It's ragweed season and North Texans are getting hit hard this week, some are even heading to the doctor concerned they've got a virus.
“It’s extremely frustrating when you wake up and say 'today is going to be great,' nope it's not going to be great, because you can't breathe," said Tyler Savage as he shops the medicine aisle looking for relief.
Savage, and many North Texans, suffers from seasonal allergies.
Dr. Richard Honaker of the Family Medicine Associates of Texas, says he sees many patients who think they're suffering from something more serious.
"People come in saying 'boy I've got a sinus infection,' and when I hear that in September, I know nine times out of ten they do not have a sinus infection, they have ragweed allergies," said Honaker.
Honaker says over-the-counter antihistamines work for most people, but some also need cortisone shots. He says he usually administers about one shot a day for allergies, but at the height of ragweed season he's giving out two or three shots a day.
Honaker says a good rain can affect everything, both ways.
"Initially it makes it better because it washes the stuff out of the air, and then the wetness brings more growth to the ragweed plant, which brings more blooms and more ragweed in the air," he said. "So it's a short term good and medium term bad."
For Savage, any relief would be welcome.
"Hopefully it gets over with very quickly," said Savage.
