OK. I'm bringing along my prescription allergy medications, because if everything is blooming and trees are sprinkling heavy green coats on my car at night, it only stands to reason that their counterparts in Italy will be behaving similarly. But are there enough botanical differences so that I don't have to worry as much about tears running down my face, or sudden bouts of coughing and sneezing over the course of the next 3 weeks? I don't expect any problems in Rome or Venice -- but those rolling Tuscany hills, and lemon groves along the Amalfi coast -- any personal experiences out there?

-- I live in the Washington, DC area -- we actually had pollen counts exceeding 1500 a week or so ago --

Diane -- I live in DC too & the pollen count has been terrible lately! It is the oak pollen that is killing me. I'm starting to think DC may be the worst place for allergies that I've ever been. I had a brief respite for a few days at the beach a couple of weeks ago. I'm heading to Paris in a few weeks & wondering what my allergies will be like there, too. Needless to say, I'm bringing my meds...

My husband's pollen allergies actually seem to be worse in Europe. Bring all your stuff and remember that in Italy and France pharmacists can give you pretty heavy duty stuff without a prescription. Unfortunately, even Rome was a problem until I got additional meds from the pharmacy.

Hi Diane, I bought Claritin 10 mg, over the counter in Rome. FYI,Judy <BR>Ps. I never had allergies till I moved to Atlanta,,,,Hotlantas's pollen count was over 3400, yes 3400 last week, It has some of the highest pollen counts in the nation!

Achoo! Just reading this makes my nose tickle here in the SF Bay area where the wind has been blowing the pollen around the past few days. Newspaper (SJ Merc) doesn't tell us the actual pollen count--don't think I want to know!

Yes, take it. You can find those dreaded Cottonwood trees in Europe, as well as general mold and mildew. <BR>

Ha! Misery loves company...thanks all. I'm bringing Claritan and Nasonex and Maximium Strength Advil Sinus. Too bad I can't carry my Hepafilter air purifier but we just got all our stuff down to two carryon bags apiece. I did fine in Paris in '98, San Francisco in '99 and Negril in '00 so was hoping the change of geography might help some. Love y'all for all the help. Tomorrow I'm supposed to work all day. Right. We leave Wednesday. (I have had to sleep with wet washcloths over my face on business trips to Houston and Atlanta -- but that may not be possible based on previous threads, huh?) Yes, it's getting giddy time.

I live in the Washington, DC, area, where pollen counts got over 2200 last week and everone was sneezing, even me, who hasn't had anallergy problem for the past 10 years. Europe was never so bad. But Europe does have some plants that we don't have that make allergy sufferers go nuts. Fortunately, Europe has pharmacies that dispense the most amazing medicines! Just pop into your local pharmacy and describe your allergy and you will get medicine that is SO far better than anything you'll get in the USA to last a lifetime. Be sure to tell the pharmacist of anything else that you are allergic to and any other medications you are taking.

Good luck Diane. Looking at the positive you may be me in reverse! I suffer badly from hayfever and yet it never bothered me when I lived for several years in Connecticut. However, I would start sneezing almost as soon as I got off the plane at Heathrow on home visits! St Cirq is right - vegetation is so different over here - you may be OK.

Diane, I know you're going to Italy, so this is just an FYI to any other allergy sufferers that Claritin (Claritine) is available without prescription in Belgium. You can just ask for it at the local pharmacy. <BR>Also, the French term for hay fever is "rhume des foins". <BR>BTilke

Actually, the pollen count in D.C. was around 5000 last week.

I have major allergies and had no problem in the Tuscany area last fall. The year before in Switzerland they were so bad people kept asking me if I had a cold. So I guess It's a hit or miss thing. Always take my allergy medicine though.

I never had allergies until I moved to the Washington, DC area.

Me neither, Ilisa. This week in D.C. is just unbearable. I've been taking my suddenly ineffective Claritin and also the occasional Contac Cold/Flu (doublepack with yellow antihistamines for day, blue for night). <BR> <BR>I decided not to go on a five-mile historical walking tour at Bull Run Battlefield just outside D.C. on Sunday because it would mean being near -- shudder -- TREES. Which did make me wonder about whether and in what seasons my apparent tree-pollen allergy might be triggered in Europe. So, Diane-who's-going-to-Tuscany, and others about to head off on European travels -- when you come back, please let us know whether your allergies bothered you there (hope not!).

Hi Diane, <BR>Yes, as Tuscany is also a valley, it stays nice & moist, serving as a breeding ground for molds galore. One of my classmates was miserable until I shared some meds I'd brought from home & during my school time there, I had my family continually ship meds over to me. Not so sure about Amalfi... <BR>Kathy

A friend of mine who has terrible allergies here in the DC area moved to Paris for three years some time ago and said her allergies worsened considerably there. She had to go every month to a French clinic to get special treatments. And my husband, who does fine with Claritin here, is overcome some years with allergies in the Dordogne (he's allergic to oak, which is a major allergen in the US, but possibly even more so in the Dordogne, where all those "truffle trees" grow). I wish I could remember what the pharmacists in France gave it - but whatever it was, it was right over the counter and it stopped the problem cold.

Kathy, <BR> <BR>My biggest convern it molds. Generally I have allergies but my largest reactions are to molds/dampness. I'll be going to Italy (Rome, Venice & Amalfi Coast) in late September and my concern is mustiness and dampness. D=Can any one comment on the climate at this time of year in these locations.I particularly concerned about Venice considering their yearly flooding.It's the residual smells that it will leave.Thanks for your input.

StCirq <BR>Could it have been Polaramine? Comes in 6 mg (small) coated caplets. I had a reaction to some C & E products and my husband was having hay fever and a Paris pharmacist suggested Polaramine to us. It worked great and it's since been recommended to us by pharmacists here in Brussels as well (although they usually suggest Claritin as it's OTC here). <BR>BTilke

Another sufferer checking in. I'm dripping and sneezing from October thru May , here in FL Oak blooms twice a year, then there is pine and palm pollen among other things! Had been alternating Claritin, Allegra, and zyrtec, when 1 stopped working had to switch to another. I was worried about UK too this year, so my allergist stopped all of above and switched me to Flonase nasal spray and OTC chlor-tri-mton. When I expressed concern about drowsiness he said if I took it consistently for 3 days I most likely would not notice the drowsiness and that most of the OTC antihistamines are really more effective than the prescription ones but people can't take the side effects. Yhe nasal spray is a miracle !! and he was rght about the otc stuff , I started it on a weekend so I wouldn't fall asleep at the wheel and by Tuesday never felt the least bit drowsy. Now that the spray is working at 100% ( it takes about 2 weeks for full effect) I don't even need the antihistamine. I didn't seem to have much problem in the cities but the countryside can really get to you.