How can I tell if I am suffering from allergies vs having a cold?
I seem to have the same symptoms for each.
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Answers ( 1 )
Allergy sufferer here. I'll tell you what my health care provider told me:
Clear, relatively thin mucus, no fever, no body aches, no feeling like crap, itchy eyes- those are the hallmarks of an allergy.
Thicker mucus, cloudy or opaque, low grade fever, sore throat, shoulders and neck ache, feel like crap- that's usually a rhinovirus, or cold.
The kicker diagnostic marker, though, is: If you take an allergy pill- such as loratidine or ceterizine- it makes it slightly better (most need to be taken a few 24 hours in a row) if it is an allergy, and doesn't do a thing if it is a cold.
In either case, something like guaifenesin (Mucinex) can help.
It is ragweed season here in the desert- as ragweed season ends, desert broom season starts. There's a slight break in February or so, but within a month, the cotton flies as the cottonwood trees bloom and set seeds. Then mesquite, palo verde, and grass takes us through to fall, when ragweed starts up again....
Good luck- if it gets really bad, try the towel over head over a bowl of steaming water with some menthol or eucalyptus in it......