Hay fever symptoms and over-the-counter remedies: a community pharmacy study

There is poor understanding of patients' perceptions of hay fever symptoms, the factors which motivate them to purchase particular products and what properties they deem desirable in a remedy. This study aimed to increase understanding of patients' perceptions of hay fever symptoms and to investigate their perceptions of five non‐sedating oral antihistamine products and a corticosteroid nasal spray. A sample of 249 patients was recruited from community pharmacies from June to August, 1995. Of these, 139 (56 per cent) returned questionnaires, of which 124 were valid for analysis. The most common symptoms experienced were nasal and ocular. The most common early warning sign of hay fever was sneezing (75; 21 per cent). Forty‐three subjects (35 per cent) indicated there was less than half an hour between the first sign of an attack and developing all symptoms, and 87 (70 per cent) reported developing all symptoms in under two hours. For 45 subjects (36 per cent) the worst period for the attack was the morning. The most common way of treating a hay fever attack was by taking a remedy at the first sign of hay fever (70; 56 per cent). Seventy‐six (61 per cent) used the remedy once daily and 120 (96 per cent) once or twice daily. Eighty‐five (69 per cent) used the remedy every day of the week during an attack. A reduction in sneezing was the most common indicator that the remedy was working (50; 21 per cent). The most common reason for purchasing a remedy was the pharmacist's recommendation (45; 33 per cent). The most common reason for acquiring the remedy by over‐the‐counter (OTC) purchase was that it was more convenient than consulting a general medical practitioner (GP) (77; 42 per cent). The most common reason for liking a particular remedy was that it gave fast relief (35; 21 per cent). The most common reason for disliking a remedy was that it was expensive (21; 28 per cent). Most patients (108; 87 per cent) were either “very” or “fairly” satisfied with their remedy. The top three most important desired properties of an “ideal” hay fever remedy were that it was fast acting, gave long lasting relief and did not cause drowsiness.