Allergies can make summer a living you-know-what. The non-stop itchy, watery, burning, swelling eyes. The itchy, stuffy, runny nose, coughing, headache, tiredness, skin rash. What a way to spend the summer, eh?

But with the right medication, summer can be bearable, maybe even \ enjoyable. Skip the over-the-counter meds, they'll have you sleeping through the summer.

I suggest seeing an allergy specialist in early Spring. Summer is a terrible time to make an appointment. Get the treatment before the allergies start (unless you never experienced them before, of course).

Ask your doctor about Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra. They work well. Claritin may make you slightly drowsy, but not sleepy, and may give you dry mouth. However, it works well and comes in 24 hour form and dissolvable pills.

Zyrtec is great because it is a 24 hour medication, and is available in liquid form. Zyrtec does cause sleepiness, but it can be taken at night and will work through the next day.

Allegra may make you slightly drowsy for a short time, but probably won't make you sleepy. It works very well to stop many allergy symptoms.

Medication effects may vary from person to person, but these 3 medications I have tried and recommend.

Wear sunglasses outdoors, it helps keep pollen and dust out of eyes.

Don't line dry clothing, pollen sticks to the damp fabrics.

Bathe pets frequently. If you are allergic to your pets, you should be doing this all year round, anyway. But for those who have pollen allergies with pets that go outside, bathe them regularly. Animals roll in the grass and romp through the weeds, getting pollen and dust stuck in their coats.

Take anti-histamines before trying decongestants. Decongestants will clear sinuses and bronchioles, but will not stop the allergic reactions, as anti-histamines will.

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