ORLANDO, Fla. – Many people in Central Florida at this time of year are keeping allergy medications close, and tissues even closer.

What You Need To Know

  • Sites like pollen.com consistently rank Orlando as one of the worst cities in the country for people with pollen-related allergies

  • Orlando pharmacist says local honey can also help patients’ immune response to seasonal allergens

  • Allergists recommend taking antihistamines on top of allergy pills, if the pills aren’t enough to treat the problem

Allergists say sites like pollen.com consistently rank Orlando as one of the worst cities in the country for people with pollen-related allergies, and right now, the City Beautiful is right at the peak.

Craig Sicinski loves running his humble drug store just off the beaten path of downtown Orlando, Orlando Pharmacy.

His customers come to see him because they aren’t looking for the big box experience, but this time of year, many are looking for a box of allergy medication.

Usually, Sicinski knows just where to point them, because he knows them.

“We can then, right away, just get down to what they are currently taking, what are they currently experiencing, and then that allows me to better recommend, because I KNOW their prescription profiles, what I can recommend safely," he said.

After seeing slews of people coming in for COVID concerns, he’s glad that’s started to calm down.

However, even he says he can’t help but wonder why Orlando’s allergy season is so bad.

“We’ve seen an increase in our allergy symptoms. Patients complaining about runny nose, stuffy nose, cough," Sicinski said.

Local allergist, Dr. Andrew Bagg says right now, Orlando is one of the worst cities for people with pollen related allergies and not just because of oak pollen.

“We have a lot of other allergens as well, this time of the year," said Bagg. "We have one of the highest mold counts in the country, one of the highest levels of dust mites in the country. Just because we have such a high humidity and local elevation.”

Sicinski says his biggest goal is to help his patients nip their allergies in the bud, before it blooms into something worse.

“When you have congestion in the nose and the chest, it may not go away. It may actually then invite other bacteria to set in. So we always try to recommend over-the-counter products first," he said.

Allergists also recommend taking antihistamines on top of allergy pills, if the pills aren’t doing the trick.

Sicinski says local honey can also help patients’ immune response to seasonal allergens.