Spring and Your Allergies!

Ah, spring. Gorgeous flowers, spring showers, and… runny noses?! We know the pains of allergies all too well. It can be disruptive to your daily activities, and ruin a beautiful day. Allergies can happen at the start of allergy season, or happen sporadically during the course of spring.  Common symptoms include:

·         Runny nose

·         Itchy eyes

·         Watery eyes

·         Coughing

·         Sneezing

Spring allergies are known as allergic rhinitis, and the main cause of these pesky seasonal allergies is pollen. These allergies last from mid-February until about early to mid-June. You do not have to be officially diagnosed by your doctor to have these allergies, and you can often tell if you have spring allergies if they come seasonally. However, there are a couple different options to alleviate your allergies, and MedPlus has the answers for you!

Whether you prefer home remedies or prescription medications, or even over-the-counter medications, we can help you with your preferred method of alleviating your symptoms here at MedPlus. There are benefits to every kind of remedy, so if one does not work for you, there is always another way.

Home remedies

·         Eating honey

·         Eucalyptus oil

·         Neti pots

·         Saline spray

·         Showering

Our favorite? Eucalyptus oil. Not only does the smell relieve some stress and is a relaxing aroma overall, this home remedy can speed up inhaling steam and help open sinuses and nasal passages. This oil has a mint/menthol like sensation when inhaling it, and is reminiscent of pine trees.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications

·         Afrin

·         Allegra/Allegra D

·         Benadryl

·         Claritin/Claritin D

·         Zyrtec/Zyrtec-D

Our favorite? Benadryl. This age-old medication is also known as diphenhydramine, and is an antihistamine that can help a variety of ailments: allergy symptoms, colds, motion sickness, nausea and more. This is a trusty OTC that is available at grocery stores, pharmacies, and drug stores. Benadyrl comes in a cream, gel, tablets, and liquid.

Prescription medications

·         Clarinex

·         Dymista

·         Pataday

·         Patanol

·         Xyzal

Our favorite? Any of the above, and more! Different prescriptions do different things depending on your specific body and while some may work well for others, they may not work for you. Additionally, you may find that eye drops are more helpful to your allergies versus taking a medication. If you have an questions on the difference of these prescriptions, give us a call and we can help you out!