Eye drops

Itchy, red and watery eyes are common symptoms of hayfever. A type of treatment called a mast cell stabiliser (e.g. sodium cromoglicate) can help to manage these symptoms.

The body’s mast cells contain histamine and play a central role in many different allergies. As the name suggests, mast cell stabilisers work by stabilising mast cells, preventing them from releasing histamine and thus stopping allergic symptoms such as itchy, red and watery eyes from occurring. Some may cause side effects, such as a stinging or burning sensation in the eyes. Examples include Opticrom Allergy Eye Drops and Optrex Allergy Eye Drops.

Antihistamines

Some customers will prefer to use one product to treat all of their hayfever symptoms. Antihistamine tablets and syrups work by blocking the action of histamine, which is one of the chemicals released when a susceptible person encounters pollen. 

These products tend to start working quickly and relieve most allergy symptoms. They can be taken as and when sufferers notice symptoms, or on a daily basis. Oral antihistamines are separated into two groups:

• Sedating antihistamines – the most common example is chlorphenamine (e.g. Piriton Allergy Tablets). One of its drawbacks is that it can cause drowsiness. Sedating antihistamines have a shorter duration of action so need
  to be taken quite frequently (e.g. every four to six hours). However, these products are often more affordable, which can make them more appealing to some customers. As they are sedating, care needs to be taken when recommending these antihistamines as they may not be suitable for all customers.
• Non-sedating antihistamines – examples include acrivastine (e.g. Benadryl Allergy Relief), cetirizine (e.g. Benadryl Allergy One A Day, Benadryl Allergy Children’s 1mg/ml Oral Solution, Pollenshield Hayfever) and loratadine (e.g. Clarityn Allergy). Drowsiness is not usually a problem with these products, and they tend to have a longer duration of action so don’t need to be taken as frequently as sedating antihistamines.