woman+with+acute+hayfever+symptoms

=Woman With Acute Hayfever Symptoms=

//A 49 year old woman walks into your pharmacy, requesting something to treat her blocked nose and itchy eyes. She has tried cetirizine before, but is requesting an alternative.//

Problem
It appears to be a case of acute rhinitis, but you will need to ask more questions in order to determine the appropriate mode of action.

= =

Questions to Ask
- What symptoms do you have? //blocked nose, itchy eyes, bouts of sneezing// - What have you tried before and how did it work? //Used cetirizine for a few days, which worked so I stopped taking them, but it came back stronger than ever.// - How long have you had this, and how often do you get these symptoms? //only for a few days, but this is the first time that it has happened// - Do you have any allergies? //none that I know of// - Have you had any changes recently? //I just moved house -// Any other changes? //We also just got a new puppy//

- What medications are you on? //atenolol and captopril for my high blood pressure// - Is your blood pressure well controlled? //yes//

What to do
- can recommend alternative antihistamine, intranasal corticosteroid, intranasal saline - educate on avoiding triggers - pseudoephedrine is not contraindicated due to controlled blood pressure and short-term use