Relieve the symptoms for the entire season

Hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) is the basic response from your autoimmune system which is trying to prevent the pollen from entering your body. Although pollen is not dangerous to your health, the body has a heightened reaction to it and this is when patients experience itchy nose and eyes, running nose, sneezing and nasal congestion. The period one might experience these symptoms varies on the area they live in. Usually, it starts in late spring and continues up until September.

The UK is particularly affected by pollen. Trees can begin to produce pollen in late January and some grasses continue producing pollen until September so depending on what you’re allergic to, the season can be many months. Between 10-15% (figure may vary) of us suffer from hay fever symptoms. Of those people with hay fever, about 10% do not respond to conventional, easily available treatments like anti-histamine tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops. Severe hay fever symptoms can ruin peoples summers and have a detrimental effect on quality of life. It may also prevent people from being able to work optimally.

Many of these people consider the private hay fever treatment to help them get through the season.

• Sneezing and coughing
• A runny or blocked nose
• Itchy, red or watery eyes
• Itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears
• Loss of smell
• Pain around your temples and forehead
• Headache caused by a stuff nose
• Earache
• Feeling tired

If you have asthma, you might also:

• Have a tight feeling in your chest
• Be short of breath
• Wheeze and cough

We recommend that you seek advice from your Doctor if you have any of these symptoms, so that you can get a correct diagnosis.

Hay fever will last for weeks or months, unlike a cold, which usually goes away after 1 to 2 weeks.

It is advised that you try treating hay fever with the following methods before deciding to take the private hay fever treatment:

• Apply a barrier balm (like Vaseline) around your nostrils to trap pollen
• Wear wraparound sunglasses to stop pollen getting into your eyes
• Shower and change your clothes after you have been outside to wash pollen off
• Stay indoors whenever possible
• Keep windows and doors shut as much as possible
• Vacuum regularly and dust with a damp cloth
• Avoid drying clothes outside if the pollen count is high
• Buy a pollen filter for the air vents in your car and a vacuum cleaner with a special HEPA filter

It's always advisable to check the pollen forecast on the Met Office website. This will help you get better prepared to ease the effects of hay fever.

Once the injection is administered, the effects last for a minimum of three weeks, with many people experiencing relief from symptoms that lasts the entire season. Usually one dose of the private hay fever treatment is enough to protect you for the spring and summer months. It’s not recommended that anyone has more than two injections per hay fever season.

Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

The private hay fever treatment may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

• (after injection into a joint space) increased pain or swelling, joint stiffness, fever, and general ill feeling
• blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain, or seeing halos around lights
• unusual changes in mood or behavior
• swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath
• stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, bloody or tarry stools, rectal irritation
• sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body)
• a seizure (convulsions)
• severe headache, blurred vision, pounding in your neck or ears
• increased pressure inside the skull--severe headaches, ringing in your ears, dizziness, nausea, vision problems, pain behind your eyes
• signs of low adrenal gland hormones-flu-like symptoms, headache, depression, weakness, tiredness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, craving salty foods, and feeling light-headed.

Certain side effects may be more likely with long-term use or repeated doses of the private hay fever treatment, such as osteoporosis.

Steroids can affect growth in children. Tell your doctor if your child is not growing at a normal rate while using the private hay fever treatment.

Common side effects of the private hay fever treatment may include:

 

• skin changes (acne, dryness, redness, bruising, discoloration)
• increased hair growth, or thinning hair
• nausea, bloating, appetite changes
• stomach or side pain
• cough, runny or stuffy nose
• fluid retention
• headache, sleep problems (insomnia)
• a wound that is slow to heal
• sweating more than usual
• changes in your menstrual periods

Serious side effects of the private hay fever treatment

 

Along with its needed effects, the active ingredient in the private hay fever treatment may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking the private hay fever treatment:

More common:

 

• aggression
• agitation
• anxiety
• blurred vision
• decrease in the amount of urine
• dizziness
• fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• headache
• irritability
• mental depression
• mood changes
• nervousness
• noisy, rattling breathing
• numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
• pounding in the ears
• shortness of breath
• swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs
• trouble thinking, speaking, or walking
• troubled breathing at rest
• weight gain

Incidence not known

 

Other side effects of the private hay fever treatment

 

Some side effects of the private hay fever treatment may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

Incidence not known

 

