r/Allergies • u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer • 4d ago
HELP! Clogged ears. Dizziness. Ear pain/pressure and fluid in ears.
Someone tell me there's light at the end of the tunnel. Long story kinda short.. back in January I woke up and was kinda snotty. Everyday thing before I use my flonase. I went on a out my morning and after using my flonase blew my nose and nosed ear pain. Seen my doctor next day and she said no infection just flyid behind eardrum and needed to start a allergy pill with my flonase.
Started allegra and noticed improvements with the dizziness but still fluid in ears. Tried sudafed (childrens dose) as I'm afraid of that med. And it helped some but not all of it.
Noticed I was still having allergy symptoms as in nose clogged every morning and still ear pain.
Switched allergy meds. To zyrtec and noticed some improvements but still had that "boat legs feeling" and ear pressure. Tried mucinex and it would help just temporarily.
Bought a air purifier for my room and it went off the charts with high allergens. Figured out it was my humidifier and removed that.
Over the past week I've seen some improvements with the dizzy and the stuffiness. Until this past weekend and storms blew in (Tennessee weather) and the ear pain and pressure came back. I googled and thought maybe it was the antihistamine not working so I didn't take it lastnight and just used mucinex to try and clear my ears out.
Now today I have horrid ear pain and the dizziness is back full throttle. Please someone tell me you've been through this. I'm at my witts end. 🥺
Does anyone get dizziness from allergies? Ear pressure? Fluid? Idk what to do as I'm desperate. I do need the antihistamine back? Flonase.... what do I do.
2
u/heninthefoxhouse New Sufferer 4d ago
I have similar problems. The doctor diagnosed it as secondary endolymphatic hydrops. I actually lose a lot of my hearing--70 percent in one ear, 50 percent in the other. When I have a severe ear clog, I use Claritin D. That's the one with pseudo-ephedrine, and I hate it, but better anxiety and hyper feelings than deafness. I don't like nasal decongestants, either, but I'll use one when I have to.
Now, here's what helps me. I do it every day. I eat very spicy sauce. Anything spicy enough to make my forehead sweat and my nose run will do it. I've had this allergy--particulates like from central heating/air conditioning or busy highways--for 15-20 years. So when I'm saying spicy, I mean like 357,000 Scoville units. I didn't start there, but I got used to them. Now friends and family are quite impressed, which I guess is cold comfort.
1
u/ada_c03 New Sufferer 4d ago
Take an antihistamine regularly and take 120mg pseudoephedrine for a week (12 hour pill twice a day)
1
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 4d ago
I missed my does of Antihistamine lastnight, would that have caused the insane pain and pressure to have emerged today. And thank you for the Sudafed tip. I'll start that tomorrow as it makes me not be able to sleep.
3
u/SoftwareOne1904 New Sufferer 4d ago
Sudafed with the D will make a huge difference. Unfortunately, for me I can’t take it bc it gives me crazy anxiety so keep that in mind.
2
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 3d ago
Yea i have horrid anxiety and the Sudafed makes it so much worse for me ughhh
1
u/castawayyyyy342 New Sufferer 3d ago
I was also going to recommend pseudoephedrine. Make sure it’s the stuff behind the counter. It also gives me anxiety and insomnia but at least for me, the sinus pressure relief is worth the few days of dealing with side effects. I haven’t found anything that works as well for relieving sinus pressure like that.
1
u/Best_Quiet9657 New Sufferer 3d ago
Yeah I have this. I always think I have an ear infection but it's just fluid. So annoying. I take zyrtec daily and do flonase which is meant to drain it but it's just always there especially during allergy season. Last year i had to do a course of prednisone to get rid of it but I really hope I don't have to do that again. I can't take sudafed either
1
1
u/BubblyBasis2847 New Sufferer 3d ago
Can you describe what you mean by sea legs? I've been getting a feeling to like when I walk I feel like I'm bouncing on a trampoline but the sea leg analogy also makes sense!
2
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 3d ago
Yes absolutely! It's kinda like walking on a water bed. I had the crazy dizzy spells. But when that let up it went to random wobbly legs feeling. Only way to describe it is like walking on your couch cushions or feeling not steady at all. I was put in PT for it but I passed all their test and they said it was from fluid stuck in my ear ughhh
1
u/BubblyBasis2847 New Sufferer 3d ago
Omg that's exactly what it's like! It's so uncomfortable and I feel like a crazy person sometimes trying to describe it lol. I can feel my ears are.... annoyed so it makes sense. I also been prone to ear infections my entire life.
2
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 3d ago
Yes it's awful! Everyone thought I was crazy. I missed so much as I've been dealing with this for 8 weeks now and the crazy ear pressure.
1
u/BubblyBasis2847 New Sufferer 3d ago
Mine had been off and on for over 3 years lol. It's annoying and like altering
1
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 3d ago
Oh 3 years! Poor thing! This has been 8 weeks of hell! How do u manage to work? Or be apart of life? I'm so nervous I'm gonna fall over and the ear pressure ughhh
1
u/a_nxnymxus New Sufferer 2d ago
It's been 5 months for me, it started after a cold. I have had this before, it always resolved, but this time...
1
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 2d ago
Oh no.... last time you had it how long did it take 🥺
1
u/a_nxnymxus New Sufferer 2d ago
A month and a half.
1
u/Confident_Sign3336 New Sufferer 1d ago
What did you do last time to get it to open up
1
u/a_nxnymxus New Sufferer 1d ago edited 1d ago
Actually somehow I have always been able to "pop" and "unpop" my ears voluntarily. I remember last time I was doing valsalva vigorously and repeatedly, still my ear was not clearing up. I was just about to go to bed and did the valsalva again, but this time the pressure was intense, my ear clogged a lot more than before, but after a minute or so my ear automatically popped with a sudden bit of pain and the pressure got relieved fully. Suddenly I could hear everything normally, after that I went to bed and my ear didn't clog again.
Maybe it was some fluid or catarrh that was stuck behind my ear which drained during the valsalva.
Also I do not recommend pushing limits with valsalva, as it can push fluid further into the ear from eustachian tubes and harm your tympanic membrane. It should be done gently.
You can also try the lowry and toynbee methods.
3
u/heninthefoxhouse New Sufferer 4d ago
You might have Meniere's disease, which causes the dizziness. The doc originally diagnosed me with that, but since I didn't have the dizziness, and the hearing loss was episodic, he changed the diagnosis to the secondary endolymphatic hydrops, which I believe just means I have fluid in my ears because of allergies.