Pain, colds & allergies
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
If every spring, or every day, brings the same sneezing and itchy eyes, an Ontario pharmacist can assess allergic rhinitis without you needing allergy testing first. At Murray Shore Pharmacy, serving North York from Bathurst Street since 1983, the assessment sorts out your symptom pattern and matches it to a plan, prescription included where appropriate.
Common signs
- Repeated sneezing fits, often worse outdoors or at certain times of year
- A runny or blocked nose with clear discharge
- Itchy nose, throat, or roof of the mouth
- Red, itchy, watery eyes
- Symptoms that return every season, or never fully leave
See a doctor instead if
- Symptoms on one side only, or discharge tinged with blood
- Facial pain or pressure with fever, which suggests a sinus infection
- Asthma that worsens alongside the nasal symptoms
- No improvement despite properly used treatment, which needs a physician's investigation
Any of these sound like you? Call 416-789-1800 and we will point you the right way — or reach Health811 (opens in a new tab) by calling 811.
How the assessment works
The assessment maps your pattern: seasonal or year-round, indoor or outdoor triggers, what you have already tried and how you used it. From there the pharmacist builds a stepwise plan, and where appropriate a prescription option such as a nasal corticosteroid may be prescribed, with technique shown to you before you leave, since most nasal sprays fail from technique rather than choice. OHIP covers the assessment for Ontario residents.
Sources 1, 2Three ways to get started. Do it all from home, or come in.
Start online from your phone, call us, or walk in and ask for the pharmacist. No appointment is needed. When you start online, a pharmacist calls or messages you back to finish the assessment. Prefer email? Write to us.
Frequently asked questions
Plain answers from the pharmacy team. Tap a question to open it.
Do I need allergy testing before the pharmacist can assess me?
No. The assessment is based on your symptom pattern and history. Formal allergy testing is only needed in specific situations, and if yours is one of them we will refer you to your physician for it.
I already take an antihistamine from the shelf. What would an assessment add?
A structured look at why it is not enough: wrong match for your symptom pattern, timing, technique, or a trigger you have not pinned down. The pharmacist also checks your other medications, since some interact or make congestion worse.
How do I know this is allergies and not a lingering cold?
Colds run their course in about a week to ten days; allergies persist as long as the trigger does and itch in a way colds usually do not. Distinguishing the two is one of the first things the assessment settles.
My symptoms are year-round, not seasonal. Is that still hay fever?
Possibly perennial allergic rhinitis, often driven by dust mites, pets, or mould rather than pollen. The assessment covers indoor triggers specifically, and the plan that comes out of it is different from a seasonal one.
Can my ten-year-old be assessed for hay fever?
Yes. Bring the child and their Ontario health card, plus anything they currently take. A parent or guardian stays for the assessment, and the plan is built around what a child will actually tolerate using.
Is the allergy assessment covered by OHIP?
Yes. The assessment is billed to OHIP for Ontario residents with a valid health card, and any prescription that follows goes through your drug plan or is paid out of pocket.
Do I need an appointment?
No, walk-ins work. If you prefer to time your visit, call 416-789-1800 and we will hold a slot in the private consultation room.
What should I bring?
Your Ontario health card, a list of your medications, and the allergy products you have already tried, including sprays and eye drops. Knowing when in the year your symptoms peak also sharpens the assessment.
Can the pharmacist prescribe something beyond the store shelf?
Yes, where clinically appropriate the pharmacist can prescribe for allergic rhinitis after the assessment. If your case needs a physician, for example severe symptoms not responding to a corrected plan, we refer instead and explain why.
How can I cut down my pollen exposure during allergy season?
Keep windows closed on high-pollen days, shower and change clothes after time outdoors, and check daily pollen levels before planning outdoor work. Small habits like these often decide whether a treatment plan holds.
What if it turns out to be a cold or sinus congestion instead?
Then you are still in the right building. Distinguishing allergies from a lingering cold is part of the assessment, and cold and sinus congestion has its own pharmacist service if that is where the evidence points.
Sources & further reading
Numbered references, linked from the sections above.
Your pharmacist is one call away.
416-789-1800 Call nowPrefer not to call? Email info@murrayshore.com or visit us at Bathurst & Baycrest.