Seasonal Allergies

Signs and Symptoms
Written by Sarah Ross   

Seasonal Allergy Symptoms and Medications

There are two main kinds of allergies; perennial and seasonal allergies.  Perennial allergies are from aspects that are around you all year round.  This could be an allergy to dogs, mold, or dust mites.  If you're allergic to these

things, you will feel the symptoms whenever you're around the substance, which could be all year round.  Then there are seasonal allergies.  These are different because you will only experience the symptoms part of the year.  While there are several ways that you can get seasonal allergies, the most common is an allergy to a certain plant pollen.  It can be hard to pinpoint what that pollen is, though.

Some people think that seasonal allergies only happen in the spring.  While they do happen in this time, there are other seasons that can cause people symptoms as well, which happens mostly in spring, summer and fall.  In spring, the trees are germinating and creating a lot of pollen in the air.  If you experience symptoms in this time, you are likely allergic to some local kind of tree.  It can be hard to pinpoint which tree it is, though, since pollen can travel for many miles.  If you experience symptoms in the summer, then you are probably allergic to grass.  Summer is a huge season for mowing the lawn.  When the lawn is mowed, the pollen and grass particles fill the air.  Finally, if you experience your symptoms in the fall, you may be allergic to some kind of weed.  This is the time of year when weeds really come to life.  You could be allergic to tumbleweed, sagebrush, or even ragweed.

But what are the symptoms of seasonal allergies?  This tends to be different for everyone, although there are commonalities.  For instance, since the pollen is traveling through the air, it can get it the eyes.  This can make your eyes itchy, watery and red.  Depending on the severity, this can be so bad that it even impairs your driving.  The pollen may also get into your nasal passages.  If it does, you will experience congestion or a runny nose.  There are seasonal allergy medications that can help you with this, though. 

Some people even experience respiratory problems.  This happens because the pollen is so small floating in the air that you can breathe it into your lungs.  This causes asthma symptoms in some people who are experiencing seasonal allergies.  For all of these symptoms, there are seasonal allergy medications that can help.  For instance, an antihistamine does a great job at get rid of your overall symptoms.  For those with a congested nose, a decongestant will work wonders.  If you problems are with your eyes, then you could use eye drops that can stop the irritation. 

While most of these medications can be easily accessible at your local drug store, some need to be purchased with a prescription from your doctor.  This usually happens when the other products aren't working well.  If this happens to you, contact your doctor so that they can get you started on more potent medications.  This way, you will have a way to get rid of these terrible and annoying symptoms of season allergies.

Some people who experience seasonal allergies don't even need medication.  This is because the symptoms can range quite a bit in severity.  For some people, it is only a mild annoyance.  For others, it can truly disrupt your life.  If you are experiencing symptoms from seasonal allergies, you should evaluate the severity of those symptoms before you choose a medication.  This will help you make the right decision on what to take.

 
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