Hay fever is dreadful. It saps the joy out of the summer. For the one in four readers (the estimated prevalence in Ireland is about 26 per cent) who suffer from this seasonal affliction, you’ll know what I’m on about.
Heading into the summer this year, I felt I had exhausted my options. I had previously tried over-the-counter antihistamine tablets, stronger prescriptions, sprays and that “spoonful of local honey” remedy. (I’m yet to visit one of those holy wells.) Nothing made any notable impact.
Enter: Kenalog. Some see it as the silver bullet they’ve been waiting for, but not every GP will prescribe it to you.
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If you can’t leave the house without a pack of tissues once the summer hits: you might have it.
If being outdoors prompts itchy and streaming eyes, and a general desire to batten down the hatches for a while: you might have it.
Lots of people suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis – “hay fever” to most of us. The dominant type is triggered by pollen around May, June and July. Most sufferers see an inappropriate immune response to tree or grass pollen, which the wind blows all over the place. The body overreacts to the stuff, releasing histamines to fight the perceived threat. I once spent a J1 at a US summer camp where every day we had to sweep an orange layer of dust off our cabin deck. It took a round of steroid tablets to jolt my body back to normal, but you can’t do that every summer.
The Kenalog steroid injection is used to treat a range of conditions such as arthritis, blood diseases and certain cancers. In this case, it can be an effective tool against hay fever symptoms. Triamcinolone works by decreasing your body’s immune response to particular conditions, and for hay fever sufferers it normally calms down its overreaction to pollen. For most people, it clears up symptoms for the duration of their hay fever season.
A GP must prescribe it and you can pick up the vial in a pharmacy before bringing it back to your GP to do the deed. (Ah, the Irish health system.) My GP opted to inject it into my bottom – because apparently it should hurt less. Although that’s not an experience I’d be quick to repeat, it has transformed my summer.
Within a week my symptoms had almost vanished, and finally I could lie on the grass in St Stephen’s Green without a care in the world.
Great, so nothing to worry about then?
Like every drug, there are side effects. I’ve been lucky enough not to have any I’m aware of. The problem with Kenalog is that once it’s in your body, you can’t take it out. That can be rough if you get any of the following potential side effects: headaches, dizziness, raised blood pressure, swelling, breathing difficulties, muscle weakness, insomnia, mental health issues, weight gain, diabetes, osteoporosis, thinning of the skin and an increased susceptibility to the flu (this is not an exhaustive list).
These side effects make the drug controversial. In the UK, for example, the NHS stopped prescribing Kenalog due to the high number of potential side effects.
Will my GP prescribe it?
Possibly. My GP was happy to offer me the jab, while my friend told me her GP didn’t trust its side effects. If your GP says no, don’t run straight to another one that might be more favourable to the drug. There are many over-the-counter antihistamine tablets and sprays that work for people. I’m just part of the unlucky subset of sufferers that need an extra kick to tackle the condition.
Okay, I’m convinced
Hold your horses, I’m not a medical doctor. Always consult your GP. They may not feel comfortable prescribing it because of its potential side effects, but, more pressingly, if you’re reading this at the time of publication, you’re probably too late this year. Kenalog is best taken just before your hay fever season.