Allergy Hay Fever Treatment: Benefits, Risks and Options

Allergy and hay fever treatment aims to calm the sneezing, blocked or runny nose and itchy eyes that come when your immune system overreacts to pollen, dust mites, mould or pets. Hay fever (often written hayfever) is common and rarely dangerous, but it can wreck sleep, work and a whole spring. Most people get good control with a mix of avoiding triggers, pharmacy treatments used the right way and, for some, options a doctor arranges. This guide explains how each works, its benefits and risks, and when to see a GP.

Key takeaways

• Hay fever is an allergy, not an infection, so it does not spread to other people.
• A steroid nasal spray used every day works best when started before the pollen season.
• Non-drowsy allergy tablets give quick relief of itch.
• Wheeze, chest tightness or breathlessness in pollen season needs prompt care; call 000 if it is severe.

Hay Fever Compared With a Common Cold

The difference between hay fever and a common cold is the cause: a cold is a virus that clears in about a week, while hay fever is an allergy that lasts as long as you meet the trigger. An itchy nose, palate or eyes and clear, watery mucus point to allergy, while a sore throat, aches and a mild temperature point to a cold. The table compares them.

About one in five Australians has hay fever, and in Melbourne, where spring grass pollen counts run high, it is especially common. If a cold seems to last all season, allergy and hay fever treatment is worth trying, and a GP can help sort out which it is.

Hay Fever Symptoms in the Nose and Eyes

The main symptoms of hay fever are sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, an itchy nose, palate and throat, and itchy eyes that are red and watering. Many people also have postnasal drip, a cough, tiredness, poor sleep from nasal congestion, and less sense of smell. Hay fever symptoms often follow a pattern: worse outdoors on windy spring days for grass pollen, or worse in bed and first thing in the morning for dust mites.

Tips for managing hay fever symptoms start with knowing your trigger: keep a note of when they flare, check the pollen forecast, and take treatment before the worst days rather than after. Allergy and hay fever treatment works best when matched to your main symptoms, so tell your pharmacist or GP whether the nose, the eyes or both trouble you most. Ongoing hay fever symptoms with wheeze or chest tightness can mean asthma as well, which needs its own review.

Types of Allergy Hay Fever Treatment

Allergy and hay fever treatment falls into a few groups, each acting on a different part of the allergic reaction. Steroid nasal sprays calm the inflammation in the nasal lining and ease most nasal symptoms over days. Antihistamine tablets block histamine, the chemical behind the itch and sneezing, and start working within an hour or two. Eye drops and nasal sprays with the same action target one area quickly, and saline rinses wash pollen out of the nose.

Decongestant sprays clear a blocked nose for a short time but should be used for no more than a few days. Most of these come from a pharmacy without a script. Some stronger options, and allergen immunotherapy, are only available on prescription in Australia, and a doctor decides whether they suit you.

Getting the Most From Nasal Sprays and Eye Drops

Nasal sprays work best used every day, in the right way, from a week or two before your season starts. Blow your nose first, shake the bottle, tilt your head slightly forward, and aim the nozzle towards the outer side of each nostril, away from the middle wall, using the opposite hand. Sniff gently rather than hard, so the spray stays in the nose instead of running down the back. A steroid nasal spray can take a week or more to reach its full effect, so keep going even if the first days seem slow. Aiming away from the middle also lowers the chance of nosebleeds.

Eye drops for allergy work best before your eyes get itchy; keep them in the fridge for extra comfort if the label allows, and take contact lenses out during a flare. Rinse your eyes with cool water after time outside.

When to See a Doctor About Allergy Hay Fever Treatment

See a GP when pharmacy treatment used properly for a few weeks has not controlled your symptoms, when hay fever disturbs your sleep, work or study, or when you are not sure it is hay fever at all. A doctor can check your treatment and technique, look for asthma or sinus problems, and talk through preventing hay fever with tips and strategies that fit your triggers and your season.

Pollen allergy is the most common form of hay fever, and when the trigger is unclear, a GP can arrange allergy blood tests through a pathology request, or a specialist referral to an allergy doctor for skin prick testing. Allergy immunotherapy, also called desensitisation, can help people whose symptoms stay severe despite treatment: small, regular doses of the allergen are taken as tablets or drops under the tongue, or given as injections, for three to five years, gradually teaching the immune system to tolerate it. It is only available on prescription in Australia, and an allergy test must confirm the trigger first.

