Allergy season has hit the Cincinnati area with a vengeance. The pollen count has been off the charts this week. Normal levels are around 120-150, and this week it has been 3200-3800! This means red itchy, watery, swollen eyes, sneezing, sniffling, runny noses, nasal congestion, post-nasal drip, and sore throats.
Preventative measures
Running the air conditioner will help. It may seem a little early in the season for the AC to be on, but if your suffering from allergies it can be your best friend. Running the AC and keeping the windows shut helps to keep the air quality in your home at a safer level for you and your kids.
Showering and washing your hair before bedtime is a big help. As most of you can see by the lovely green sheen on your cars, the pollen that covers your car also is on your skin. By showering before bed, you remove that layer of pollen from yourself, which keeps it out of your bed. If you have indoor/outdoor animals, this also goes for them, try to keep them off your furniture and out of your beds during this high pollen time. More baths for them is also helpful.
Clean furnace filters, if your AC is filtered through there.
Medications
There are several Over the Counter (OTC) allergy medications available. Take as directed on the label of the medication you chose, or call our office if you’re unsure. Some of the oral medications may make your kids drowsy, some make them hyper. Most of them need to be in their system for several days before fully effective. Once the allergies have kicked in, don’t expect for the medication to fix it overnight. A lot of the allergy medications were by prescription only and are now available over the counter. You can also ask your pharmacist for recommendations.
When an oral medication doesn’t seem to be doing the job, you may need to add a nasal spray to your regimen. There are a few OTC nasal sprays, but most are by prescription only. You may also need to add an allergy eye drop if your eyes are in need of the help. Note that your child may need to take all three for relief.
When to make an appointment
- If you child is running a fever, (^100’)
- wheezing or short of breath
- pain, swellingof face
- headache, face pain, pressure
Some other helpful information
We live in an era of insurance. Which means we have to sometimes play by there rules. Most insurance companies will not cover prescription medications without having tried at least 2 of the OTC medications first. Allergy season tends to last from April to May and then summer gets here and things settle down! Hope you find this information helpful!