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A comment on Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakthrough Prize. Parent comment

Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by maccard on Sunday September 17, 2023 @04:55AM (#37542948)
I suffer from allergies/hay fever for 3-4 months of the year. When I was a teen I used to take cetrizine which would sort of help, but it left me feeling groggy and tired a lot, which was in some cases worse than the allergies.

Fexofenadine became available OTC available in the UK in 2020 and the pharmacist suggested I try it. I don't even carry tissues anymore during the summer months. If I ever miss a day though, it's immediately obvious.

It's not life or death, or anything like it, but it's a wild improvement in my qualify of life.

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Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by dharma1 on Sunday September 17, 2023 @10:32AM (#37545434)
You might also want to consider immunotherapy - it’s quite effective for most and can offer long term desensitisation. Available both privately and via NHS (for severe pollen allergies) in the UK.
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Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by rybosworld on Sunday September 17, 2023 @12:03PM (#37546503)
Immunotherapy is not a silver bullet, and it can take years before any positive improvement is noticed. There's a not insignificant time sink involved with going to the doctor twice a week. And the immunity doesn't last forever.
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Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by maccard on Sunday September 17, 2023 @06:21PM (#37549881)
Yeah my symptoms aren't anywhere near bad enough to warrant even a monthly trip to the doctor. I was miserable for 3 months of the year either sleepy or sneezing and scratching, now I have a daily pill for £10/month for the summer.
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Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by dharma1 on Sunday September 17, 2023 @07:17PM (#37550315)
You don’t need to see a doctor regularly with sublingual immunotherapy. It’s just a couple of drops or a tablet once a day for 5 mins. No side effects (it’s effectively microdosing the allergen to desensitise the body)
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Re:Life-changing cystic fibrosis treatment wins US$3M Breakt... by maccard on Tuesday September 19, 2023 @04:12AM (#37566899)
I'm in the UK, doesn't appear to be an NHS treatment. Given the choice between $150/month for a tablet once a day (immunotherapy) or free for a tablet once a day (fexofenadine - my pharmacist can write a prescription for it and I live in Scotland where prescriptions are free), I'll take free thanks!
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