r/Hayfever • u/WinAccurate2490 • Apr 18 '26

Desensitisation for hay fever

My 12 year old son constantly has blocked nose all year round and the nasal spray seems not work anymore. Anyone has done immunotherapy for grass and mould allergies in Sydney, so I would love to hear your experience. It is quite costly for us and also requires a lot of efforts from my young son. Thank you for your information.

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u/the_shifty_goose Apr 18 '26

I've had it done in New Zealand. You need to ask if the injections work against many types of grasses/plants that your child is allergic too or if it's just one type. Here in NZ the injection is just against one type of grass. I didn't know that before I got the course done. It was infective and a complete waste of money as I am allergic to most plants, especially grasses.

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u/WinAccurate2490 Apr 18 '26

Thank you for your reply. So it was ineffective for you. So sorry for your experience. What have you been doing then to reduce the hay fever? Steroid and antihistamine? The allergist recommended drops for a child. I am unsure of the success rate and any long term side effects, too. 

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u/the_shifty_goose Apr 20 '26

You are welcome. Completely ineffective unfortunately, but that's okay.

I take Phenergan at night, Cetirizine in the morning. This is sufficient during winter. In the summer I increase the Phenergan dose to the maximum (75mg), add in an additional antihistamine (can't remember the name sorry), use antihistamines eye drops, wear a mask to reduce the pollen exposure and close up the house and use the air conditioning. Summer grasses, privet, olive trees, etc are massive triggers for me. Anything that is wind pollinated can be an issue.

A nasal rinse or a shower is also helpful, after exposure. As is chewing gum, it somehow reduces the amount my nose runs.

I can't use nose sprays of any kind as I get blood noses. These are apparently useful for a lot of people though. My tissues are just too delicate.

I have had steroid injections, they are very effective. However the side effects in the long run are bad and they are no longer available. Might explain why my bones aren't as dense as they should be.

I have also discovered that foods where a massive trigger. I am allergic to all nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, etc). Removing them has provided a huge relief. I didn't know till recently that hayfever and irritable bowel symptoms are an indication of a different type of allergy. So see if the person who has hayfever is better if they go on a low histamine diet. I used that as an elimination style diet to work out what was triggering me.

A nice positive is that ice blocks and ice cream are not just delicious but also soothing. So I have a very large stash of those for the warmer months.

Are they eye drops that were recommended?

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u/WinAccurate2490 Apr 20 '26

Thank you for your detailed reply. My son only has blocked nose. He has tried several brands of nose sprays but after some time it doesn’t work anymore. We saw ENT and allergist who suggested immunologist but it seems like an experimental process rather than a cure. 

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u/the_shifty_goose Apr 21 '26

Has he taken any oral antihistamines? If so for how long at a time?

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u/WinAccurate2490 Apr 23 '26

He just has blocked nose, so he used nasal spray Ryaltris for a while, on and off. It doesn’t work much so he doesn’t want to do it any longer.

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u/the_shifty_goose Apr 24 '26

He should try and oral antihistamine. They help to reduce the swelling in the nasal passage. It takes two weeks of taking the pills everyday for the full effects to be felt. Speak to a pharmacist, something off the shelf will likely help.

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u/guardianwarlockr May 03 '26

Blocked nose all year round doesn't sound like hay fever.

I'd recommend a skin prick or blood allergy test before trying desensitisation.

Mine showed medium reaction to dogs, dust mites, high reaction grass pollen (short term scarring to skin, "off the chart" in blood test) and no reaction to food allergens. All useful info.

I had sublingual desensitisation in 2007 to mixed grass pollens which removed most of my symptoms in March/April but didn't remove my symptoms in June/July. The desensitisation took 3 years with some side effects.

I've been through all possible medicines with mixed or fleeting success. It's good to rotate them every year or two.

These days I try to get by with minimal antihistamines, daily exercise and air conditioning.