Flying with allergys

Pinstriper

Pinstriper

Pre-takeoff checklist
Joined
Apr 25, 2012
Messages
423
Location
Oroville California
Display Name
Display name:
Pinstriper
It's that time of year.. Mild Itchy watery eyes, runny noses.. I flew yesterday for .8 and landed.. :( anyone else deal with this stuff?

Good thing I don't get it bad but it still sucks
 
I feel your pain. Sometimes I just avoid flying cause I do not feel good enough and just want to suffer at home. I take Allegra. Seems to work better than the others, but it is hit or miss sometimes.

The suffering takes a lot of the enjoyment out of the flying.

David
 
I never fly with people from Allgeria. Don't trust them.
 
My symptoms go away once I'm a couple of thousand feet up - less concentration of pollen I suppose...but while earth-bound, it's a pain in the behind for sure.
 
I've noticed that as well. I've had the sniffles for several weeks, but once airborne, it goes away, more or less completely.
 
I suffered through summers for years trying to balance between the drowsiness that came with the symptom relief of antihistamines. When the "non-sedating" variety became available (originally by prescription only) I jumped on them. For the last several years I've been taking Loratadine (Claritin) once a day and rarely experience more than an occasional sneeze and no adverse side effects. With most of these medicines it appears that you need to take them for a week or more to get the full effect.
 
Yes. I tend to pop allegra or other OTC this time of year. When I was a kid in the Willamette Valley, it was pretty brutal at times, but it isn't nearly as bad most other places. Even now when I go home in like June, I am miserable without the drugs.
 
Careful....

The ONLY allergy drug my AME would sanction was Claritin. Even Zyrtec was no-go due to possible sedation.
 
I used to have horrible allergies. Claritin helped as long as I didn't use it for too long (it would lose effectiveness). This year, for some reason, I've been great.
 
MAKG1 said:
Careful....

The ONLY allergy drug my AME would sanction was Claritin. Even Zyrtec was no-go due to possible sedation.
Click to expand...

Should be Allegra and Claratin by law, at least from what I have seen from docs. Agreed that Zyrtec for whatever reason is the black sheep that is outlawed
 
I'm allergic to pretty much anything with fur and anything that sprouts from the dirt. Weekly shots and Claritin.
 
I suffered from terrible hay fever every summer until I moved to an island in the Gulf of Mexico three years ago. No more allergies! :D
 
Doesn't work for everyone, Jay.

My allergies were pretty bad in Galveston. But high mountains seem to help, especially in the desert. I felt great at Lee Vining a few weekends ago (at 7000 feet).
 
Allegra no bueno with the FAA. Claritin only if you want to pass the third class medical. Its a shame because I respond pretty well to the Allegra with zero side effects.
 
DeeG said:
I'm allergic to pretty much anything with fur and anything that sprouts from the dirt. Weekly shots and Claritin.
Click to expand...

Same here. And we have two cats. Well, I was on Zyrtec but now need to change I'm trying Claritin because I know Allegra doesn't work too well. If Claritin doesn't work I'll be trying Clarinex next and then I'm SOL if those don't work according to the FAA. :dunno:
 
My apologies - I was confusing Allegra with Zyrtec - Cetirizine is no bueno with the FAA. Allegra and Claritin are okay.

I just went through this 6 months ago. AME made me go off Zyrtec and back on Claritin. The issue is with regular (daily) usage. In order to fly with the sedating antihistimines you have to wait 5 dosing intervals. For Zyrtec which you take once a day - you cannot fly for at least 5 days after your last dose. And if you take it every day - well you are SOL - you will not get a 3rd class medical. I was taking it OTC - with zero drowsiness and doing well - until I went in for my first 3rd class after getting my PPL 2.5 years ago.

Don't trust any 3rd party info - go straight to the FAA:

Link To FAA Guide for AMEs on Antihistamine Usage

If you don't believe this - fill out your form and list Cetirizine as being taken daily for hayfever. It's even more important to know this stuff now - because you are filling out this form online before you ever get to the AME - and once you hit send - that's it.

I recommend you always get a consult with the AME before you hit the send button - like you used to do in the office. This is a legal form - and the definition of "daily" matters - even if you meant that you only take it seasonally.
 
I do know this.. My are pretty minor.. So Minor I've never taken anything for them... Usually only last a month or so.. I'll just deal with them like I always have... No need for pills here.
 
If you can be controlled with a non-sedating antihistimine (Allegra, Claratin) and/or decongestant, it is OK. I've reported this every medical for the past 30 years. One of my AME's was even an allergist.

However, if you are not 100% controlled I'd BE VERY VERY CAREFUL. We went up to drop the Navion at the mechanics once. Margy and her CFI were in the Navion and I was flying the instructor's 172. While they did some low level work on the way from IAD to MRB, I decided (having just started my IFR training) to go request the ILS into MRB. Now I had my annual Christmas season stuffiness (found out later I was allergic to the Christmas tree). As I popped up to 4000 to get the initial into the airport I got a large pain in my head and then abruptly it passed. A few days later while I visited the doctor still having some residual achyness. Turns out I ruptured my eardrum in the process.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top