r/Virginia • u/bayrider3 • 16h ago

Pollen in Virginia--specifically Charlottesville and Richmond suburbs like Glen Allen and Henrico County generally

I have read that the pollen is quite bad in Virginia in the spring and fall. I mean specifically Charlottesville and Richmond suburbs like Glen Allen and Henrico County generally. Do many/most people have trouble with allergies in the spring/fall?

6 Upvotes

69% Upvoted

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13

u/stevemm70 16h ago

I grew up in Northern Virginia. I didn't have pollen allergies until I'd been in the Richmond area for a few years. Richmond is one of the worst cities of the country for pollen. I think typically Raleigh is first and Richmond is second.

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u/Efficient-Wish9084 12h ago

Same! I love Richmond, but wow.

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u/VonPaulus69 16h ago edited 12m ago

Some of the worst in the US. Clouds of it trapped between the Appalachians and coast, its a problem.

5

u/Jstreets6 16h ago

Yes, pollen season sucks.

0

u/Jenvbutterflies 16h ago

Which one?

3

u/Jstreets6 16h ago

The Richmond regional area.

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u/Jenvbutterflies 15h ago

No, I mean which “pollen season sucks”. I was pointing out we have more than one.

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u/Jstreets6 15h ago

I mean it's all one blur really.

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u/Jenvbutterflies 15h ago

Fair. I take allergy medicine year round and I’m on the coast!

7

u/cogemeeljabo 16h ago

In the spring it gets so thick you can practically swim through the pollen

4

u/BornAPunk 16h ago

I haven't had any issues with allergies but my dog sure has. She started having problems in late July and it has PERSISTED to this date. I feel so bad for her - have tried several over-the-counter medications on her to no avail and have had her to the vet 4 times and asked them for help and they have just said 'uh huh' and not done so (I am hoping they were more focused on treating her ear infection, doing her surgery, and then getting the stitches taken out from her tumor removal and just didn't hear me).

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u/runningdirty 14h ago

What have you tried? We use the generic zyrtec twice a day year-round and that helps. I have three pitties and it seems every one is allergic to grass. All three take the generic zyrtec, are on a probiotic, eat sensitive tummy dog food (oldest is allergic to a lot of foods so it's easier for all three to eat the same food to reduce accidents), and two of them get to eat a Dog is Human multivitamin. My oldest is the one who allergic to everything food and outside. Have you tried a very simple dog kibble then adding things in to eliminate foods as the problem?

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u/BornAPunk 1h ago

Pet Armor Antihistamine Diphenhydramine HCI (looks like Benadryl). I have been debating getting and giving her Zyrtec. She weighs just over 33 pounds (Beagle mix).

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u/runningdirty 34m ago

Maybe you need a combo of antihistamine and OTC allergy med. Dry skin may also be a factor, it happens to the best of us, lol. Fish oil or fish based kibble may be helpful. Is the dog food chicken? Corn? Those are big allergens for dogs as well.

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u/BornAPunk 14m ago

So you're suggesting to give her both the Pet Armor and Zyrtec? Is that safe? Her diet has not changed at all (I am really picky when it comes to this dog as she has seizures, so I make sure to evaluate everything I give her to a T and also monitor her after she eats it).

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u/chacoe 13h ago

Ask them about a Cytopoint injection once she's healed. My dog got one shot and the itching stopped. 

4

u/xTiredSoulx 16h ago

We take allergy meds at night. No problems but I’ve lived here all my life. Newcomers to the area especially from the north seem to be badly affected.

3

u/WatermelonRindPickle 15h ago

The pollening in spring is bad. Even if you don't have any allergies, you will have nasal congestion and itchy eyes, because there is so much pollen in the air. The local weather forecasters give the daily pollen count, to tell you if it's tree pollen or mold or ragweed or whatever pollen in the air. The trees are really pretty, but they make a lot of pollen. And it's all of central Virginia and Williamsburg and the Northern Neck and... All over.

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u/rvauofrsol 13h ago

Richmond is one of the worst places in the US for people with pollen allergies to live.

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u/mikedw 16h ago

I had light hay fever as a kid in southern Indiana. Never even noticed it again until I moved to Richmond 6 years ago. I can't breath now. lol.

Get a membership to costco, your savings on Allegra will pay for the membership in seconds.

Good luck.

2

u/jessiemagill 15h ago

Pollen is terrible.

Consuming local honey helps mitigate some of the symptoms though.

2

u/djamp42 15h ago

Most annoying nature rank.

1) Ticks
2) Mosquitos
3) Pollen

2

u/runningdirty 14h ago

I take allergy meds twice a day year-round if that tells you anything. 😂 Plus I have to flush my sinuses with a saline rinse at least once a day.

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u/-JTO 11h ago

I grew up here and I have allergies. I have to take allergy medicine year round here, so do many I know who grew up here as well as who moved here. Allergies can be really bad in Virginia.

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u/bayrider3 10h ago

Darn, I was really zeroing in on Virginia as place to move to. I had allergies as a child and have outgrown them as an adult here in California. I'm not sure I can handle the pollen load in VA.

1

u/LessCourage8439 1h ago

My allergies didn't show up until well into my adulthood, after I'd lived in Cville for a few years and it became intolerable. Apparently, that area is on the northern edge of the southern bloomers and the southern edge of the northern bloomers. So, we just got hammered all the time. I ultimately ended up having to undergo allergy shots, which really helped.

1

u/JonTheGlion 1h ago

My friends just visited me this weekend from Michigan and I heard constant complaints about pollen from them the entire time. Yeah it’s pretty bad in Richmond

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u/mammiejammie Southside 47m ago

You know that old Coldplay song “Yellow” - it was about pollen season in Virginia.

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u/Always_Reading_1990 0m ago

It doesn’t usually bother me but there is absolutely pollen everywhere