Hi. We can definitely give you tips, but we need to know what meds you currently take and how often. There are so many basic ones and we all do different combinations. After that, we will have more knowledge for suggestions for you.

Welcome!

Well, it does sound like you have a good combination of meds for both morning and evening. That kind of stinks that they aren't getting rid of the brain fog!! I have the same diagnosis as you. Dr. Akin is my doc, although I haven't had to see him for years since I do quite well now.

I would say that when my symptoms are triggering, I definitely am unusually fatigued. When I am headed toward an anaphylactic attack, I have the brain fog. Otherwise, I don't necessarily have that brain fog feeling, but I just feel too fatigued to want to exert my brain. Like you, I was having major symptoms while I was in a graduate program at the same level degree which you are working toward (although I guarantee my area was different than yours, as mine was English Renaissance Literature. LOL). I was sooooo ill, and actually didn't get diagnosed until a few years later. Thus I wasn't on any meds at all. Somehow I managed to complete all my coursework, but made the decision to withdraw when it was time to study for my qualifying exam and orals before writing the dissertation. I was just too sick, and figured out that I was worse with the stress of a demanding degree.

Don't feel bad for me, though! It actually pointed me in a new direction and I became an entrepreneur and started my own business, which I now see is ultimately what makes me happiest. So, it all ended up just fine.

So, back on topic! I would say that brain fog is caused because the triggers are still too high around you and you are having breakthrough symptoms. Since I know a bit more about you than our other forum members (since I approved your registration), I can easily say that the region in which you live would be full of outdoor triggers in the air right now due to the change of seasons that is slowly occurring. Fall hasn't appeared yet, but it is trying to appear and we all find an increase in symptoms whenever  the seasons change. How do I handle that? Well, I live in the Midwest, which is notorious for extreme seasons. I try to stay indoors away from the outside allergens as much as possible. Now, I don't have any actual allergies, but the common environmental allergens that bother "normal" people do seem to trigger us in a big way. It could be the allergens themselves or just the aspect of the air changing. Either way, it is very common to be easily triggered during this time.

I have found that if I am really triggered during the seasonal changes, that sometimes it helps me to double my allegra and zyrtec. Dr. Akin always felt that it was more effective to take 2 different meds (Allegra and Zyrtec) rather than 2 Allegra or 2 Zyrtec. Since I take Allegra in the morning and Zyrtec in the evening (actually I take it and my zantac at 4 pm), if I am triggering unusually, I will take an extra zyrtec in the morning and an extra Allegra in the evening if needed. So, this is perhaps something that you could consider trying....or running it by your doc to make sure it is okay to try out. I don't take Gastrocrom, so that is the only thing that I have no knowledge of regarding taking extra Allegra and zyrtec with. It's probably fine, but can't hurt to check with your doc or pharmacist about.

Other things you can do besides staying indoors and taking extra meds: try to figure out what your triggers are. I have been able to identify what foods to avoid, what activities to avoid, etc. I know that heat (outdoor or indoor) triggers me majorly and causes extreme brain fog for me. So, I crank up my air conditioner in my house and my car. Stress is also one of my biggest triggers. That is the reason I halted my graduate degree. I am super fortunate because I can control my stress and fatigue because I work from my own home, and I have created a business that pretty much runs itself. I have an Asst Director for my business, and I just oversee things while others do the work. I work when I want and take off and just do "mommy" things when I want. Basically, though, I figured out how to control my stress levels, and that makes a huge difference.

Lastly, getting lots of sleep will help you. I am terrible about this because I like to stay up late and I have to get up early to get my kdis off to school. However, on those rare occasions that I get 8 or 9 hours of sleep, I feel amazing.

So, to summarize:

1. Stay indoors during seasonal changes
2. Check to see about taking an extra Allegra and Zyrtec when needed.
3. Determine what your triggers are, from foods to heat to anything.
4. Think of ways to reduce your stress levels.
5. Try to get as much sleep as possible.

Hope this gives you some ideas!