When allergy season starts, so many people end up dealing with itchy eyes, congestion, cough, sneezing and sinus pain. If you're one of those people who have seasonal allergies, you can understand how miserable you feel in those days. You may be a sufferer of pollen allergy, also called hay fever, and may end up aggravating your symptoms simply by taking a dip in the pool. In fact, pollen is the leading allergen and affects between 10% and 30% of adults and more than 40% of children in the United States. You can, however, make your symptoms more manageable by opting for pollen allergy medicine. Keep reading to find out more about what types of medicines are available and how effective they are.

What Is Pollen and Pollen Allergy?

In order to deal with your allergy, it is important to learn more about pollen. Pollen is the fertilization mechanism of grasses, trees, and weeds in which they release the microscopic powdery granules in the air. Pollen from plants with roses and bright flowers don't usually trigger allergy symptoms, but you will experience allergy symptoms when exposed to the tiny pollen from trees, grasses and weeds. It is hard to protect yourself from pollen, considering one ragweed plant can produce up to a billion pollen grains with each grain has the power to travel up to 100 miles.

Interestingly, each plan has its own specific period of pollination. Trees usually pollinate first during springtime followed by grasses and then weeds that pollinate in late summer. Once you inhale these small granules, your immune system reacts to them and causes cold-like symptoms such as sneezing, congestion and runny nose. Some people experience these symptoms only during a particular season, while others suffer from pollen allergy throughout the year. You may consider taking pollen allergy medicine to manage your allergy better.

What Are Helpful Pollen Allergy Medicines?

There are a number of treatment options available for someone suffering from pollen allergy. These medicines usually help treat your symptoms and don't always treat your allergy itself. The best way to prevent having an allergy reaction is to limit your exposure to allergens.

1.  Nasal Steroids

You spray these drugs into your nose to release a runny nose, congestion, sneezing and other symptoms. You can find a couple of OTC nasal steroids, such as fluticasone and triamcinolone, but others will require a doctor's prescription. Make sure to start using them before the allergy season starts and you experience any allergy symptoms.

2.  Antihistamines

During an allergic reaction, your body makes the chemical called histamine that causes the symptoms. You can take antihistamine pills or find antihistamines nasal sprays as well. The sprays help relieve congestion, whereas the pills target sneezing, itching and runny nose. Some OTC pills like Fexofenadine, Ceirizine, Desloratadine and Loratadine help fight your symptoms for long. Keep in mind that some pills such as Clemastine, Chlorpheniramine and Brompheniramine can make you feel drowsy. Sometimes, these OTC medications don't work and you require prescription antihistamines, such as Olopatadine, Azelastine and Fluticasone.

3.  Decongestants

You can use decongestants to unclog your nose. Some decongestants are available as pills, while others are available as liquids, such as phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine. Decongestants are for short-term use only. Never use it for more than 3 consecutive days or you may end up dealing with rebound congestion. You may even experience some other side effects, such as high blood pressure and increased heart rate. Don't take them if you already have a heart problem. These drugs can also aggravate your prostate problems. So, talk to your doctor and confirm if using a decongestant will help or not.

4.  Others

You can find another type of pollen allergy medicine that helps reduce inflammatory response in your body. Cromolyn is a good choice and is available without a prescription. It effectively treats sneezing, itching nose and congestion. Similarly, you can use montelukast, a prescription drug that blocks leukotrienes that causes swelling. Claritin-D, Allegra-D and Zyrtec-D are some other options available and they work because they have both the decongestant pseudoephedrine as well as the antihistamine.

Are There Any Other Ways to Treat Pollen Allergy?

Using a specific pollen allergy medicine will help treat your symptoms, but you may also consider using other ways to treat your pollen allergy. Allergy shot or immunotherapy is an effective option. The procedure involves exposing you to very small quantities of allergens to help your immune system become familiar to it. This will ensure that your immune system doesn't react to the same allergen when you're exposed to it naturally.

You can also take some home care measures to help deal with your symptoms. Here's what you should do along with taking pollen allergy medicine to improve your allergies symptoms.

• Try nasal irrigation. While this may not be the best option available other there, many people do find it effective. It involves using a neti pot to pour a warm saline solution into your nostrils to open up your nasal passages.
• Drink herbal tea or add lemon to hot water and drink it to soothe scratchy irritated throats.
• Enjoy something hot and spicy, as this can thin the mucus in your nose and make breathing easier.
• Try some vitamins, herbs and other natural substances, such as magnesium, quercetin and vitamin C to relieve pollen allergy symptoms. Don't take any supplements without the consultation of your doctor.
• Install allergy devices, such as an air conditioner and air cleaner to remove mold spores and pollen from the air. Just be sure to clean the filters on these devices regularly.

Although you have known some great pollen allergy medicines and treatment options, if you could prevent it at the very beginning, it will be best. Learn how to prevent pollen allergy from the video below.