Surviving Allergy Season

Allergy season is upon us! While spring is an exciting time of the year for many people, it also brings allergy symptoms! If you're coughing, sneezing, sniffling, and have watery, itchy eyes, these could be byproducts of an allergy.

Your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) can be a part of the solution to fight seasonal allergies. You can use an FSA whether it's by visiting a doctor, taking over-the-counter medication, or checking out drug-free FSA-eligible products to treat an allergy.

Below are a few ways to fight the symptoms and enjoy the warm weather this season has to offer.

Using a Flexible Spending Account to Fight Allergy Symptoms

1. Visit your doctor. If you're not sure if you suffer from an allergy (but think you might be having symptoms - sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, for example), it's not a bad idea to ask your doctor more about it. Your doctor might recommend you have an allergy test done to determine which allergens you react to.

Browse Covered Expenses via our Eligibility List

2. Take antihistamines. If you have severe allergic symptoms, your doctor may recommend you take over-the-counter medications to treat your allergies. If you want to buy an antihistamine (like Claritin or Zyrtec) with your Flexible Spending Account, you would need a prescription for that item to get reimbursed by your account. This is due to changes that began on January 1, 2011, which require a prescription for any OTC products containing active medicines (that would include Benadryl, Zyrtec, or Claritin, and other medications).

FSA Store can help you process your doctor's prescriptions - whether you email us your doctor's prescription or we can contact your doctor for you (or the doctor can fax it over).

Learn about our Rx process

3. Spring clean your home. Keep allergens (outdoor pollen, for example) at a minimum by frequently cleaning your home.

4. Use nasal sprays and warm steam vaporizers. These types of products keep your nasal passages clear to prevent any sinus issues.

Shop for Cold & Allergy products at FSA Store