Congestion, Runny Nose With Intolerances

[LadyCyclist87]

Getting frustrated here! Since before Thanksgiving I've been chronically congested and carrying a box of kleenex around with me due to the runny nose. I was then on Zithromax, which contains 5 pills. I was beginning to feel better, but by the 4th or 5th pill my symptoms re-occurred. I thought it was something I ate "illegally", as I put it, and waited for the problem to resolve on its own. When it didn't, I got another prescription of Zithromax a few days ago. The same thing happened; the first 3 pills helped my congestion, but now it's coming back all over again!!

Can someone help me figure out what's going on? I just want to get better so I can breathe and talk normally...

[Julysailor]

Have the same problem after being glutened. In my case I use a nasal decongestant/pain reliever as I sometimes get sinus pain. I use a genaric Wal-Mart brand, i.e. suphedrine pe sinus headache. This problem, at least for me, goes away after I get healed-up. Hope this helps.

[LadyCyclist87]

I use Sudafed but it only temporarily relieves the symptoms. The same runny nose and congestion come back within a couple of hours. This is an on/off problem with me that would usually resolve with antibiotics, but I've had this now for almost a month and it's just not going away. But I know this can't last forever, right??

[Julysailor]

If condition is related to your gluten intollerance and if you remain gluten-free it will go away. You may have a seasonal alergy as well. Good luck!

[jerseyangel]

I have this and have been diagnosed by an ENT as having chronic allergic rhinitis. I don't believe that it's a symptom of Celiac, but my doctor said that they tend to see these kinds of things with their Celiac patients.

I have problems with runny nose, eustachian tube issues, watery/itchy eyes. Probably a separate issue, but I also have a few food intolerances in addition to gluten. I take Claritin and Nasacort AQ, but it never really goes away. Years ago, I was given lots of antibiotics for it and now I regret having taken them since they really did no good.

[NorthernElf]

I'll chime in here too - definite sinus issues with gluten & dairy.

Sometimes I feel like I'm wearing a lone ranger mask - a little too tight. I get puffy & dark under my eyes and I swear the vision in my right eye is affected (maybe just makes my astigmatism worse). I get wicked sinus headaches on gluten - sometimes so bad Tylenol is useless, only advil gets it (and that's hard on my stomach).

It is a rarer celiac symptom but I have come across others that have it.

[LadyCyclist87]

I have this and have been diagnosed by an ENT as having chronic allergic rhinitis. I don't believe that it's a symptom of Celiac, but my doctor said that they tend to see these kinds of things with their Celiac patients.

I have problems with runny nose, eustachian tube issues, watery/itchy eyes. Probably a separate issue, but I also have a few food intolerances in addition to gluten. I take Claritin and Nasacort AQ, but it never really goes away. Years ago, I was given lots of antibiotics for it and now I regret having taken them since they really did no good.

Thanks for the reply JerseyAngel. I'll have to look into this; I was really hoping this was just from an infection, but when I think back, I do think how often I was congested with the constant runny nose. I suppose it became most problematic starting around the beginning of this year.

It's frustrating, because with antibiotics, my nasals are a lot more clear, but my family claims that they can still hear the congestion. I get the idea that some of my family members think I just have the flu and I'm not doing anything about, but that's not the case at all! It's actually really frustrating, but that's a whole different story.

Getting back on topic, would you say that the Claritin and Nasacort AQ gave more relief as far as the runny nose goes? Or clearing congestion?

[LadyCyclist87]

If condition is related to your gluten intollerance and if you remain gluten-free it will go away. You may have a seasonal alergy as well. Good luck!

I've never had allergies, and really am hoping that there's just something I'm missing when I eat certain foods. I'm going to start a food diary; i.e., list all ingredients, list how I've felt after eating, etc. The antibiotics are finally starting to kick in, but nothing has completely gone away.

Thanks so much for your help :-)

[LadyCyclist87]

I'll chime in here too - definite sinus issues with gluten & dairy.

Sometimes I feel like I'm wearing a lone ranger mask - a little too tight. I get puffy & dark under my eyes and I swear the vision in my right eye is affected (maybe just makes my astigmatism worse). I get wicked sinus headaches on gluten - sometimes so bad Tylenol is useless, only advil gets it (and that's hard on my stomach).

It is a rarer celiac symptom but I have come across others that have it.

I'm sorry about all the sinus pressure and headaches you experience. I tend to get a lot of headaches too, but I don't think it's related to my sinuses; its mostly in the frontal area of my forehead. Just usually a lot of throbbing, pain, and/or pressure. I could even deal with mild congestion if the runny nose wasn't so bad. I count my blessings that I miss out on most of the classical stomach symptoms with Celiac, but I really hate these symptoms too.

[jerseyangel]

would you say that the Claritin and Nasacort AQ gave more relief as far as the runny nose goes? Or clearing congestion?

The Claritin is pretty helpful for the runny nose--it tends to dry things up. The Nasacort helps me more with the eustachian tube dysfunction and congestion.

[LadyCyclist87]

** Follow Up **

In case there was anyone who was following this thread (I'm not saying that there definitely was, haha), my doc put me on a corticosteroid nasal spray (Flonase), and I bought over-the-counter Mucinex and nasal saline spray. I'm not cured, but it does seem slowly but surely that I'm getting better. I'm still congested and have a bit of the runny nose, but it's not nearly as bothersome as it was before (able to breathe again while I'm eating, my voice sounds almost normal again, don't have as difficult of a time breathing thru my nose). Doctor said that I didn't have an infection but something known as "vasomotor rhinitis." Not sure how common this is in Celiac, but if you're having these s/x than I would suggest trying what I have if it's suitable for you.

Merry Christmas!