MILWAUKEE — As spring makes its way to Wisconsin, so do spring allergies. This year, there may be an impact on allergy medications people use every day.
Stuffy noses, sneezing and irritated eyes are just some of the symptoms Dr. Hashim Zaibak said he’s seen customers come in with at his pharmacy.
“This time of year, March and April, we start seeing an increase in the people who come to us and ask about allergy and congestion medications,” Hayat Pharmacy owner Zaibak said.
Zaibak said he’s seen an increase in the number of customers coming in for allergy products.
“We saw about a 20% increase in the demand for these products.” Zaibak said. “Usually during this season, it starts going up and up, then we hit the peak and then the demand drops. We are still in the first stage.”
Dr. Robert Kitsis, a family medicine doctor with Ascension, said spring brings out specific allergies and that the season is just beginning.
“For spring allergies, the most common cause of allergies are the tree pollen. As the spring gets later and we start to head into summer, we see the grass allergies,” Kitsis said.
While more people are shopping for these medications right now, Zaibak said there’s a chance consumers may see an increase in price for over-the-counter meds.
He said that includes allergy medications, due to tariffs, depending on where they are imported from. Many of these medications come from the UK and India.
“These over-the-counter medications are imported from those countries.” Zaibak said. “That’s one of the concerns that comes into our mind is, are we going to see and 25-35% increase in the over-the-counter retail prices for these medications? We might, we haven’t been informed yet, but we might see an increase.”
Although there is some uncertainty about prices moving forward, Zaibak said the best thing you can do is ask questions about your medications and to find the best care possible.