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For Greenburgh allergy sufferers, prevention is the best step to ease the pain.
Residents who ache from itchy eyes and a runny nose are not advised to run to the store for medication when the symptoms set in. According to Roy Giuliano, the supervising pharmacist at Valuable Drugs, located in the Crossroads Shopping Center on Tarrytown Road, allergies should be treated early for the best relief.
"Many, many, many people are suffering from allergies," said Giuliano. "You need to prepare yourself and make your body less reactive to the pollen. If you know you're highly allergic to pollen and things like that, see your doctor before allergy season. Get the prescriptions. Use them for a week or two before the season starts, and you'll be much more comfortable."
Allergy season is the pharmacy's busiest time of year as prescription volume rises. In the past few years, Giuliano has seen an increase of new patients. While the peak of allergy season is the first three weeks of May, residents are still feeling the effects partly due to Westchester's poor air quality.
"What happens with a patient with allergies is that pollen is in the air," said Giuliano. "They breathe it in. Their body reacts by releasing a substance called histamine. What does histamine do? It makes you sneeze, it waters and itches your eyes. [The medication] tells the body to be less reactive to the pollen floating around."
Giuliano often finds himself behind the counter, filling prescriptions of Patanol and Pataday for eyes, or Nasonex and Flonase for nasal relief. He does not recommend allergy shots to treat the symptoms.
Valuable Drugs is located at 377 Tarrytown Rd. If you need a prescription filled, call 914-948-4141.
How do you normally deal with allergies?
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