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From the Pharmacist :: Allergy Season

February 8, 2016 By Mike McWilliams, RPh

From the Pharmacist :: Allergy Season

allergies kidAre you ready for this Spring allergy season? Or are you going to just suffer through like in years past? Hopefully you are ready or will get ready and suffering is not something you will have to encounter. I wanted to give you a little information about how to treat some of the common symptoms of the Spring allergy season. This will be a symptom guide that will give you the correct information to guide you when you go to the store to purchase any OTC medicines.

First we want to define some terms and give the treatment of each.

Congestion, Drainage, Sinus Pressure

Congestion: This is also known as “stuffiness.” This is when your body is producing a large volume of mucous. You can have this within the nasal passages (sinus) and/or within the lungs. Treatment for nasal congestion can be done primarily with nasal decongestants. Sudafed is my recommendation unless you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, or prostate issues. Another treatment could be nasal sprays like Afrin or Neo-Synephrine or saline nasal sprays like Ocean or Ayr.

Drainage: This is the process the body goes through in response to an allergen. Associated symptoms include itchy eyes and runny nose. Treatment of these symptoms are best treated with anti-histamines. Included in this class of drugs are Allegra, Claritin, Zyrtec, Benadryl, and Chlor-Trimeton. Another treatment could also be the nasal sprays Flonase, Nasacort, and Nasalcrom.

Sinus Pressure: This occurs when the body has severe “congestion”. This creates pressure with the nasal passages and many times causes headaches. The best treatment for this is the combination of decongestant(noted above) and some sort of pain reliever. (Tylenol or Advil)

My recommended medicine cabinet has the following:

  • Decongestant – Sudafed (head congestion) / Mucinex (chest congestion)
  • Antihistamine – Allegra and Chlor-Trimeton
  • Pain Reliever – Advil and Tylenol

I typically don’t recommend combination products, as they sometimes have more medicines than symptoms needed to treat. With the above medicine cabinet one can mix and match the appropriate drugs to the associated symptoms and be treated in the most efficient fashion. You can also forget all of the above and when you start having issues just call 325-573-7582, and we will gladly help you out.

Thanks for taking a look at our blog. You can also check us out on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Allergies

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McWilliams Pharmacy
3706 College Avenue
Snyder, Texas 79549

P: 325.573.7582
F: 325-573-9023
E: info@mcwilliamspharmacyrx.com
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