I am allergic to cold air. How can I get it treated?

Hello,

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What do precisely your symptoms are? Do you have any nasal problem or breathing trouble, any wheezing? Do you get the same sign when you get exposed to smoke or dust? Since when are you having the symptoms. Have you taken any inhalers and if so have you found relief?

Hello,

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You seem to be having allergic rhinitis. The medicine you are taking is not appropriate for that. Nasal decongestants like Otrivin (Xylometazoline) and Nasivion (Oxymetazoline) serve to act during infective colds and nasal congestion, whereas allergic congestion needs an anti-inflammatory medicine like steroid nasal sprays. Allergic sprays need to be taken for a long term and do not function on an SOS basis.

You can try antihistamines which produce very less sleep like Bilastine, Ebastine, and Fexofenadine during such episodes. However long term relief will be obtained by steroid nasal sprays like Fluticasone and Mometasone. One needs to factor in vasomotor rhinitis as well. One should have a baseline investigation of nasal endoscopy and computed tomography of sinuses.

Hi,

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If it is vasomotor rhinitis like what you suspect then immunotherapy has no role. However we can still do a skin prick test and see if you have any aeroallergen sensitivity. If at all you do have any sensitivity then we can think again about allergic rhinitis and immunotherapy.

The nasal spray you have been prescribed has to be taken once daily at the same time (preferably after meal). The spray is not like a decongestant and should not be taken when you have the problems alone. These are steroids and need to be taken for a couple of weeks. After two weeks of this spray, you should switch over to a normal Fluticasone spray and continue it for another four to six weeks.

Antihistamines are required as well. Try using some good antipollution masks which can cover your face, nose and mouth from any cold air or polluted air. This will prevent the triggering of your rhinitis problem.

There are plain Azelastine sprays which may act in addition to the Fluticasone sprays and prevent the symptoms from occuring on an SOS basis.

Hi,

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1. Cold air allergy is not the correct way to describe it. if the coldness of air is causing you problems it's vasomotor rhinitis and not allergy. if there is some pollen or weed dust in the winter air that's causing the problem then it's allergy most likely. a confirmation can be obtained using a skin prick test with appropriate aeroallergens.
2. Fluticasone used in nasal sprays, being an intranasal steroid, has no side effects due to negligible or zero systemic absorption into the bloodstream. However, if you are worried about steroid use due to the propaganda against it you may choose to avoid it. plain fluticasone is fluticasone without combination with azelastine. azelastine is like your Allegra but it acts intranasally in spray form.
3. Normal nasal decongestants like Otrivin or Xyloflo or Nasivion can serve the purpose of relief from blockage on an SOS basis, say use for a few days, about four or five maximum, and then stop. You may use these sprays once or twice daily. These have the side effect of rebound congestion and rhinitis medicamentosa.

Using a steroid nasal spray two weeks before the trip and stopping after you return home, with the use of Allegra M during the trip on an SOS basis is a good option to keep your problem at bay. It will be more advisable than Otrivin or other nasal decongestant sprays.

Hi,

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The spray will help to some extent. But the best solution for this is to avoid cold items altogether. I understand it is gonna be a bit uncomfortable by avoiding those but that is the best possible solution for you.

Moreover, the cold foods trigger a lot of vasomotor phenomena inside the nasal cavities and upper throat causing a lot of effects subsequently like nasal congestion, fullness, heaviness and so on.

Avoid cold foods and not think of any medicine that would let you have cold items. The allergy tablets and sprays will help you to a certain extent in tolerating such items but not entirely symptom free.