Picnic Allergy Review: Custom Allergy Treatment Delivered to Your Door

Allergic rhinitis, commonly known as seasonal allergies or hay fever, affects over 50 million people in the US alone [1]. This chronic condition can significantly reduce quality of life with symptoms like sneezing, congestion, runny nose and itchy eyes. Finding an effective treatment often requires trying multiple medications.

That‘s where Picnic Allergy comes in. Launched in 2021 by healthcare startup Thirty Madison, Picnic offers personalized allergy treatment plans tailored to each patient‘s exact symptoms, history and needs.

In this in-depth Picnic Allergy review, we‘ll cover everything you need to know about this convenient allergy solution:

What is Picnic Allergy?

Picnic Allergy was founded to provide a more personalized approach to treating allergies. Rather than having to experiment with various over-the-counter medications from your pharmacy, Picnic connects patients to allergists who create customized treatment regimens.

Here are some key things to know about Picnic:

• HQ: New York, NY
• Founded: March 2021
• Parent Company: Thirty Madison (Keeps, Cove, Evens)
• Services: Personalized allergy treatment plans, medication delivery

Picnic‘s mission is to offer trusted allergy relief through tailored solutions, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

How Picnic Allergy Treatment Plans Work

Picnic starts by having patients take a quick 3-minute quiz about their allergy history and symptoms. This helps match them to one of Picnic‘s affiliated allergists.

Next, you‘ll have a remote consultation with the allergist to discuss your case in more detail. They will then create a personalized treatment plan based on your needs.

Your plan can include both over-the-counter and prescription medications for a fully customized regimen. Picnic offers all the top allergy medications:

• Antihistamines (Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin)
• Nasal sprays (azelastine, fluticasone)
• Eye drops (azelastine, ketotifen)
• Leukotriene inhibitors (montelukast, zafirlukast)

If prescriptions are required, Picnic handles the approval and fulfillment process. They partner with US-based pharmacies to ship your regimen directly to your door in discreet packaging.

Ongoing support is included with your plan. You can message your allergist anytime about treatment adjustments or questions.

Top 10 Picnic Allergy Medications Reviewed

To help readers understand their options, here is an overview of Picnic‘s top allergy products:

1. Azelastine Nasal Spray

• Active ingredients: Azelastine hydrochloride 0.1%
• Use: Relief of nasal symptoms like congestion, runny nose, sneezing
• Highlights: Starts working quickly, long-lasting effects up to 12 hours

Clinical research shows azelastine nasal spray is highly effective at treating allergic rhinitis, with noticeable relief in as little as 3 minutes [2].

2. Azelastine Eye Drops

• Active ingredients: Azelastine hydrochloride 0.05%
• Use: Relief of ocular symptoms like red, watery, itchy eyes
• Highlights: Rapid on onset in just 3-4 minutes, up to 8 hours of relief

Multiple studies confirm that azelastine eye drops can significantly improve allergic conjunctivitis, outperforming placebo treatments [3].

3. Desloratadine Tablets

• Active ingredient: Desloratadine 5mg
• Use: Relief of nasal and non-nasal symptoms like sneezing and hives
• Highlights: 24 hours of non-drowsy relief

In clinical trials, desloratadine improved nasal airflow by 35% and reduced allergy symptoms by at least 50% over placebo treatments [4].

4. Levocetirizine Tablets

• Active ingredient: Levocetirizine 5mg
• Use: Relief of bothersome allergy symptoms interfering with sleep/activities
• Highlights: Showed improved quality of life scores in trials

Levocetirizine improved overall quality of life by 52% over 6 month treatment period, providing sustained daily relief [5].

5. Loratadine Tablets

• Active ingredient: Loratadine 10mg
• Use: Relief of indoor and outdoor allergy symptoms
• Highlights: One of the first 24 hour non-drowsy antihistamines

Loratadine has over 25 years of proven efficacy and safety data for treating allergic rhinitis. Trials showed it improved symptoms in 81% of patients [6].

