Mercy Doctors Offer Insights on Treating Seasonal Allergies

Dr. Janet O'Mahony, internist, Mercy Personal Physicians Downtown; Dr. Marc Kai, Mercy Family Care Physicians; and Dr. Christina Gasbarro, Mercy Personal Physicians at Overlea, were recently asked by Yahoo News about how they each treat their own seasonal allergies. Questions include:

• What are you allergic to?
• What symptoms do you experience when allergy season hits?
• What do you do for treatment from a medical standpoint?
• What has been helpful for your allergy management from a lifestyle standpoint?
• What have you found to be the most effective for you and why?

Below are their responses:

I suffer from allergies in the spring to tree pollen. All of the pollens bother me to some degree including being around fresh cut grass and I am bothered by cats. I have sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and even asthma with wheezing. I have found that wearing a mask outside in the spring has made a huge difference in my allergy symptoms. I also try to avoid the allergens by using air conditioning if needed and keeping windows closed. I use HEPA filters on my furnace and in my car. During the allergy season I use a non-sedating antihistamine (like Loratidine or Fexofenadine) and an inhaled corticosteroid (like Fluticasone or Triamcinolone). I recommend against using cold remedies with decongestants for my patients because it really doesn't prevent the allergies and it has some unwanted side effects like raising blood pressure.

I'm allergic to many outside allergens including pollen, trees, molds, grass and dust mites. I suffer from itchy/watery eyes, sneezing, runny nose/congestion, occasional wheezing, fatigue, itchy skin. I normally take over the counter allergy pills such as Zyrtec or Allegra (Claritin has very little effect for 90+% of people), nasal spray steroid (Flonase) and an albuterol inhaler. Often in spring and/or fall I will add pseudoephedrine (i.e., generic Sudafed) in the morning for a few weeks (should not be a long-term/chronic medication). I make sure to wash my hands frequently, shower at night, have multiple home air purifiers especially in bedroom, use mattress and pillow covers with frequent sheet/pillow case washing, vacuum/sweep often and with a mask (thankfully those are readily available past few years). I have found taking allergy medicine and bedroom cleaning plus good hygiene have helped control my symptoms.

I'm allergic to everything in the world - trees, mold, dust mites, cats, cockroaches. I have had allergy testing done a couple of times in the past and had allergy shots for several years.I have bad allergic rhinitis. This is runny nose, congestion, sneezing, occasional eye itching. During my "bad" allergy season times (spring and fall) I try my best to use my netipot daily (saline nasal rinses). I follow that with a nasal steroid that needs to be used daily for it to be affective. If this does not work, I will add on a nasal antihistamine spray. I personally, haven't found oral antihistamines to be very helpful for me. Some people do benefit from this. Fexofenadine, Loratadine, Cetirizine, Levocetirizine. If this fails, then I step up to adding monteluekast. There is a black box warning on it so making sure people are aware of the possible "mental health side effects" is important. I have not seen it often but have had some patients with some depression caused by it. This is why step up therapy is important. I have also receive allergy shots in the past which did help some. Showering before bed, particularly if you have been outside during outdoor allergy season is helpful. Consistency is the most effective thing and of most importance! It is easy to slack on the regimen but my nose pays the price!

Janet O'Mahony, M.D. is an Internal Medicine Doctor who cares for Downtown residents and families of Federal Hill, Canton, Fells Point, Baltimore Metro Center and the Mt. Vernon arts and cultural district. Christina M. Gasbarro, M.D., provides comprehensive primary care for patients ages 18 and older, offering first contact and continuing care for the patients and families of Overlea, Hamilton, Parkville, Carney, Perry Hall and White Marsh. Marc P. Kai, M.D., Ph.D., is a Primary Care Physician offering comprehensive primary care to patients 18 years of age and older.