Itchy, watering eyes? No, those tears aren’t from sadness — or are they?
Allergy season is back and here to stay through summer, which means a return of itchy, runny noses and eyes. But with seasonal allergies comes more than hay fever.
A study from The American Journal of Epidemiology found that people experiencing allergies are more likely to also experience depression. While most allergy symptoms aren’t that severe, some symptoms, such as sleepiness, headaches, fatigue and overall crumminess, can lead to an increase in general sadness.
Allergies can also negatively impact people’s sleep and productivity at work, said Gregory Owens, an allergist with Vancouver Clinic. Presenteeism, or working while sick, results in a drop in productivity and poor health.
“When I get a cold, I’m kind of a miserable person,” Owens said. “So people with bad allergies, they’re kind of living that every day.”
Clark County’s allergy season started to ramp up a couple of weeks ago, when warmer temperatures arrived. Since then, Owens said he’s seen more people visiting Vancouver Clinic for advice on how to best treat their symptoms.
“People, without even seeing the pollen counts, are coming in,” Owens said. “People are a great barometer to when pollen is actually starting. Not that it has been so bad so far, but because they’re starting to notice their symptoms, they’re coming in to prepare for what’s about to happen.”
In Clark County, tree pollen levels have already risen to moderate to high levels. Tree pollen will continue to be an allergy factor for most of spring. Grass pollen, which Owens said is worse in the Northwest than other U.S. regions, will start to reach higher levels in the summer.
“Every year, I hear, ‘This year was the worst year,’ ” Owens said. “I’m like, ‘Just kind of every year is awful.’ ”
Treatment strategies
Owens said general antihistamines (Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin and Xyzal) treat nasal and eye symptoms. Those drugs can be taken intermittently. He recommends nasal steroid sprays (Flonase, Nasacort and Rhinocort) if your nasal symptoms aren’t helped enough by antihistamines. Nasal sprays are two to three times more effective at treating nasal symptoms, Owens explained, but they do have to be administered daily.
During allergy season, it can be a good idea to change clothes once returning home after spending extended time outside, Owens said. He also recommended showering at night so you don’t spread pollen to your bed.
For those who don’t want to deal with medicine or don’t find it effective, Owens said allergy shots can drastically reduce symptoms for nearly 90 percent of people who get them. The shots, which Owens said are almost always covered by insurance, are required weekly for six to nine months. Patients will notice a difference after those months but will have to continue the shots on a monthly basis for another three to five years for maintenance.
“If somebody wanted to (get shots) so they didn’t have to deal with their allergy symptoms this year, it’s too late,” Owens said. “But we can certainly make it so they don’t have to deal with their symptoms next year.”
