(WKBN) – The recent warm weather has been a welcome change. It’s a great chance to take a walk in the park or open your windows. But people with allergies beware: spring blooms mean pollen is in the air. We talked with two doctors about how you can stay on top of your symptoms.

If you’ve been sneezing with a runny nose, cough and itchy eyes, you aren’t alone. Dr. Jill Haltigan, a family physician with Mercy Health, says these mild winter temperatures have impacted those with seasonal allergies. Her patients’ symptoms have started earlier and are more severe.

“Typically, this would be the time of the year where we really start seeing people start to come in, but the past few years it’s been, you know, in March or sometimes even late February,” Dr. Haltigan said.

Dr. Haltigan typically recommends an over-the-counter allergy medication or nasal spray. She also says it’s a good idea to avoid being outside in the morning, when pollen counts are higher, and to wash your hands after being outside.

“People who really suffer from allergies, come in, take a shower, get your clothes off, kind of get that substance away from you as quickly as possible,” Dr. Haltigan said.

But if avoiding the allergen and over-the-counter treatment options isn’t working, doctors say there are more intense options to bring you relief.

“There’s immunotherapy the patient can take at home and there is injections and usually we give them in the clinic,” said Dr. Hussam Tallab, an otolaryngologist with Trumbull Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Tallab says they also do a newer surgery that involves freezing the nerve in the nose that causes some allergy symptoms.

If over-the-counter medications aren’t helping your allergy symptoms, call your doctor.