• blemishes on the skin
• bruising
• dry, scaly skin
• feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
• full or bloated feeling
• increased appetite
• increased hair growth on the face, forehead, back, arms, and legs
• large, flat, blue, or purplish patches in the skin
• pimples
• pitting or depression of the skin at the injection site
• reddish purple lines on the arms, face, legs, trunk, or groin
• redness of the skin
• redness, swelling, tenderness, or pain at the injection site
• sensation of spinning
• small, red, or purple spots on the skin
• thin, fragile, or shiny skin
• thinning of the scalp hair
• eye tearing
• facial hair growth in females
• fainting
• fatigue
• fever or chills
• flushed, dry skin
• fractures
• fruit-like breath odor
• full or round face, neck, or trunk
• heartburn and/or indigestion (severe and continuous)
• increased hunger

Yes you can receive free advice and hay fever treatments via the Common ailment NHS scheme.

Free NHS hay fever treatments include:

• Hay fever spray
• Hay fever tablets
• Hay fever eye drops

Book and appointment with your local Health Plus Pharmacist in Cardiff or Pontypool to take advantage of the Common Ailment NHS Scheme

The pollen season is different for different plants and, put simply, it lasts from early spring to late autumn:

• Tree Pollen = Mid to late March to mid-May
• Grass Pollen = Mid-May to July
• Weed Pollen = End of June to September

With global warming on the horizon, it might be that our pollen season will get longer and longer. Here’s what to expect:

Mid to late March to mid-May

First pollen each year is the tree pollen, from mid to late March to mid-May. The season for each tree species lasts three to four weeks. These trees (listed from early to late with respect to their season) are associated with the typical allergy symptoms:

• Hazel
• Alder
• Poplar
• Ash
• Birch
• Oak

If there was a harsh winter, then the start of the pollen season will be delayed.

Mid-May to July

Next is the grass pollen season, which begins in mid-May and ends in July. Grass pollen allergy is more common than a tree or weed pollen allergy. Grass pollen grains are relatively large and tend to cause a blocked nose and sore eyes more than irritate the lungs. Foxtail, oat, dogstail, timothy and meadow grasses are most usually associated with allergy in the UK. The grasses release their pollen from April to July.

End of June to September

Finally, the weed pollen season overlaps and extends beyond the grass pollen season - from the end of June to September, the exact duration depending on the species of weed. Dock weed has the longest pollen season. Other weeds associated with pollen allergy include nettle, sorrel and ragweed.

Note that brightly coloured garden plants, like roses, are not much associated with an allergy because their pollen grains are too heavy to be widely dispersed by the wind (they are distributed from plant to plant by insects like bees that are attracted to the bright colours).

The weather also affects the pollen count in the air on a particular day. There is more on a sunny day, less on a rainy day. Cloudy days are associated with a build-up of pollen in plants that are released as soon as the weather improves.

Time of day

The time of day also affects the likelihood of encountering pollen allergens.

Be aware that:

• Grass releases pollen from around 7 in the morning - later if the ground is damp. Though some grass species don’t release their pollen until the afternoon.
• Birch trees release their pollen between noon and 6 pm.
• Warm air lifts pollen high into the atmosphere during the day. When air cools down, as dusk falls, pollen starts to descend. You may well be exposed to one of these ‘pollen showers’ in the early hours of the morning if you sleep with a window open.

These are just guidelines. For more detailed information, see the Met Office chart on typical pollen seasons for different plants. If you have hay fever, you should take pollen forecasts as seriously as the weather forecast and know when to step up your allergen avoidance precautions.

Good ideas include:

• Washing your hair and changing your clothes when you get home
• Wash all of your laundry including clothes and bedding, with hypoallergenic laundry detergent
• Clean your home with allergy friendly cleaning products
• Use a mask or scarf to cover your nose or a dab of Vaseline inside each nostril
• Consider investing in a high-quality air purifier to filter pollen grains out of indoor air

If you have hay fever, you are allergic to pollen - the microscopic grain released by the male part of a flower. So you’ll be only too familiar with the following allergy symptoms:

• Sneezing
• Itchy nose, mouth, throat, eyes
• Watery eyes
• Blocked or streaming nose

Allergen avoidance is not easy when it comes to pollen, but it’s not impossible. Pollen grains are small and light (ranging in size from 0.5 to 100 microns) and they are very widely dispersed - so pollen allergy is as much a problem in the city as in the country. Indeed, pollen grains have even been found several miles out at sea - that’s how far they can travel.