Spring for many is a delightful time of year. We welcome back the morning musical melodies as the birds chirp outside our windows. We welcome back the cherry blossoms that bloom vibrantly before our eyes, and we welcome crisp mornings that give rise to balmy daytime highs filled with, hopefully, more sunshine than rain.
Springtime in the south, in all of her glory, may also mean you are welcoming back those pesky seasonal allergies. Does sniffling, sneezing, runny nose and watery eyes have you down and out for the count? Do you dread spring because it leaves you feeling stuffy, itchy, and puffy? You are not alone.
For many people, seasonal allergies can be a nuisance, if not debilitating.
Around 14 percent of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. If you are like most people, you have been treating your seasonal allergies with over-the-counter oral antihistamines like Zyrtec, Allegra, or Claritin, right? But, is this really the most effective approach?
Not so much.
According to recently published updated guidelines for treating allergies in the New England Journal of Medicine, the recommendation for initial treatment of seasonal allergies in adults is to use an intranasal corticosteroid like Flonase or QNasl, only. In fact, adding in an oral antihistamine (like Zyrtec) offered “no additional benefit.”
Intranasal corticosteroids are also preferred over leuktotriene-receptor antagonists like montelukast (Singulair). Now, if you suffer from moderate-to-severe seasonal allergies, adding an intranasal antihistamine, like Azelastine, to your daily intranasal corticosteroid (i.e.Flonase) can help to alleviate your symptoms. Or, if you want to get fancy, you could get your provider to write you a prescription for a combination spray, like Dymista, that contains both an intranasal corticosteroid and antihistamine.
Don’t let seasonal allergies keep you from enjoying all that springtime has to offer. Talk to your medical provider to determine what treatment options are best for you.
Jeremiah Robinson is a licensed and certified physician assistant with T. Douglas Gurley MD.