In this article, Smiles will introduce you to the 11 best medicines for hay fever which you can easily buy in drugstores and e-commerce platforms throughout Japan. Out of the following 11 medicines, 3 are tablets, 3 are eye drops and eyewash, 3 are nasal drops, and 2 are facial sprays. Hopefully, this article will help you get rid of all the troubles you have to go through if you get a hay fever in Japan.
What is hay fever?
Hay fever (花粉症 in Japanese, pronounced as かふんしょう or kafunsho) is a type of allergy you can get by direct exposure to small, light, and dry pollen grains that travel by the wind. Hay fever is not just a headache for the Japanese but also for foreigners living in Japan after a few years.
Specifically, symptops for pollen allergies include sneezing and coughing, runny/blocked nose, red or watery eyes, itchy throat, mouth, nose and ears, loss of smell and taste, headahce and feeling tired after being outside for a while.
When does hay fever happen?
Pollen grains, known to be the cause of hay fever in Japan, come from 3 types of tree: hinoki, batasuka, and sugi trees. In most cases, pollen allergy is caused by direct contact with sugi’s pollen grains. Sugi, or Japanese cedar tree, is widely used for building materials such as pillars in Japan. Every spring, these trees begin to pollinate by the wind. Their flying pollen grains cause at least 25% of the Japanese population to acquire hay fever.
For some foreigners living in Japan after a few years, the immune system against pollen might be weakened. Even if they never caught hay fever before, as they are staying in Japan for some time, they can still become susceptible to hay fever just like the Japanese.
Tablets for hay fever
The following medicines for hay fever (or pollen allergy) are listed below in the order of effectiveness (according to users’ reviews). They should only be for your reference.
In case of infants, pregnant women, and those having comorbidities, we advice you to consult with doctors before consuming the following medicines. Please also read the instructions carefully on how much dosage and when to take before use.
Eye drops and eyewash for hay fever
Another allergy medicine are eye drops and eyewash listed in the order of effectiveness below (according to users’ reviews). They should only be for your reference.
In case of infants, pregnant women, and those having comorbidities, we advice you to consult with doctors before consuming the following medicines. Please also read the instructions carefully on how much dosage and when to take before use.
Nasal drops for hay fever
The following nasal drops are listed in the order of effectiveness (according to users’ reviews) to beat hay fever. They should only be for your reference.
In case of infants, pregnant women, and those having comorbidities, we advice you to consult with doctors before consuming the following medicines. Please also read the instructions carefully on how much dosage and when to take before use.
Facial sprays for hay fever
The following hay fever facial sprays are listed in the order of effectiveness (according to users’ reviews). They should only be for your reference.
In case of infants, pregnant women, and those having comorbidities, we advice you to consult with doctors before consuming the following medicines. Please also read the instructions carefully on how much dosage and when to take before use.
Supplementary treatment products for hay fever
Other than allergy medicines mentioned above, we will also introduce supplementary treatment products special for hay fever including hay fever masks and hay fever glasses. By introducing the following products, we hope, together with those allergy medicines, can protect you against pollen allergy during this season in Japan.
All in all, this article aims to introduce you to not only popular medicines treating hay fever, but also some supplementary products which could become helpful for hay fever prevention. By suggesting hay fever remedies, we hope to help you keep your peace of mind on your everyday life in Japan.
