Live Updates: Tracking Fills for Allergy Medications

Every spring, as flowers bloom and pollen fills the air, pharmacies see a surge in fills for allergy medications. This uptick isn’t just a coincidence — it’s a direct reflection of how people with allergies are coping with seasonal allergens. GoodRx Research tracks these fills each year to understand how allergy season is shaping up and whether patterns are shifting. By looking at prescription trends for 77 of the most commonly used allergy medications, we can get a real-time pulse on how severe allergy season is and when it reaches its peak.

Trends from previous years show a consistent pattern: Allergy medication fills begin rising in late winter and typically peak in the spring, with March and April seeing the highest activity. In some years, however, the peak occurs as late as May. These fluctuations align with the seasonal cycles of trees, grasses, and weeds, which release pollen at different times depending on the climate and geography. In years with warmer winters, allergy season can begin earlier, causing an earlier spike in medication fills. Conversely, in years with prolonged cold weather, the peak can be delayed.

Looking at past data, we’ve also seen unusual trends emerge. For instance, during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, allergy medication fills spiked earlier than normal. This may have been due to increased awareness of respiratory symptoms, with people turning to allergy treatments for symptom relief. Other external factors, such as wildfire smoke and air pollution, can also influence the severity of allergy season and impact when people seek medication.

As we continue tracking allergy medication fills this season, we’re seeing signs that 2025 may be peaking a little earlier than usual — but it remains to be seen how the rest of the season compares. By analyzing these trends, we can gain a better understanding of how environmental and health factors contribute to seasonal allergy severity and how people with allergies are managing their symptoms.

Methodology

Using a representative sample of U.S. prescription fills, we analyzed weekly pharmacy claims filled from 2019 onward to calculate weekly fill percentages for medications commonly indicated for allergic rhinitis. The fill percent was calculated by taking the weekly allergy medication fill counts as a percentage of fills for all medications, excluding vaccines.

Medications were also categorized into three groups — symptom relievers, preventive or maintenance therapies, and immune modulators. To evaluate seasonal trends, we indexed weekly fill percentages to their January averages, calculating the change in weekly fill percent relative to the average fill percent during the first four weeks of each year.

Drugs included in the analysis: 

• Ahist (chlorcyclizine hydrochloride)

• Alahist IR (dexbrompheniramine)

• Alavert, Claritine (loratadine)

• Allegra (fexofenadine)

• Allegra-D (fexofenadine / pseudoephedrine)

• Astelin, Astepro (azelastine)

• Beconase AQ (beclomethasone dipropionate monohydrate)

• Benadryl, Diphenist, M-Dryl, Q-dryl, Siladryl (diphenhydramine)

• Clarinex (desloratadine)

• Clarinex-D (desloratadine / pseudoephedrine)

• Claritin-D (loratadine / pseudoephedrine)

• Dymista (azelastine / fluticasone)

• Flonase (fluticasone propionate)

• Grastek (timothy grass pollen allergen extract)

• Nasacort AQ (triamcinolone)

• Nasalcrom (cromolyn)

• Nasalide (flunisolide)

• Nasonex (mometasone)

• Patanase (olopatadine)

• Qnasl (beclomethasone)

• Ragwitek (short ragweed pollen allergen extract)

• Rhinocort Aqua (budesonide)

• Ryaltris (olopatadine / mometasone)

• Singulair (montelukast)

• Tavist (clemastine)

• Veramyst (fluticasone furoate)

• Xyzal (levocetirizine) 

• Zetonna (ciclesonide)

• Zyrtec (cetirizine)

• Zyrtec-D (cetirizine / pseudoephedrine)

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Written by:

Tori Marsh, MPH

Tori Marsh is GoodRx’s resident expert on prescription drug pricing, prescribing trends, and drug savings. She oversees the GoodRx drug database, ensuring that all drug information is accurate and up to date.

Analysis by:

Trinidad Cisneros, PhD

Dr. Cisneros is a trained Immunologist with a passion for telling compelling, data-driven stories. He uses his scientific training to investigate and present healthcare issues.

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