Vikki Furneaux, a pharmacist at the Monkbar Pharmacy in Goodramgate, said rising global temperatures brought on by climate change have led to an increase in pollen levels over a longer season.
The pharmacist said over the counter medication can be used to “keep on top of hay fever”.
But she said the medication is an added expense amid the cost-of-living crisis, adding: “The best way to get on top of symptoms is to use a combination of items, which costs more money.”
“Tablets don’t work for everyone, and the effects wear off,” she said. “Using a steroid nasal spray can help prevent symptoms and eye drops can also be useful, but these may be unaffordable for some.”
Vikki Furneaux, a pharmacist at the Monkbar Pharmacy (Image: Supplied) The pharmacist said that while some people qualify for free prescriptions it is NHS policy “not to prescribe things that can be bought over the counter”. “So it is harder to get a prescription for hay fever unless over the counter medication is not working for you.”
The 44-year-old said people took hay fever medication for “around a two-month period” when she graduated but are now uncertain about when the season is.
And the longer hay fever seasons means it is “more unpredictable” for people to know when to take medication, she added.
Ms Furneaux said hay fever symptoms beginning earlier means “sufferers are also coming up against some of the cold and flu season”.
“Some of the [cold and flu] symptoms are similar to hay fever – so it’s more difficult to get on top of things,” the pharmacist said. “Some people are coming in with symptoms they didn’t realise were hay fever.”
Sofie Jenkinson, co-director of Round Our Way, an organisation that supports people impacted by weather extremes in the UK, said: “Longer hay fever seasons are just one of the health impacts Brits are facing as temperatures in the UK rise.
“As we all see around us, climate change is making Britain warmer and a lot wetter.
“We urgently need politicians to make sure we are better prepared for the worrying new weather we’re facing and to tackle the pollution that is causing it.”
Michelle Young, climate impacts research associate at US-based non-profit news organisation Climate Central, said: “Warmer spring and autumn temperatures, driven by climate change, are extending the pollen season, causing hay fever sufferers to experience symptoms earlier and for longer periods.
“As temperatures rise, allergy symptoms are becoming more frequent, sometimes occurring outside the typical peak times.
“Without significant reductions in emissions, this trend is expected to worsen, leading to greater discomfort for those with seasonal allergies.”
