Blog Post

Navigating Spring Allergies Through Effective OTC Management

Spring Fever means different things to different people, but for the millions of Americans afflicted with seasonal allergies, the promise of warmer weather and sunny days is overshadowed by the arrival of dreaded symptoms, including itchy eyes, runny noses, and nasal congestion. And with most sufferers opting to find relief through the over-the-counter (OTC) allergy medications and products commonly found on pharmacy shelves, community pharmacists are essential players.

Pharmacists can ensure they are “allergy-ready” by ensuring adequate supplies of in-demand medications and products. A data-based technology system can help. This includes PrimeRx, which facilitates smarter OTC inventory management along with enhanced patient engagement. Patients, though, benefit most from steady access to the allergy relief they desperately need.

What Are Spring Allergies And Why Do They Impact So Many Patients?
What Are The Most Common Allergy Symptoms Patients Seek OTC Relief For?
What Is The Best OTC For Spring Allergies Based On Symptom Type?
How Can Pharmacies Help Patients Navigate OTC Allergy Medicines Effectively?
How Does Allergy Season Complicate Inventory Planning For Pharmacies?
How Can OTC Bundling Improve Patient Engagement And Increase Revenue?
How Does PrimeRx Support Smarter OTC Allergy Management?

What Are Spring Allergies & Why Do They Impact So Many Patients?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an allergy occurs “when an individual’s immune system misclassifies typically harmless substances as harmful and has a specific and reproducible immune response.” Concerning spring allergies, “typically harmless substances” most often include tree pollen, grasses, ragweed, and mold spores, which generally appear during the warm spring and summer months.

The CDC estimates 80 million Americans (25% of adults and 18% of children) suffer from seasonal allergies or seasonal allergic rhinitis. This number is set to increase, though, as changing climate conditions result in longer pollen seasons, higher pollen counts, and allow plants and trees to thrive in previously inhospitable regions. Changing climate conditions have been so significant that the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) produces a ranking of “allergy capitals,” which highlights cities with high levels of pollen/allergens, along with increased medication use and availability of allergists/immunologists. Cities topping the 2026 list include Boise, Idaho; San Diego, California; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Provo, Utah; and Rochester, New York.

What Are The Most Common Allergy Symptoms Patients Seek OTC Relief For?

While allergic reactions can vary, most patients experiencing allergies or pollen allergies symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis), including sneezing, a runny nose, and congestion. Pollen exposure, notes the CDC, can also trigger allergic conjunctivitis (eye lining inflammation) with symptoms that include red, watery, or itchy eyes. Additional reactions can include fatigue, swelling, rashes, hives, eczema, sinusitis, allergic asthma, and, in extreme situations, anaphylaxis.

Seasonal allergies impose a cost in excess of $3 billion annually, with almost half due to prescription medications, according to the CDC. Costs were also incurred by the more than 4 million allergy-related physician office visits.

In addition, an estimated 2.6 million Americans receive allergy shots to manage their symptoms. The cost of this treatment, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is “usually between $1,000 to $4,000 per year.”

Most Americans, though, seek relief from the many over-the-counter (OTC) medications available from their local pharmacy. While the best OTC for spring allergies will depend on a patient’s symptoms and other health factors, common options tend to include:

Antihistamines

Antihistamines (oral antihistamines or allergy pills) block the release of histamine, which is a chemical released during an allergic reaction. Antihistamines reduce symptoms, including itchy eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose.

Common OTC antihistamines include:

First Generation (Sedating and require frequent dosages)
- Benadryl
- Chlor-Trimeton
Second Generation (Longer lasting, no resulting fatigue)
- Zyrtec
- Claritin

Decongestants

Decongestants narrow blood vessels in the nasal passages, which decreases swelling. This provides temporary relief from nasal congestion and sinus pressure.

Common OTC decongestants include:

Oxymetazoline (Afrin, Dristan, Vicks, Sinex)
Phenylephrine (Sudafed PE)
Pseudoephedrine (Silfedrine, Sudafed).

Medications that combine an antihistamine and a decongestant are available, including Allegra-D, Benadryl Allergy Plus Sinus, Claritin-D, and Zyrtec-D.

Nasal Sprays

Nasal sprays, including antihistamine nasal sprays, reduce swelling and inflammation inside the nasal passages and sinuses, which helps reduce sneezing, congestion, and alleviates runny noses.

Common OTC steroid nasal sprays include:

Flonase Allergy Relief (fluticasone propionate)
Flonase Sensimist (fluticasone furoate)
Nasonex 24HR Allergy (mometasone)
Nasacort Allergy 24HR (triamcinolone)
Rhinocort (budesonide).

Eye Drops

Different types of eye drops are available to address specific symptoms.

Antihistamine/Mast Cell Stabilizer

Antihistamine/mast cell stabilizer eye drops address allergic conjunctivitis by blocking histamine and stabilizing mast cells.

Common OTC antihistamine/mast cell stabilizer eye drops include:

Alaway (ketotifen 0.025%)
Clear Eyes Once Daily Eye Allergy Itch Relief (olopatadine 0.2%)
Extra Strength Pataday Once Daily Relief (olopatadine 0.7%)
Pataday Once Daily Relief (olopatadine 0.2%).

Note: Mast cell stabilizer eye drops are available only by prescription.

Decongestant eye drops

Decongestant eye drops act quickly to reduce redness by narrowing the blood vessels in and around the eyes.