Planning Ahead for High Pollen Days

High pollen days are warm, dry and windy, especially in spring and early summer in south eastern Australia, and planning for them keeps symptoms from getting ahead of you. Check your local pollen forecast each morning in season, start your daily nasal spray a week or two before your season, and take a non-drowsy antihistamine before you head out on a bad day.

Grass pollen season also brings thunderstorm asthma, when storms break pollen into tiny pieces that reach deep into the lungs, and people with hay fever can be affected even without a history of asthma. On storm days stay indoors with windows closed, and if you have asthma, keep your reliever with you and follow your asthma plan. Severe breathlessness needs 000.

Reducing Pollen Exposure at Home

Reducing pollen exposure means keeping it out of your home, your car and your bed. Close windows on high pollen days and set the car air to recirculate, shower and change your clothes after being outside, dry washing indoors in your season, and leave the mowing to someone else. Wraparound sunglasses help keep pollen out of the eyes.

For dust mite allergy, wash bedding weekly in hot water and use mite resistant covers; for pets, keep them out of the bedroom. A common question is "is hay fever contagious?", and the answer is no: it is an allergic reaction, so sufferers cannot pass it to anyone, though the tendency to allergy runs in families.

Hay Fever, an Allergic Reaction to Airborne Pollen

Hay fever, called allergic rhinitis by doctors, happens when the immune system treats a harmless allergen as a threat. The first time you meet it, your body makes antibodies against it; after that, each contact makes cells in the nose and eyes release histamine and other inflammatory chemicals, which cause the itch and swelling.

Seasonal hay fever comes from grass, tree and weed pollen; year round symptoms usually come from dust mites, mould or animals. It often appears in childhood or the teenage years, runs in families with asthma and eczema, and many people with asthma also have hay fever. People still search "is hayfever contagious?" each spring, but no allergy is.

The Long Term Outlook for Hay Fever

Hay fever is a long term condition for most people, but it can usually be well controlled, and for some it eases with age. How long do you need to take hayfever medication for? For as long as you are exposed: through the pollen season if your symptoms are seasonal, or year round for dust mites and pets. A steroid nasal spray is safe to use for long periods at the usual dose, and allergy tablets can be taken when needed.

The symptoms of hayfever can also change over the years, so a treatment that once worked may need a review, and new allergies can start in adulthood. Allergen immunotherapy is the one option that can change the allergy itself, with benefits that can last years after the course ends. A child with hay fever should see their own GP in person.

Summary

This guide has covered allergy and hay fever treatment, from avoiding pollen to using sprays well and the options a doctor arranges. A Medio GP can talk through allergy and hay fever treatment by phone consult and advise on care, arrange tests or a referral, or provide an eScript where the doctor thinks it right.

Frequently asked questions

What are the symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to hay?

Hay fever itself is uncomfortable but not dangerous, and hay or pollen rarely causes a severe allergic reaction. The symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis, are swelling of the tongue or throat, difficulty breathing or a wheeze, a hoarse voice, and dizziness or collapse. Use an adrenaline autoinjector if you carry one, then call 000.

What is the best allergy medication?

No single allergy medication is best for everyone; the right one depends on your main symptoms. A daily steroid nasal spray suits a blocked nose and symptoms most days, a non-drowsy antihistamine suits sneezing and itch that come and go, and eye drops suit itchy, watery eyes. Many people use more than one, and a pharmacist or GP can help you choose.

Can a doctor prescribe allergy hay fever treatment online?

Yes, a GP can assess hay fever by phone, and where a prescription option suits you, send an eScript. As for hay fever prescription options, what's available includes some stronger sprays and drops and allergen immunotherapy, all only available on prescription in Australia, while many treatments need no script at all. The doctor decides what is right for you.

How to reduce pollen allergy symptoms?

To reduce symptoms, start treatment before the pollen season, use your nasal spray daily, keep windows closed on windy days, and shower after time outside. When high pollen counts strike, follow an action plan: check the forecast, take a non-drowsy antihistamine before going out, wear sunglasses, and stay inside during spring thunderstorms.

How to deal with hay fever?

Deal with it in three steps: cut down contact with your trigger, use the right treatment every day through your season, and review it if it is not working. A saline rinse each evening clears pollen from the nose, and good technique with sprays makes a real difference. If you are still struggling after a few weeks, see a GP.

How do I get rid of hay fever asap?

Nothing cures it overnight, but a non-drowsy antihistamine tablet usually eases itch and a streaming nose within an hour or two, and a cold compress and rinsing your eyes help straight away. A steroid nasal spray takes several days to work well, so start it now and keep going. Decongestant sprays clear a blocked nose quickly but only for a few days of use.