The Pollen is Driving Me Crazy!

This common meme is repeated every year here in North Texas.  This part of the country is one of the worst for those who suffer seasonal allergies.  Here are some helpful tips for contending with these yucky conditions.

Avoidance

Better said than done. If you are inside, keep doors and windows closed to reduce allergens in the home.  You may also consider getting a HEPA filter for your HVAC unit to capture all of the outside things that cause you symptoms.  Stay inside if it is too windy for obvious reasons. And finally, if you are outside then consider when coming inside to wash your face, use some water to wash out your eyes and purchase saline drops to clear out your nose. By eliminating the volume of pollen that causes your symptoms, you may reduce these symptoms. 

Medication

The cornerstone of medication is the antihistamine, with which you are all familiar. Short-acting antihistamines, such as Benadryl and others, work very well, but last only for a few hours and cause many to become drowsy.  Longer-acting non sedating antihistamines, such as Loratadine (Claritin and others), Cetirizine (Zyrtec and others) and Fexofenadine (Allegra and others) are excellent products, and can be used in children safely.  If you are an allergic individual then you should take these daily during these high allergy times. Please call us for doses for children.

The next medications used are Intranasal Corticosteroids. Although many parents are wary of these products, they are extremely safe and very very effective. The three available products that are OTC are Fluticasone (Flonase, Sensimist and others), Triamcinolone (Nasacort and others) and Budesonide (Rhinocort and others). There are several prescription products available, including Nasonex and Omniaris, both quite good, but probably more expensive as they are not OTC.  Please call us for recommendations and doses for your kids.   

Next in line is the drug Singulair. This product is neither an antihistamine nor a steroid but works in a completely different way. It is a pill, comes in a chewable and a powder, and is approved for as young as 6 months of age. There is some concern about mental health side effects of this product in teenagers, so please check in with us before starting this medication. This is controversial, as there are those in the medical profession who doubt the validity of these side effects, but others have concerns.

Additionally, all three of the above products (antihistamines, intranasal steroids and Singulair) can be used together safely.  

And if all of the above don’t work, it’s off to the allergist!  Please call us for recommendations of allergists who deal primarily with kids.