Hay Fever

SEASONAL RELIEF, EXPERT ADVICE

When pollen season hits, the right treatment changes everything. Explore our pharmacist-curated range of antihistamines, steroid nasal sprays and soothing eye drops, with prescription-strength options for severe symptoms, all checked by our pharmacy team and delivered to your door.

Shop hay fever relief Supply of pharmacy medicines is subject to approval by our pharmacist.
  • Choose your products
  • Checked by our pharmacist
  • Delivered to your door
  • GPhC-registered pharmacy
  • Confidential plain packaging

The condition

Understanding hay fever

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen. When pollen lands in your eyes, nose and throat, the immune system releases histamine, causing sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, and itchy, watering eyes. Around one in four people in the UK are affected, and the season is long. Tree pollen runs roughly from late winter to early summer, grass pollen through late spring and summer, and weed pollen into early autumn.

The severity varies year to year with the pollen count, and symptoms are often worse on warm, dry, windy days. The good news is that modern treatments control hay fever well for most people, especially when started early and used consistently through the season.

Know the signs

Symptoms and when to seek help

Hay fever symptoms appear in pollen season and often follow the weather. The classics are below.

  • Sneezing, and a runny or blocked nose
  • Itchy, red or watering eyes
  • An itchy throat, mouth or ears
  • Tiredness and poor sleep during high pollen spells

When to see a doctor

See your GP if any of the following apply, as they need more than over-the-counter treatment.

  • Wheezing, chest tightness or breathlessness alongside hay fever, especially if you have asthma
  • Symptoms not controlled despite using treatments correctly
  • A blocked or bleeding nose on one side only
  • Eye pain, light sensitivity or changes to your vision, rather than just itching
  • Facial pain or pressure with fever, which can mean a sinus infection

Call 999 for any signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, difficulty breathing or feeling faint. If you have asthma and it worsens in pollen season, book a review, because hay fever and asthma feed each other. For urgent advice that is not an emergency, call NHS 111.

Our clinic model

How it works at Medicosmetic

Choose your products

Browse the range and pick what suits your symptoms. For pharmacy medicines you answer a couple of quick questions at checkout, which takes under a minute.

Checked by our pharmacist

Our pharmacist at Erdington Community Pharmacy reviews your answers and approves supply only if the product is right for you. Severe symptoms can be referred into a prescriber consultation for prescription-strength options.

Delivered to your door

Your order is packed at our pharmacy and posted with tracking. Need advice on what to pick? Call our team on 0121 382 7477.

The best results come from starting treatment a week or two before your season begins and using it every day through the season, rather than only on bad days. We encourage you to let your GP know about any prescription treatment you receive.

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Evidence-based options

Treatment approaches

Three types of treatment do most of the work, and they combine well. Once-daily antihistamine tablets calm the histamine response across all your symptoms. Steroid nasal sprays are the most effective single treatment for nasal symptoms, but here is the secret most people miss. They take several days to build up, so start them a week or two before your season and use them every day, not just when symptoms flare. Allergy eye drops soothe itchy, watering eyes directly. For severe symptoms that these do not control, prescription-strength options exist through a consultation reviewed by a UK-registered prescriber.

Small habits help too. Check the pollen forecast, keep windows closed on high count days, shower and change after time outdoors, smear a barrier balm around your nostrils, and wear wraparound sunglasses. If hay fever hammers you severely every single year despite everything, ask your GP about a referral, because specialist options exist for the hardest cases.

Compare your options

Choosing your hay fever treatment

The main differences between hay fever treatments are which symptoms they target and how they are used. Many people do best combining a tablet, a spray and drops. Our pharmacist checks every order of pharmacy medicines before supply.

Antihistamine tablets (cetirizine, loratadine, fexofenadine)

From £X including delivery

  • How it's takenOne tablet daily during the season
  • Starts workingWithin about an hour
  • Lasts24-hour cover, taken daily

Modern non-drowsy options for most people. If one type does not suit you, another often will.

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Steroid nasal sprays (beclometasone, fluticasone)

From £X including delivery

  • How it's takenOne or two sprays per nostril daily
  • Starts workingBuilds over several days
  • LastsWorks while used daily through the season

The most effective option for nasal symptoms. Start a week or two before your season and use every day, subject to pharmacist approval.

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Allergy eye drops (sodium cromoglicate)

From £X including delivery

  • How it's takenDrops in each eye as directed
  • Starts workingSoothes within minutes, protects with regular use
  • LastsUse through the season as needed

Direct relief for itchy, watering eyes. Combines well with a tablet and a spray.

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Supply of pharmacy medicines is subject to approval by our pharmacist. Prescription-strength options for severe symptoms require a consultation reviewed by a UK-registered prescriber, and supply is never guaranteed. Information above is factual and does not replace clinical advice.

Trusted care

Why Medicosmetic

GPhC-registered pharmacy

Medicosmetic is a trading name of Erdington Community Pharmacy (Premises No. 1107990). Verify on the GPhC register.

Named Superintendent Pharmacist

Mohammad Luqman Ghani (GPhC 2220694) oversees our pharmacy services.

UK-registered prescribers

Every form is reviewed by a clinician registered to prescribe in the UK.

Genuine UK-sourced medicines

Dispensed by our own pharmacy, never third-party marketplaces.

Discreet by design

Plain packaging, tracked delivery, and confidential handling of your information.

Straightforward next steps

If treatment is not suitable, we explain why and signpost you to the right care, usually your GP.

Common questions

Hay fever FAQs

Why are my antihistamines not working?
Usually one of four reasons. You started too late in the season, you are taking them only on bad days rather than daily, your nasal symptoms need a steroid spray rather than a tablet alone, or the particular antihistamine simply does not suit you, in which case switching often helps. If symptoms stay severe despite doing all this correctly, a prescriber consultation for prescription-strength options is the next step.
When does hay fever season start in the UK?
Earlier than most people think. Tree pollen runs roughly from late February to June, grass pollen from May to July, which affects the most people, and weed pollen from June to September. If you know your trigger, start treatment a week or two before your season begins, because prevention beats catch-up.
What is the best antihistamine for hay fever?
Cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine are all effective once-daily options, and the honest answer is that individual response varies. If one leaves you drowsy or does not control symptoms, switching to another is a legitimate and often successful move. Our pharmacist can advise based on what you have tried before.
Can I take antihistamines every day?
Yes, modern once-daily antihistamines are licensed for daily use through the season, and daily use works far better than dipping in and out. The same goes for steroid nasal sprays, which only reach full effect with consistent daily use. If you find yourself needing treatment year-round, mention it to our pharmacist or your GP.
Are steroid nasal sprays safe?
Used as directed, yes. The dose is tiny and acts locally in the nose, with very little absorbed into the body, which is why these sprays are available from pharmacies. Point the spray slightly outwards, away from the middle of your nose, for best effect and comfort. If you need them beyond the season, check in with your GP.
Does hay fever make asthma worse?
Yes, significantly. Pollen inflames the airways as well as the nose, and poorly controlled hay fever is a common reason asthma flares in summer. If you have asthma and find yourself using your reliever inhaler more during pollen season, treat the hay fever properly and book an asthma review, because managing both together works best.
What helps hay fever besides medicines?
Check the pollen forecast and plan around high counts, keep windows closed on bad days, shower and change clothes after time outdoors, smear a barrier balm around your nostrils, and wear wraparound sunglasses outside. None of these replace treatment in a heavy season, but together they take real pressure off it.

Get ahead of the pollen this year

Start your treatment before the season peaks, let our pharmacist check your order, and have everything delivered to your door. Severe symptoms? A prescriber consultation is available too.

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