I don't use the pot because when my allergies are really bad, I need some force. I use the nasal rinse squeeze bottle and am very careful with how much pressure I use. I only use it occasionally (maybe once a month or so) and I always use distilled water with the little saline powder pack from the same brand. I bought a box of 100 of them years ago.
If you don't use distilled water, it can be very painful depending on what minerals and chemicals are in your tap water.
I also heat the water to luke warm for comfort. I don't if nasal rinse really helps me, but I like the idea of being able to flush out the passage.
I went through allergy shots about 7 years ago and quit after about 6 months because my work travel made impossible to keep up the weekly schedule. However, I got a good solid 5 years of relief from the shots. My allergy doctor admitted that only about 60% of patients actually get noticeable relief. I also had a couple full on attacks immediately after shots because they are always upping the dosage to build your tolerance and sometimes you will react.
As for grogginess, you need to experiment with different available pills. I have found that Claritin gave me sleepless nights, clarinex made me drowsy, but Zirtec, if taken daily, is a huge help to my seasonal allergies and I seem to have no side affects from it. Nasal steroidal sprays just trigger sneezing fits for me so it never has a chance to work.
I would suggest meeting with allergy doctors until you find one that is interested in finding "YOUR" solution. Many of them just want to give you 8 different prescriptions, hoping that something will work. I have no interest in that!
I truly wish you good luck because I have had many miserable years of allergy suffering and it can really affect your ability to enjoy life when it gets bad.
