And experts say the misery is lasting longer each year, thanks to climate changes.
"It just seems so hard to keep myself from coughing all night," says Jane Doszpoly, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.
For Jane, spring means another battle with allergies.
She uses half a dozen medications, and doesn't hesitate to use them
"I don't believe in suffering," Jane quips.
Dr. Edward Schulman, of the Drexel college of medicine says this spring has been tougher than usual on some his patients.
One told him: "I had a call Friday from one of my patients, and she said - I haven't had problems in 10 years, and I'm having every conceivable problem. from itchy eyes, itchy nose, itchy throat, wheezing. She was in terrible shape."
For Jane, her symptoms started earlier in the season.
"It usually doesn't start until April, but this year I began in March," she noted.
Dr. Donald Dvorin says there's a reason for that.
He's an allergy specialist at the Asthma Center, and he's been taking Philadelphia's official pollen count for more than 20 years.
His records show the allergy season is getting longer, as pollen patterns change due to warmer, wetter weather.
"We can see pollen as early as the first week of February," he says. And grass pollen has started returning in the fall, along with a second go-round of some tree pollens.
Dr. Dvorin says, "It means that people will suffer more with their allergy symptoms, with greater times, the lengthening of their usual seasons and out of nowhere allergies act up again."
In fact, he says grass pollens started several weeks early,, and will last until late June.
Oak pollen levels are also very high, and probably won't go down UNTIL mid-to-late May.
To control allergies:
*Stay indoors during daytime, especially on windy days.
* Take a shower at night to wash pollen out of your hair.
And Dr. Schulman says a neti pot to rinse nasal passages can help.
"People really do find them effective. I've had patients that have told me that since they started using the neti pot, they've really had to use minimal medications," he says.
As for medications, the doctors say the inexpensive over-the-counter antihistamines work, but be careful about their side-effects, such as drowsiness.
Other antihistamines, such as Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra, don't cause those side effects, however, they are more expensive.
There also a host of nasal sprays, eye drops, and inhaler to help you keep symptoms at bay. And Dr. Schulman says more and more enter the market every year.
Both doctors say it's good to be tested, to know what you're allergic to.
There are more medications than ever on the market, so there are lots of options for controlling the discomfort.
