Allergy sufferers should grab a box of tissues and nasal spray.
The allergy season is going to be bad after Arizona's wet winter caused plants and flowers to bloom more than normal, according to Student Health and Wellness Center officials.
The center sold 102 prescriptions of allergy medication in the first 23 days in March. This is an increase from the 91 prescriptions sold during the same time period in 2004 and the 89 sold in 2003.
"The numbers will probably continue to increase, but I think they'll go even higher until we hit those 100-degree weather days," said Carl Labbe, pharmacy manager at the health center.
The common plants people are allergic to, such as mulberry and various grasses, release pollen that causes reactions.
Body cells fight the allergen by releasing histamine, which typically causes the unpleasant symptoms associated with allergies. Allergy sufferers experience rash, itchiness, swelling, runny nose, sneezing and scratchy throat, said Dr. Stefanie Schroeder, chief of medicine at the health center.
The only way to avoid allergies is to stay away from the plants that cause them.
"The main thing is to avoid exposure, and when you're out and about that's virtually impossible," Labbe said.
Schroeder said people used to come to Arizona to escape allergies because the warm weather did not promote much plant growth.
"With all the imported plants we now have, it's [the allergy level] about the same as any city," she said.
With the longer than usual wet season, pollen will be in the air thicker than ever.
"This is probably going to be a big [allergy] season," Labbe said. "I have a feeling we're just getting started."
Reach the reporter at courtney.bonnell@asu.edu.
