The pollen season is here, and that means hay fever

Medicines for hay fever

For mild hay fever, antihistamine tablets or syrups may be the only treatment you need. You can buy some of these in pharmacies, but you'll need a doctor's prescription for others. Antihistamines help prevent a runny nose and sneezing, and they can also keep your eyes from feeling itchy and watery. But they don't work so well for a blocked nose.

Antihistamines you can buy over the counter include acrivastine (Benadryl Allergy Relief), cetirizine (Zirtek Allergy Relief) and loratadine (Clarityn). Older antihistamines can cause drowsiness as a side effect, so you shouldn't use them at the same time as driving or using heavy machinery. Most people prefer to take newer antihistamines, like those mentioned above, which don’t usually cause drowsiness. Ask your pharmacist which is the best type for you. One antihistamine comes as a nasal spray, which may help with a runny or itchy nose. It's called azelastine (Rhinolast).

If antihistamines on their own aren't enough to control hay fever symptoms, a steroid nasal spray can help with sneezing and a blocked or runny nose. These are corticosteroids, not the anabolic steroids that some bodybuilders use. You can use them at the same time as antihistamines.

You can buy some steroid sprays from a pharmacy. These are beclometasone (Beconase) and fluticasone (Flixonase).They're not recommended for anyone under 18 years old. Other steroid sprays and sprays for children need a doctor's prescription.

You need to take a steroid spray once or twice a day, and keep taking it every day through the hay fever season. Your spray will work best if you start using it about two weeks before the hay fever season starts.

Side effects of steroid sprays are usually mild. You may get nosebleeds or irritation in your nose. There's a chance of more severe side effects if you use a high dose of a steroid spray for a long time. You should take the lowest dose that works for you.

A nasal spray called sodium cromoglicate (brand names Rynacrom and Vividrin) is sometimes used instead of steroids, especially for children. You can buy it from a pharmacy. The best time to start using it is before hay fever season begins.

If you get a blocked nose, taking a decongestant medicine along with an antihistamine might help. Decongestants reduce the swelling inside your nose, helping you breathe more easily. A decongestant tablet called pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is available from a pharmacy. You can also buy pseudoephedrine combined with an antihistamine in one tablet, called Benadryl Plus. You could try decongestant nasal sprays, but you shouldn't take these for longer than a week. After that, they can make your blocked nose worse when you stop taking them. This is called 'rebound congestion'.

For itchy, gritty or watery eyes, you may want to try treatment with eye drops. You can buy drops that contain antihistamines (such as Otrivine Antistin Eye Drops) or sodium cromoglicate (brands include Opticrom Allergy Eye Drops).