Common OTC decongestant eye drops include:

Bausch & Lomb Advanced Eye Relief Redness (naphazoline 0.012%/polyethylene glycol 300, 0.2%)
Clear Eyes Cooling Comfort Itchy Eye Relief (naphazoline 0.012%/glycerin 0.25%/zinc sulfate 0.25%)
Clear Eyes Maximum Redness Relief (naphazoline 0.03%/glycerin 0.5%)
Visine A.C. Itchy Eye Relief (tetrahydrozoline 0.05%/zinc sulfate 0.25%).

Combination antihistamine/decongestant eye drops

Eye drops are available that include both an antihistamine and a decongestant, with examples that include:

Visine Allergy Eye Relief Multi-Action (naphazoline 0.025%/pheniramine 0.3%)
Opcon-A (naphazoline 0.02675%/pheniramine 0.315%)
Naphcon-A (naphazoline 0.025%/pheniramine 0.3%).

What Is The Best OTC For Spring Allergies Based On Symptom Type?

As this partial list of decongestants, nasal sprays, and eye drops makes clear, there are many, many OTC products available to address seasonal allergy symptoms. While most allergy symptoms, particularly nasal symptoms can be addressed with OTC products, determining the “best” option depends on a patient’s unique situation, including symptom severity, health history, and cost, among other factors.

As Mayo Clinic notes, patients “might need to try a few different options to find the most effective medicine with the fewest side effects.” Finding the right allergy medication to treat symptoms, reduce allergy symptoms, and improve symptoms can take time, but there’s a solution available for you.

How Can Pharmacies Help Patients Navigate OTC Allergy Medicines Effectively?

The safest course for patients attempting to navigate allergy medicine options is to consult their local pharmacist. Pharmacists are trained to evaluate whether a patient is a good candidate for self-treatment, taking into account their full medication history and any existing health conditions that could complicate OTC use. Pharmacists can also help identify the actual reason for a patient’s symptoms.

Critically important, pharmacists can explain the differences between medications and offer recommendations, including guidance on the best OTC for spring allergies based on individual symptoms. Pharmacists can also provide guidance on proper medication use and offer recommendations for other seasonal allergy relief options. This can include everything from advice to stay indoors during peak pollen times, using ice wraps and cooling masks, and using air purifiers and vacuum particulate filters to keep floors and rugs allergen-free.

Perhaps best of all, a local pharmacist can be a source of ongoing support. A patient can keep their pharmacist apprised of their situation, including the effectiveness of OTC products. Should a patient’s symptoms not improve, the pharmacist might suggest a visit to a doctor or recommend a different product.

How Does Allergy Season Complicate Inventory Planning For Pharmacies?

As pharmacists anticipate an increase in allergy-related pharmacy traffic, they should proactively ensure adequate inventories of the necessary medications and supplies. The worst possible scenario would be for a patient to leave the pharmacy empty-handed because the required products were out of stock. Not only would this prolong a patient’s suffering, but it would deny the pharmacy critically needed revenue and disappoint a customer.

An easy solution to this is the data-based functionality offered through PrimeRx. The PrimeRx system provides a single, integrated platform in which all pharmacy processes, dispensing, inventory, operations, and claims exist within the same platform. This allows real-time visibility into all processes, including sales activity for prescription drugs, OTC medications, and consumer products. The system also allows access to historical activity, along with other metrics that help identify patient buying patterns. With this data-based insight, pharmacies can anticipate inventory needs and have confidence that supplies of medications and supplies will complement patient demand.

How Can OTC Bundling Improve Patient Engagement and Increase Revenue?

In addition to ensuring supplies of OTC medications, pharmacists can provide the ancillary products needed for allergy season relief. This includes a broad range of products such as tissues, throat lozenges, allergen-free detergents and air sprays, nasal strips, eye wraps and cooling masks, and even air filters. Pharmacies can offer OTC “bundles” that combine products for easy, one-stop shopping. This might include, for example, a pharmacy display that features fast-selling decongestants and eyedrops alongside tissues and hand sanitizer.

As pharmacies look for economic lifelines, sales of OTC products offer a tremendous opportunity, especially for seasonal needs like the best OTC for spring allergies.

How Does PrimeRx Support Smarter OTC Allergy Management?

The preceding discussion highlighted examples of how PrimeRx allows pharmacies unprecedented efficiency in inventory planning, visibility, and patient engagement. But there is so much more.

Specific to OTC allergy management, pharmacists can rely on PrimeRx to automate key processes, including inventory, procurement, drug interaction checks, compliance mandates, patient records, point-of-sale, and patient education, to name a few. Pharmacists can rely on the PrimeRx MARKET solution, for example, to conduct price comparisons across dozens of wholesalers and suppliers, and seamlessly place orders. PrimeRx MARKET is accessible directly within PrimeRx, meaning a pharmacist does not have to interrupt a workflow or log onto a separate system.

Looking Ahead To Allergy Season 2026

PrimeRx is a fully integrated solution, with all parts operating within a single platform. No need for separate software to manage dispensing, inventory, POS, or deliveries. Instead, everything happens within PrimeRx, in real time, with all records seamlessly updated and stored. It couldn’t be easier. And as busy pharmacies prepare for the 2026 allergy season, PrimeRx is the right solution at the right time.

PrimeRx Helps Navigate Allergy Season