Allergy season won't officially start for another couple of weeks, but some parts of the country are already reaching for the tissue boxes. In fact, the spring allergy season is already underway in some places because the trees are already budding. Cleveland Clinic Allergist Dr. Lily Pien says it's typically the tree pollen that is the culprit this time of year.
"Maple, elm, hickory, and oak are the common ones and the symptoms are eye-itching, eye-redness, there can be itching of the nose, post-nasal drip," she said.
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Pien says over-the-counter antihistamines and over-the-counter intra-nasal sprays can be used to keep symptoms under control. If your symptoms persist and last more than 7 to 10 days, you should consider seeing your doctor. But Pien says whether you're experiencing symptoms, or not, the time to take your medication is now.
"If somebody knows that they are allergic it's best to have the medications ahead of time and to take them ahead of time, so you have a good baseline when allergy season starts and you're not chasing after your symptoms once they've already started," she explained.
Pien says if your allergies are really bad, your doctor may be able to give you an allergy shot to help control the symptoms.