By Jennie Gropper Biggs, MD
As printed in Around Town Publishing, April 2006
Springtime has arrived in Atlanta! The warm temperatures and beautiful scenery tempt us all to head outside. But with the colorful blooms on the flowers and trees come the dreaded yellow haze that seems to take over the city this time of year–POLLEN! Even before it becomes visible to the naked eye, pollen has already begun to irritate the noses and eyes of the unfortunate sufferers of seasonal allergies.
Most commonly, those affected by seasonal allergies suffer from runny noses, itchy, watery eyes, and sneezing. While this may be just a mild inconvenience for some, it can be quite miserable for others. Avoiding the offending pollens is the best way to prevent symptoms, but this is very difficult for most of us to do. Staying indoors with windows closed and keeping the windows up in your car can be helpful, but not much fun.
When avoidance alone does not do the trick, fortunately there are several options available to help the allergy sufferer. For many years, the mainstay of allergy treatment has been the oral antihistamine. This medicine actually blocks the chemical that causes the symptoms of allergies and can be helpful in preventing all of the symptoms of allergies. Antihistamines come in two main types. The older type, like Benadryl (diphenhydramine), lasts for about 6-8 hours and can make you sleepy. The newer non-sedating antihistamines, like Claritin (loratidine), last for 24 hours and should not make you drowsy. Both of these types of medications are available without a prescription in both liquid and pill formulations and can be used safely in children over 2 years of age. If these medicines don’t do the trick, there are also prescription long-acting antihistamines, like Zyrtec and Allegra. If runny, itchy, or stuffy nose is your main symptom, a steroid nose spray may be the best treatment. These sprays, like Flonase and Nasonex, are available only with a doctor’s prescription. If itchy eyes are your main complaint, there are several prescription eye drops that can be used easily and without many side effects. Some people require a combination of these different types medicines to keep their symptoms under control. If you think you or your child might be suffering from allergies, it is always best to talk to your doctor before starting any medications.
When allergies do not respond to the usual treatments, it is sometimes necessary to do allergy tests to figure out exactly what substance is causing the problem. These tests can be done using skin or blood testing. If these tests are positive, allergy shots, or immunotherapy, can be useful to decrease your sensitivity to the specific substance that is causing your symptoms.