Alabama has been one of the states hit hardest by sky-high pollen counts that have occurred early on in allergy season than they have in years, causing many residents to flood pharmacies in search of medications to treat their symptoms. Should allergy season strike early next year, they may need to plan their treatment strategies ahead of time, following passage of a new bill by the state legislature.

The bill aims to slow the spread of drugs containing pseudoephedrine, which is commonly used during the production of illegal methamphetamines. Pending the approval of the governor, allergy sufferers may soon have trouble acquiring cough and cold medications, which often contain pseudoephedrine.

"Members of the Alabama State Senate and House recognize that making significant strides against meth production and protecting responsible consumers' access to affordable, quality healthcare do not have to be mutually exclusive goals," Scott Melville, president and CEO of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) said in a statement supporting the bill.

As this blog has reported on numerous times, many states have begun restricting accessibility to medications containing pseudoephedrine by either forcing pharmacies to track the medications they give out containing the compound or requiring individuals to get a prescription for the drug. Neighboring Mississippi is one of two states that currently require a prescription for those medications.

Alabama will not go quite to that length, but allergy sufferers will still need to present identification to a pharmacist when they need these medications, so that the individual's information can be entered into a database. By keeping cold medications behind the counter, pharmacies can keep track of their inventories and be able to assist law enforcement officials should they need to investigate methamphetamine production.

Allergy sufferers should track similar bills in their own states to determine whether they will also need to alter their treatment strategies for coping with symptoms.

Related posts:

1. Illinois tightens restrictions on cold and allergy drugs
2. Cold, allergy drug restrictions in Iowa likely to continue
3. Drug limitations could create more difficulties in treating cold symptoms
4. AAFA stands with Kentucky allergy sufferers against legislation
5. New Hampshire law could deprive state workers of perfumes