Seasonal hay fever is triggered by tree pollen, grasses or weeds and other plants. Year-round symptoms can occur if you have indoor allergy to dust mites, cockroaches, mold or pet dander.

Mild hay fever symptoms can be managed effectively with over-the-counter medications. Year-round symptoms or severe seasonal hay fever symptoms may require an allergy specialist for appropriate evaluation and treatment. My year-round allergy symptoms are managed effectively by an internist. An internist is a physician who specializes in adult diseases.

Without proper treatment of hay fever symptoms there can be an increase of more allergic conditions such as asthma or eczema. Uncontrolled hay fever symptoms will impair the quality of your everyday life.

Hay fever symptoms include:

• Runny nose

• Watery nose

• Congestion

• Frequent sneezing

• Itchy eyes, nose, roof of mouth or throat

• Swollen, blue-colored skin under eyes

• Postnasal drip

• Cough

• Sleeplessness

• Fatigue

• Irritability

• Facial pressure and pain

Hay fever symptoms are similar to the symptoms of a common cold, however, there are differences. Hay fever does not mean you are allergic to hay and is not triggered by hay. It does not cause a fever. The probable cause is an allergic reaction to pollen or mold. Heredity plays a role in determining who becomes allergic including hay fever. If allergies or asthma runs in your family, you may be more likely to develop hay fever.

You are most likely to develop hay fever during childhood or early adulthood, but it can begin at any age. As you get older, symptoms may worsen or improve. I have noticed my hay fever seems to be diminishing; however, this could also be due to better allergy medication.

Treatment for hay fever symptoms:

Your doctor will identify what allergy triggers your symptoms and then develop a plan to avoid and/or cope with those substances. Review the following treatment options:

• Nasal corticosteroids sprays

• Antihistamines relieve itching, sneezing and runny nose. Common antihistamines include Benadryl, Chlor-Trimeton, Tavist, Claritin

• Decongestants are often used in combination with antihistamines and include Sudafed, Actifed

• Cromolyn sodium helps relieve hay fever symptoms by preventing the release of histamine.

• Leukotriene modifier: A prescription tablet taken to block the action of leukotrienes

• Nasal atropine helps relieve a severe runny nose

It is important to talk to your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications for hay fever especially if you have a chronic health condition that requires you to take other prescription drugs. You will need to know whether or not there could be a drug interaction or other adverse effect.

I will never forget the time I was seeing an internist for an upper respiratory problem, who prescribed a medication that if taken with other medications I was on could have caused an instant fatal heart attack. The pharmacist is the one who warned me of this. It is important to stay alert when taking several different kinds of medications. It is not always the doctor who can give or who gives you all the medicine's side effects. A good pharmacist has a wealth of knowledge about drugs and their interactions with each other. Make it a practice to always ask your pharmacist about side effects and interactions as well as your doctor. I did change internist after that incident and was then diagnosed correctly and given the appropriate medications for my hay fever symptoms.

If medications do not relieve your hay fever symptoms, your doctor may recommend allergy shot therapy. The goal of immunotherapy or desensitization therapy is to desensitize you to specific allergens, reduce your signs and symptoms, and decrease your need for medications. Allergy shots are usually given over a period of three to five years to reach this goal.

Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Disclaimer: *This article is not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any kind of a health problem. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Always consult with your health care provider about any kind of a health problem and especially before beginning any kind of an exercise routine.

This article is FREE to publish with the resource box. Article written 4-2007.