How Long Do Allergies Last? Fall Allergy Season in Texas

How long do allergies last? It depends on the trigger: a reaction to a pet or a dusty room can fade within hours, seasonal allergies last as long as that pollen is in the air, and indoor allergies to dust mites or pet dander can continue all year. In Dallas Fort Worth, fall often stretches the answer, because one pollen season tends to run straight into the next.

If you searched for “how long does allergies last,” the useful follow up question is which trigger you are dealing with. A sneezing fit after visiting a friend with a cat is a different problem from congestion that starts in August and is still there at Thanksgiving. This guide covers each type, what the North Texas fall season looks like, and what shortens the time you spend with symptoms.

Allergy symptoms usually last as long as you are exposed to the allergen. A one time exposure may settle in hours to a day or two, seasonal allergies last for the length of the pollen season, and indoor allergies can last year round.

After a single exposure, symptoms often settle within a few hours to a day once you leave the trigger behind. Sneezing and itchy eyes tend to ease first. A stuffy nose can hang on a little longer.

The complication is that some triggers come home with you. Pet dander clings to clothes and furniture, and pollen settles in your hair. That is why a reaction you expected to pass quickly can drag on for days. When that happens and you are not sure what is causing it, allergy testing in DFW can narrow the list, though results are always read alongside your symptoms and history.

Hay fever lasts as long as the pollen you are allergic to is in the air. For a single pollen, that is usually several weeks to a few months, and it tends to return at about the same time each year.

The name is misleading, though. Hay fever is another term for seasonal allergic rhinitis, and it has nothing to do with hay and does not cause a fever. It follows the pollen calendar instead, so in North Texas, where seasons overlap, someone allergic to more than one pollen may feel that their hay fever never fully stops.

Fall allergies in Dallas Fort Worth can run from August into February, because several seasons follow one another. Three triggers do most of the work:

A person sensitive to all three can have symptoms from late summer into early spring with only short breaks.

Untreated allergies can last for years. Seasonal allergies tend to return each year on a similar schedule, and indoor allergies can stay with you as long as the allergen stays in your home. Dust mite symptoms, for example, often continue as long as you sleep on the same pillows and bedding without covers or regular hot washing.

Long lasting allergies affect more than your nose. Ongoing congestion can disturb sleep, add sinus pressure, and keep a cough going. It can reach your breathing as well, because allergies and asthma often occur together, and poorly controlled nasal allergies can make breathing symptoms harder to manage.

Timing is the clearest clue. A common cold usually clears up within a week or two, while allergies continue for as long as the trigger is around. Symptoms that arrive at the same time every year are a strong hint of seasonal allergies.

The type of symptom helps too. Itching of the eyes and nose points toward allergies, since colds rarely itch. Clear, watery mucus that lasts for weeks also suggests allergies, while fever and body aches point toward an infection.

Sometimes, though often not on their own. Some children outgrow certain food allergies, such as milk or egg. Allergies to pollen, dust mites, and mold are less likely to fade away by themselves.

A better season does not always mean the allergy is gone. A year with lower pollen counts can hide it, and it may return the next year. If you want to lower the allergy itself rather than wait for a milder year, immunotherapy is the treatment designed to change how your immune system reacts over time. Results vary from person to person.

You cannot change how long ragweed blooms, but you can reduce how much of it reaches you and how strongly you react.

Cutting exposure comes first. On windy days, keep windows closed. Shower before bed so pollen in your hair does not end up on your pillow, and change clothes after yard work. Wet leaf piles help mold grow, so wear a mask when raking them, or ask someone else to do it. If you suspect mold is part of the problem, read about getting tested for mold allergies.

To soften the reaction itself, ask your doctor about starting a daily allergy medicine or nasal steroid spray before your usual season begins, since these tend to work better when started early.

That medicine controls symptoms only while you take it. Immunotherapy works on the reaction itself by giving you small, gradually increasing doses of the allergens you react to. With allergy shots for long term relief, a build up phase is followed by maintenance doses, usually for 3 to 5 years, and the benefit can last after treatment stops.

If you would rather avoid needles, CureSLIT sublingual allergy drops are taken at home under the tongue. They can help treat seasonal allergies and may help treat or prevent the development of asthma.

See an allergist if your symptoms last more than a few weeks, return every fall, or keep waking you at night despite over the counter medicine. A visit also makes sense if you cannot tell whether you have allergies, a sinus problem, or repeated colds, or if your season seems to get longer each year.

Dr. M. Waseem Imam starts with the calendar of your symptoms: the month they begin, how many weeks they run, and what you have taken so far. A skin prick test can then check whether ragweed, mold, cedar, or an indoor allergen is part of the picture. Knowing which seasons you react to helps decide whether a daily medicine is enough, or whether immunotherapy is worth starting before next fall.

Cure Allergy Clinic has three offices, starting with the Arlington allergy clinic on N Collins St. Farther north, you can see the Keller allergists on Davis Blvd. South of Arlington is the Mansfield allergy office. Same day appointments are offered.

If your congestion, sneezing, or itchy eyes carry on from ragweed season into cedar season, or never really stop, testing can show which allergens are involved and help you choose a treatment.

Book your allergy evaluation or call (817) 678 5575.

Serving Arlington, Keller, Mansfield, and the greater Dallas Fort Worth area.

About Dr. M. Waseem Imam: Dr. M. Waseem Imam, DO, FACAAI, founded Cure Allergy Clinic and serves as its Chief Medical Officer. He is board certified in adult and pediatric Allergy and Immunology.

This blog is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.