If you've started to have a runny nose or itchy eyes in recent weeks, you're most certainly not alone.
It's that time of year when spring allergies emerge, affecting millions across the U.S. Unlike past years, some people have started experiencing symptoms as early as February.
And there's a few reasons as to why.
Allergists with the American Lung Association say climate change is impacting pollen counts across the country. On top of that, air pollution and temperature changes are also affecting patients young and old, including first-time allergy sufferers.
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To get ahead of the game, Dr. Michelle Pham, allergist and immunologist at University of California San Francisco Health, advised allergy sufferers to start taking their medication as early as February. But if for some reason you weren't able to get ahead of allergy season this year, there are several options when it comes to medication - and other things you can do to prevent the misery, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
To minimize your exposure to seasonal allergies, doctors recommend that you keep your windows closed, choose an allergy-reduction HVAC filter, consider investing in an air purifier, do some spring cleaning and don't re-wear clothes.
The best thing to do for allergies is to avoid them, some say. So if the pollen count is really high, avoiding going outside can be helpful. Medication is also helpful.
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"There are a number of over-the-counter medications which are very effective for the treatment of allergies," said Dr. Richard Wasserman, medical director of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas. "But the best long-term management for allergy is injection therapy or allergy shots."
Seasonal allergy medications are broken down into three main categories: antihistamines, nasal sprays and decongestants.
Some medications, particularly corticosteroid nasal sprays (commonly known by brand names Flonase and Nasacort), can take two to four weeks to build to their maximum effect.
There's a mechanical reason to start the sprays early, too: If your nose is already full of snot, it will be harder for the spray to get where it needs to go, said Dr. Kathleen R. May, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Antihistamine medications, including pills, nose sprays and eye drops, can typically be used on more of an as-needed basis than the steroid sprays, Dr. William Reisacher, an otolaryngic allergist at Weill Cornell Medicine, told TODAY.com. But if you know you're going to be exposed to your allergen (like at someone's house with a pet or outside on a hike, for instance), he recommends patients take their antihistamine medication the day before, the day of and the day after the exposure.
"Steroids can decrease inflammation overall," Pham explains, while antihistamines block histamines, the compound your body releases in response to allergens, from affect the cells that cause allergy symptoms.
