Just ask nursing mom Amy Scallon of Wynnewood, Pa.
"When I was pregnant they completely went away, and now they're back. I'm all itchy, and with the nose. I don't want to take allergy medicine quite yet," she said.
"We were seeing patients come in our office as early as early March complaining of the typical allergy symptoms: the itchy, watery eyes, the runny nose, the sneezing and the itching of the palatte and the throat," said Dr. George Belecanech of the The Asthma Center in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Dr. Belecanech says the main culprits right now are tree pollens, including juniper and cedar. But even grass, which usually isn't a problem until mid-April, is showing up in pollen counts.
He says over-the-counter medications are a fine place to start treatment.
"Over recent years some of our prescription medicines have gone over-th-counter. So patients now have a much better and much safer selection of medications," said Dr. Belecanech.
Still, Andrea Tickle is reluctant to medicate her seven-year-old son.
"I do saline or Neti Pot for him in the evening and some homeopathic remedies and other nasal spray, but I don't give him any medications," she said.
The doctor says sprays and drops can make patients more comfortable, but often aren't enough.
"If patients don't get good relief, they should consider going to an allergist to really define what they are allergic to, and also to get a better regimen of medication," said Dr. Belecanech.
Just because the allergy season started early, doesn't mean it's necessarily going to end early. The doctor says sufferers can expect to experience more itchy eyes and stuffy noses at least through the end of May, if not into June.
