Can I be sure of the diagnosis?
The symptoms of hayfever and airborne allergy are quite distinct and usually quite different from other conditions affecting the nose. If you have any doubts or questions, your pharmacist and trained pharmacy staff can help you be sure that your diagnosis is accurate.

If I treat myself, will I be able to buy effective treatment without prescription?
Effective treatments are available without prescription. Anti-inflammatory nasal sprays can provide effective relief of allergic rhinitis. These days, several ‘non-drowsy’ antihistamines are also available, as well as more traditional antihistamines.

Are formulations that patients can buy for themselves the same as those doctors would prescribe?
Yes. Current National and International treatment guidelines for doctors treating airborne allergy suggest that anti-inflammatory nasal sprays are the first line pharmacological treatment for airborne allergy where there is congestion. Some of the same medicines are available over-the-counter as are prescribed by doctors. The pack size of an over-the-counter version of an allergy medicine may differ from that available on prescription.

Are formulations that are available over-the-counter safe?
Many years of prescription use has proved the safety of the formulation for hayfever and other airborne allergies. Based on this experience and advice from medical experts, many anti-inflammatory nasal sprays and newer antihistamines have now been removed from the list of prescription-only medicines. The criteria used to evaluate whether a medicine can be made available over-the-counter include:
• A good safety profile
• Accurate self-diagnosis of the condition
• Self-recognition of any reasons not to use the medicine, warnings and precautions
• Safety of the medicine even if it is used wrongly
• Adequate patient information available

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