Allergy season is upon us!

The sniffles, sinus pressure, feeling like you’re underwater, ears popping...most of us have experienced some level of symptoms from seasonal allergies. Depending on where you live, you may have a few weeks in the spring and fall where it is MISERABLE.  

Below you will find a complete SURVIVAL GUIDE on how to keep you and your family feeling your best when the pollen makes its debut. I’ll also debunk a few myths you might have heard. Stick with me to the end, and you and your family will be ready for spring! 

Allergy intro: Your allergy symptoms are just your body’s reaction to tiny micro particles in pollen, weeds, trees, and grass that your immune system views as intruders. The resulting inflammation is what causes you to feel bad. Interestingly, this is a very similar process to what your body does when it is fighting a virus, so sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s going on. (Hence the name “hay fever”.) Most of the time, taking the steps to appropriately treat allergy symptoms will let you know pretty quickly if you are in fact dealing with allergies or if you’re sick and need to stay away from others. Allergies very rarely come with a fever, a cough productive of colored mucous, or extreme fatigue and body aches. 

Dr. Hutchins’ fool-proof plan for allergy relief and maintenance: 

Prevention: 

It is really important to remember that the holy grail of allergy treatment is prevention. Using particulate filters in your HVAC system, keeping windows closed at night, using the air recirculation button while driving, and remembering to take your allergy medication before a big outdoor outing is HUGE in keeping your symptoms manageable.  

Mechanical cleanout: 

The next line of defense may surprise you, but it is one of the most underutilized tools people are missing out on: sinus rinse. I recommend the neti pot, used with distilled water always. At the first sign of sinus pressure, I recommend using this twice daily before any nasal sprays in the morning and at night. It works to directly clear out your sinuses and provides not only relief from congestion, but it decreases the allergen particles in your nose and sinuses. This is a great way to get relief and improve symptoms without even needing a single medication. (If you’re pregnant, this will be your best friend during allergies or any colds!)  

Medication: 

The first medication that almost everyone can safely take is a nasal spray. Flonase, or any generic brand with the active ingredient fluticasone, can be used morning and at night by spraying in each nostril, carefully aiming for the side walls so the medicine stays in your nose and doesn’t go down your throat. (If you’re tasting it, you’re doing it wrong and you won’t get the benefits). It is SO important to realize this is a nasal steroid. It helps to calm the body’s immune response. There is very little systemic steroid when using the spray, HOWEVER, this medication works best over time. It will not work immediately, and if you just try it for a few days and stop you might as well just skip it. Patients will see the most benefit from this after a week of consistent use, and you can continue for months! (I usually recommend twice daily for bad allergy sufferers, and once daily during lower pollen seasons). 

On top of the nasal spray, an antihistamine is an important choice. Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin are all very similar. The generic, store brands work exactly the same as the name brands. Different people will find one to be better for them than the other in terms of any drowsy side effects. It’s okay to test each one of these out on different days and see if you notice a difference. These medications will work immediately and are best taken daily when you’re really having a lot of symptoms. 

When to seek more help: 

Finally, for severe allergy-suffering adults, sometimes you just need a little more help. Adding a second antihistamine is a good idea. If you’re still finding your sinuses clogged, and ears popping, after doing ALL of the above each day, then taking pseudoephedrine 30-60mg can help get a jump start on clearing the nasal passages. It’s important to note this medication should not be taken for more than a few days in a row, while pregnant, or by anyone who has high blood pressure that is not well controlled on medication. This medicine is only found behind the pharmacy counter, but you do not need a prescription. It can keep people awake, so plan to take it first thing in the morning.  

If you find yourself doing all of the above consistently, and still having allergy symptoms that are taking you down, we can talk about a few prescription options that can be added to your plan, such as Singulair. Most people don’t require these, but they can be helpful or those who do. It also might be worth a discussion about seeing an allergist and having testing done. Allergy shots, a type of immunotherapy, are highly effective at improving symptoms lifelong but take many months to take effect, so it won’t be helpful for you this season, but we can plan for next season.  

Thats it! Let’s wrap up the survival guide with a few myth-busters: 

Myth #1: Benadryl is the most effective allergy medication.  

This is FALSE! Benadryl is actually a first-generation antihistamine. It is LESS effective for almost all situations than Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra. It also comes with many more side effects like dry mouth, rapid heart rate, extreme drowsiness, and even psychosis! 

Myth #2: Eating local honey will cure allergies.  

This is partially false. By introducing allergens in small doses into your gut, we do know that your immune system will learn to calm down and not overreact to these in the environment. However, local honey contains just a few allergens that are usually mostly wildflowers when the things that make most of us feel bad are usually trees, grasses, and mold. The amount of honey needed to really make an impact isn’t really an amount anyone would like to eat in a day. So, it certainly won’t hurt—but it shouldn't be the only thing you do for allergies if your symptoms are really bothering you. 

Myth #3: “I’ll just get a steroid prescription and kick this every time” 

This is FALSE! While oral steroids do a great job of instantly making you feel good when your body is inflamed, they are just a bandaid for the problem when it comes to allergies. Though they are sometimes indicated for severe symptoms to get you over the hump, without also taking the steps listed above you will simply feel relief while the steroids are in your system, and then immediately have your symptoms return once they stop. Oral steroids also come with many undesirable side effects like insomnia, psychosis, blood sugar problems in diabetics, and an increase risk of infections... to name a few.  

Seasonal allergies are a HUGE topic for our patients and I hope this survival guide has helped you feel empowered to tackle this spring so you can get out there and enjoy yourself.

As always, reach out to our apios team anytime you have a question or are unsure about what allergy regimen works best for you. We’re in this together!