bay for me

<p style="text-align: left;">I’ve found the last 10 days have been especially bad for me - much worse than I recall over the previous few years. May passed without much more than a sniffle though, so the bad weather we had has obviously had an effect on pollen production. Hoping least peak pollen season will be over soon - usually by the end of June I’m through the worst of the symptoms</p>

I would generally say I don't suffer from hay fever, but something has got me the last two weeks. The last few days in particular my voice has gone hoarse and by the end of the day I'm reduced to a whisper! Tickly cough all the time and wake up congested every morning.

It's significantly different/worse for me this year.

My sister mentioned something about a "pollen bomb" hitting recently!

Mine kicked off properly yesterday with streaming eyes and nose. Had to leave work early.. I'm usually fine if I take a tablet first thing but if it doesn't work, nothing seems to work and it wipes me out completely...

I also think I'm more allergic to specific pollens as it's been manageable up to now. Waiting for antihistamines to kick in before I decide on whether to head out on a group ride or not 🙁

This year had been ok until yesterday....

Yep, last Saturday was probably one of the worst days I can remember. May was zero symptoms but came with a bang about two weeks ago and only now starting to ease back.

Nasal spray helps me a lot and also wearing sunglasses going out too.

I used to get it really badly as a kid. But has been getting progressively less bad as I've got older, maybe I'm acclimatising to plant jizz 😀.

Lots of people I know are saying it's really bad this year, even people who don't normally have it. But for me it's not that bad at all, only taking tablets on the odd day here and there.

That being said mine normally kicks in around Aug/Sept.

I am also finding it better this year (famous last words). I suspect its maybe one or two plants I react badly to and for whatever reason they have lost out this year.

I always get it bad at the beginning of the year then it gets better as I acclimatise to the stuff. Every year I have to start taking Cetirizine Hydrochloride tablets daily from when the clocks go forward and build up a bit of a bank of protection, even that didn't really help at the end of May. Back to my usual level of sniffiness now but yesterday was particularly bad as all the farmers were out doing early harvesting where I was working. I should be finding it easier now and then have a final bout of bad in September but that didn't happen last year due to the parched ground messing up with the plant's cycles, hoping it doesn't happen again this year.

I get hay fever every year.  I use Avamys nasal spray which really effectively suppresses symptoms.  Needs a prescription but worth it.

Really really bad this year. Was pretty much fine (little bit sniffly but no bad symptoms) until a few weeks ago. The last few weeks have been awful

a mate of mine who doesn’t have hayfever has even said he’s been feeling quite sniffy this week

Started really badly for me in Edinburgh on Wednesday. Tuesday fine, Wednesday was a write off! I take fexofenadine through the whole spring and summer and it's usually great. The nasal spray Beconase first thing in the morning is a real help and the hay fever wipes are. Reliever when you get sniffly.

No worse than any year for me. The drugs nowadays are miles better than the things we had as kids in the 80s which had you sleeping through school. Makes me laugh when new adopters say it's really bad - try having to go to hospital because your eyeballs have turned to mush through itching.

The drugs nowadays are miles better

Hallelujah. Certirizine for the win

I'd describe myself as a non sufferer but definitely feeling it this year. Eyes are raw after a ride. Feels like worst of it is over though.

Not just me being crap then.

Vaseline or Vicks around your nostrils helps a little, apparently it traps some of the pollen.

Heard this yesterday, must have looked rough (more than usual) the woman on the checkout at Tesco was telling me every remedy and trick to help with hay fever.

Similarly I've noticed the trees going crazy this year, walking about the other day and thought it was starting to rain but it was sap dripping off the trees.

Mine has been worse than normal this year, in terms of eye irritation, more than nose and throat. Lungs were more  unhappy in March, making me wheazy, but then some of that might be compounded by lung tissue damage as a result of long covid.

I've been switching between Benadryl and Allevia, along with trying different ingredient eye drops, with Beconase on standby for use on odd days..

I swear the willow tree out the back had a huge growth spurt this spring, when we had so many rainy days, now replaced by barely any rain in the past month or so to wash pollen away and weigh it down. Convinced that tree has been a trigger for me over the last ten years, affects neighbour's son badly they reckon as he's not suffered anything like he has since they moved here during the pandemic. There's talk  the whole tree might be coming down on safety grounds, as it's growing right next to a shed and one side of the now huge canopy is practically touching the flat block. Here's hoping!

But then there is a massive evergreen to the front and rear of the block, at least one species of which gave me huge issues on a camping holiday a few years ago, so cutting the willow down might not solve the problem when at home.

Hot, dry spell. All the cars and vans here are covered in a thin layer of yellow dust and there's been no rainfall to dampen it down or wash it away. Funnily enough, my hay-fever prone wife has been pretty much ok this year.

Yes, as others have said no rain to help wash the pollen away.  Sneezing, running nose, ears feeling bunged. I always hoped I'd grow out of it. Hay cutting time now, so that isn't helping.

Even hubby has it and that's a first.

