South Mississippi Allergy Doctor Weighs in on Spring Allergy Season and New State Law Set to Go Into Effect

The rain gave allergy sufferers at least a small measure of relief Friday, but we’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to spring allergy season here in South Mississippi.

Spring has sprung, and for those of us who suffer with allergies, that means sniffing, coughing, dripping, and red eyes-and likely sinking money into allergy and sinus medications to help curb these symptoms. Sadly, when it comes to South Mississippi’s spring allergy season, relief does not appear to be soon in sight.

“It just keeps coming. We are a solid month into the worst of it, and it looks like we probably have several more weeks of this high pollen count,” said Dr. Mark Murray with the Mississippi Asthma & Allergy Clinic in D’Iberville.

Come January 2022, within the state of Mississippi, you will be able then to purchase certain medications to treat your allergies and sinuses over-the-counter, which right now, you must have a prescription for.

“It looks like starting in January those medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine will be available for over-the-counter again. Currently in Mississippi it requires a prescription. We’re one of two states in the country that still has that requirement,” Dr. Murray said. “It will be helpful. It’s a nice treatment option for our patients. It’s not something you want to rely on and take daily, but when the symptoms get bad and you need a little help, the decongestants can be good treatment for that.

Dr. Murray does warn people to proceed with caution when it comes to one of these decongestants that will be available for over-the-counter purchase next year – Sudafed.

“We do use it for spot treatment. We do encourage against its daily use. It does actually have some side effects that can be pretty problematic in the long run, especially in increasing blood pressure in our patients with hypertension,” Dr. Murray said.