SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve been sniffling and sneezing and rubbing your eyes a lot lately, you’re not alone.
"It just seems worse this year," allergy sufferer Darren Marshall told FOX 13 News on Friday. "I am taking all my allergy meds."
Marshall said he has undergone immunotherapy in the past to try to lessen his severe reaction to the pollen. He said it did help, but they've come back to some degree.
"I was like coughing, and I took Nyquil because it was like I had a cold," he said. "And then it goes away at like 3 a.m. and you’re like, 'Oh, I’m dealing with allergies!'"
Marshall said he's been dealing with allergy symptoms since he was a teen, but some years are worse than others for him.
"Our pollen seasons are starting earlier and lasting longer," Dr. Christopher Gordon from Provo Allergy and Asthma Clinic said.
Gordon said the drought can cause a change in weather patterns, which in turn can affect the pollen season.
"This week has been a fairly bad week. Probably everybody that I’ve talked to has been suffering, especially now that we've dried up and it's nice out and after a bit of a rainy May," he said. "So if you suffer from grass pollen, this is going to be your worst."
With symptoms similar to that of a cold or even COVID-19, Marshall brought up a concern many sufferers share.
"With COVID going around, you just kind of wonder about your response. Is it the cold or COVID or just allergies? And it’s the same type of symptoms. It just adds stress, I think," he said.
Gordon said over-the-counter remedies help most people, but there are a lot of options if you need further help treating symptoms.
