I've been struggling with allergies/asthma for a while, and the last few weeks have been particularly bad - I've gone from being in arguably the best shape of my life (1:26 open half marathon) to not being able to race without walk breaks when the pollen is high.
I'm currently on Advair 250/50, Qvar 80, a budesonide nasal rinse, Singulair, Clarinex (a RX version of Claritin), Zantac, and an albuterol rescue inhaler (all of these are legal in competition under the doping regs in the amounts I take them). I also have been getting regular allergy shots for the past year.
[in the past, I've tried Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Benadryl, Symbicort, and Dulera, plus local honey, quercitin, frequent showering, air filters, etc.].
I'm also currently on a five day burst of prednisone to calm down an asthma flare. (obviously, I won't race until I'm off of it).
My doctor and I agree that I'm maxed out on the asthma and allergy meds. And prednisone is not an acceptable long term solution, both because I can't legally race on it and because of the side effects.
So, the next step is to try Xolair - an anti-IGE antibody injection given by my doctor once a month. Supposedly it stops the allergic reaction at a very early stage.
I'm interested to know if others on this forum have tried Xolair, and what their experiences have been. A search for it on this forum has only revealed one brief mention. I'm appreciative of anyone willing to share their thoughts.
I'm currently on Advair 250/50, Qvar 80, a budesonide nasal rinse, Singulair, Clarinex (a RX version of Claritin), Zantac, and an albuterol rescue inhaler (all of these are legal in competition under the doping regs in the amounts I take them). I also have been getting regular allergy shots for the past year.
[in the past, I've tried Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Benadryl, Symbicort, and Dulera, plus local honey, quercitin, frequent showering, air filters, etc.].
I'm also currently on a five day burst of prednisone to calm down an asthma flare. (obviously, I won't race until I'm off of it).
My doctor and I agree that I'm maxed out on the asthma and allergy meds. And prednisone is not an acceptable long term solution, both because I can't legally race on it and because of the side effects.
So, the next step is to try Xolair - an anti-IGE antibody injection given by my doctor once a month. Supposedly it stops the allergic reaction at a very early stage.
I'm interested to know if others on this forum have tried Xolair, and what their experiences have been. A search for it on this forum has only revealed one brief mention. I'm appreciative of anyone willing to share their thoughts.