Health Q & A with Jeannie Marr

Q: What can I use to treat my seasonal allergies?
A: There are lots of over-the-counter options available to treat allergies. The trick is to find the right product for your allergy symptoms and begin treatment before you start to experience them.
It is important to start early and get ahead of your symptoms. Nasacort and Flonase nasal sprays are now available without a prescription and are effective at treating inflammation involving the nose. They help decrease sneezing, runny nose and sinus pressure symptoms.
Oral antihistamines, such as Benadryl and Zyrtec, help by decreasing your body’s response to allergens and can be taken alone or in combination with nasal sprays. Eye drops are also available and can help by washing out allergens from the eyes or provide relief to dry itchy eyes.
At Creswell Health Mart Pharmacy we stock a wide range of over-the-counter allergy and prescription-strength products and can help you to find the right product to treat your symptoms.
If you are also an asthma sufferer, allergies can be extra difficult to deal with. Talk to your doctor about a prescription for Singulair (Montelukast). Montelukast is used regularly to prevent the wheezing and shortness of breath caused by asthma and to decrease the number of asthma attacks.
Montelukast is also used before exercise to prevent breathing problems during exercise (bronchospasm). This medication can help decrease the number of times you need to use your rescue inhaler. This medication is also used to relieve symptoms of hay fever and allergic rhinitis, such as sneezing and stuffy/runny/itchy nose (Source: WebMD). If you use an old inhaler, now is the time refill it and have it on hand for use in an emergency situation.
If you have any questions about seasonal allergies, asthma and medications (either OTC or prescription) our pharmacists are happy to help! Stop by or call anytime!