Fexofenadine, used to be prescription only but now over the counter (brand name Allevia) is the only pill that works for me and some eyedrops.  It's been bad since March and still lingering a bit although grass doesn't seem to bother me quite as much.

I've never suffered from hayfever but got symptoms a couple of weeks ago. My partner was the same. She had it first and thought she had a cold/flu-type virus. So I would say yes.

Pollen bomb

Sounds like something the Daily Mail would come up with.

Not bad in Fort William this year.....Yet

Back in April / early May I'd have defo have said it was worse here in Derbyshire - I had 2 or 3 weeks of being more wheezy with Asthma aroundEater and May day bank hol. My #1 daughter returned home from the SW seaside where she mow resides and her asthma played up really badly - hospital treatment levels.

Worse hayfever ever. Eyes and nose streaming like I've been pepper sprayed.

Only at home though so must be something in the garden or nearby.

ways get it bad at the beginning of the year then it gets better as I acclimatise to the stuff.

Most likely it's tree pollen you are allergic too then, rather than grass pollen.

It appears to be currently a big issue:

https://news.google.com/s/CBIwuLXtzTs?sceid=GB:en&sceid=GB:en&r=0&oc=1

It’s been grim this last couple of weeks. I’ve been ready to claw my eyeballs out. Managed to get new meds from gp with slightly different usage. The eye drops, Alomide are the biggest difference. I stand a chance of functioning.

A word of warning for those that use nasal sprays to prevent Hayfever, as I used to do.

read the small print. The very small print. Some brands “may cause cataracts”

mine did. Cataract surgeon said as he was examining me prior to surgery “do you use steroids?”

I didn’t realise the brand I used was a steroid, but I re-read the leaflet and bingo, there it was.

long story short, he operated on the cataract in my right eye first, then 2 weeks later he did the other. I used to be short sighted, with typical middle-age problem of being long sighted as well. Now I have perfect distance vision but I have to wear reading glasses for close work. So a kind of win, eventually.

I still get Hayfever. Optician told me at my last visit that I’m now safe to resume the nasal spray, the plastic lenses won’t ever develop cataracts as they’re not a living organ

All the cars and vans here are covered in a thin layer of yellow dust

Went for a Father's day ride in the woods with my son this morning.
It had rained in the night and where the water had pooled and dried were patches of thick yellow dust.
The pine parts of the Forrest smelled awesome though.

Me too!

This year seems much worse than normal.

I really struggled through 3 weeks of may - absolute streaming nose and itchy eyes.

Had used Loratadine previous years, but this year absolutly no benefit at all.

Started taking Fexofenadine 120mg, releif within a few days.

You can also get 180mg on prescription.

Hallelujah. Certirizine for the win

Agree. Take it before bed and I am good for the next 24hrs.

Otherwise I wake at 2am with my nose streaming.

very wet may

We've been a lot drier than normal - and still it has been bad for the two hayfever prone people in our house.

I've never had any symptoms in the past, but the last few weeks I've had a few occasions where my nostrils have been irritated and around my eyes have felt a bit irritated. I'm pretty certain it's a pollen thing, especially as it's been worse the day after mowing the parents lawns and doing their gardening. I've started mowing the lawns right at the end after doing all the other jobs.

Get it every year and have had enough now. Don't usually go to the docs but might have to see if I can get the strong fexo stuff as the loratadine and centazine do nowt.

I tried getting an injection the other day as people were saying the usual "ohhh you should get one of those injections our Kelly used to have it was ace" but these are not done on the NHS anymore  and all the local clinics I tried also don't do them. I've not read up on the reasons but I'm guessing side affects? Thing is right now a lingering head ache (as a glib example) would be preferable to not being able to breathe or having to blow my nose every 10 seconds. Has anyone here tried the injection?

i have always suffered, but the past couple of years havent been too bad.

This year tho... its been summink else! Absolutely savage. Mega itchy eyes, wheezy breathing, grinding my tongue into the roof of my mouth to stop the itch....

I am my own worst enemy tho, as i rather not take medication, so dont pop pills, so just put up with it.

I do find it curious that it doesnt affect me when out in it, its when i remove myself from the outside world that it really kicks off!

My BIL has gone privately for the injection - he get's hayfever really bad. It's not on the NHS as the main side effect is it can cause high blood pressure I believe. He said he'd rather risk that than be as ill as he gets with Hayfever.

I'm planning to buy one or more air purifiers.... any recommendations?

I've had the Kenalog injection. Not cheap, but worth it. I've had a double dose (i.e 160mg) in Apr/May for the past few years and it's killed my hayfever dead, or down to One-a-day tablet level for a good 3-4 months. However, this year it's only lasted 6 weeks and I'm back to multiple pills, nasal sprays and eye drops to get through a day. Pollen forecasts this year have been much worse.

I've recently got an air purifier for the bedroom and that's made a massive difference to the night's sleep. Picked up a Blueair 3410 and it seems to be working. Again, not cheap but worth it for a night's sleep.

I'm prepared to have to spend a bit on a air purifier/s, but the choice is a bit bewildering. How do you pick one?

We also have a blueair. It's not a magic bullet but it helps.