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Hay Fever

Also indexed as:Allergic Rhinitis, Allergy (Hay Fever), Pollen Allergy, Rhinitis (Allergic), Seasonal Allergy

Sniffling, sneezing, and wheezing? It must be pollen season. If you suffer from hay fever, you can find relief through a number of treatments. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.

Try diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) or the nondrowsy anti-histamine loratadine (Claritin) to help relieve sneezing, watery eyes, and runny nose, as well as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) to treat nasal congestion
Try butterbur
To help with symptoms, take a herbal extract standardised to contain 8 mg of petasin per tablet two or three times a day for two weeks
Get relief with nettle leaf
Ease symptoms by taking 450 mg of nettle leaf capsules or tablets two to three times a day
Get some information on common medications used to prevent and treat hay fever symptoms; ask about cromolyn sodium (NasalCrom Nasal Spray); anti-histamines, such as fexofenadine (Allegra) and cetirizine (Zyrtec); and nasal corticosteroids, such as fluticasone (Flonase), triamcinolone (Nasacort AQ), and mometasone (Nasonex)
Take an allergy test
Make an appointment with your doctor or an allergist to find out what airborne agents you may be allergic to and how you can reduce their effects