Unfortunately, if you started your allergy medications after your symptoms started it may take some time, several days to a week or two until you feel real relief as you allow the medication to build up in your system. This is particularly true for for nasal steroids- it takes time to work. As such, don't stop the medications- (unless you are coming in for allergy test- stop oral antihistamines such as Zyrtec, Allegra, Xyzal, Claritin etc. 48 hours prior to appointment).
However, it could also be that the medications are just not enough to control your symptoms and that your immune system may need an extra boost with allergy injections. These medications have been the standard of care for over a hundred in years in patients with uncontrolled allergies. These all natural injections work gradually to desensitize your body to the environmental allergens. The injections can only be prescribed by a trained Allergist. So if this spring you are finding yourself suffering without relief of the over the counter medications, consider coming in for a consultation to see if injections would be right for you.
Wishing everyone a happy and symptom-free spring,
Marc Braunstein, MD
P.S. For latest and most accurate pollen counts check out the AAAAI endorsed pollen report here.