Hayfever

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Hay fever is usually worse between late March and September, especially when it’s warm, humid and windy. This is when the pollen count is at its highest.

Check if you have hay fever

Symptoms of hay fever include:

• 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
• earache
• feeling tired

If you have asthma, you might also:

• have a tight feeling in your chest
• be short of breath
• wheeze and cough

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

How to treat hay fever yourself

There’s currently no cure for hay fever and you can’t prevent it. But you can do things to ease your symptoms when the pollen count is high.

Allergy UK has more tips on managing hay fever.

A pharmacist can help with hay fever

Speak to your pharmacist if you have hay fever. They can give advice and suggest the best treatments, like antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays to help with:

• itchy and watery eyes and sneezing
• a blocked nose

Treatments for hay fever from your GP

Your GP might prescribe steroids.

If steroids and other hayfever treatments don’t work, your GP may refer you for immunotherapy.

This means you’ll be given small amounts of pollen as an injection or tablet to slowly build up your immunity to pollen.

This kind of treatment usually starts in the winter about 3 months before the hay fever season begins.

What causes hay fever

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen, typically when it comes into contact with your mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Pollen is a fine powder from plants.

Check the pollen forecast