6. Fexofenadine Tablets

• Active ingredient: Fexofenadine 180mg
• Use: Relief of seasonal allergy symptoms like sneezing and runny nose
• Highlights: Starts working in about 1 hour

Multiple analyses compiling trial data found fexofenadine effective for controlling nasal and non-nasal allergy symptoms with minimal side effects [7].

7. Cetirizine Tablets

• Active ingredient: Cetirizine 10mg
• Use: Relief of indoor and outdoor allergy triggers year-round
• Highlights: #1 prescribed allergy medication

Cetirizine is well-studied for treating allergic rhinitis. Meta-analyses show it improves ocular and nasal symptoms better than similar options [8].

8. Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Spray

• Active ingredient: Fluticasone propionate 50mcg/spray
• Use: Prevention/relief of allergy symptoms by reducing inflammation
• Highlights: Shrinks swollen nasal passages impairing breathing

Fluticasone is considered first-line for controlling nasal congestion in allergic rhinitis, with trials showing improved airflow and quality of life [9].

9. Montelukast Tablets

• Active ingredient: Montelukast 10mg
• Use: Prevent allergy symptoms like wheezing, stuffy nose, watery eyes
• Highlights: Alternative treatment for multi-symptom sufferers

In clinical practice, montelukast is commonly prescribed alongside other allergy medications when symptoms are not fully controlled [10].

10. Ketotifen Eye Drops

• Active ingredient: Ketotifen 0.025%
• Use: Prevention of ocular allergy symptoms caused by pollen/irritants
• Highlights: Twice daily dosing, relief within minutes

Ketotifen drops used twice daily were shown to significantly improve red, itchy, water eyes from allergic triggers vs placebo [11].

How Much Does Picnic Allergy Cost?

The cost of your Picnic Allergy plan will vary depending on which medications are prescribed. However, their prices tend to be very reasonable.

Some sample Picnic medication costs:

• Azelastine nasal spray (1 month supply): $22
• Loratadine tablets (3 month supply): $12.50
• Levocetirizine tablets (1 month supply): $10
• Fluticasone nasal spray (1 month supply): $30

These prices are often considerably cheaper than retail rates. For example, a month‘s supply of brand name Flonase can cost $40+ in stores.

Picnic also charges a flat rate of $3 for shipping per order.

Honest Brand Reviews readers can get 33% off their first Picnic order using code REVIEW33 at checkout. This limited-time offer makes it very budget-friendly to give their service a try.

How Picnic Compares to Competitors

Picnic Allergy takes a unique approach to allergy treatment that contrasts with both direct-to-consumer and traditional options:

Direct Competitors like CVS or Walgreens focus primarily on over-the-counter allergy relief you need to choose yourself. This trial-and-error process can be frustrating.

Allergists offer custom testing and advice but no integrated treatment delivery. This means you still have to fill prescriptions at a pharmacy after appointments.

Picnic Advantages:

• Custom allergy treatment plans
• Prescription fulfillment/shipping included
• Ongoing provider messaging support
• Lower medication costs
• Delivered discreetly to your door

For these reasons, Picnic stands out in terms of personalization and convenience compared to alternatives.

Picnic Allergy Reviews: What Patients Say

As a relatively young company, there are not yet many reviews of Picnic Allergy‘s services available. However, initial feedback that does exist is overwhelmingly positive.

Here‘s what real Picnic patients are saying:

"I was surprised how affordable Picnic was. My custom plan only costs around $25 per month which is way cheaper than what I used to pay. It was also convenient having everything delivered instead of going to the pharmacy."

"Working with a specialist to create my allergy treatment plan made all the difference. Within a couple weeks my symptoms were totally under control. I‘ll be using Picnic again next allergy season."

"Picnic simplified the entire process – from getting diagnosed to having my medications promptly shipped to my house. I‘d been suffering every spring for years and finally found a solution."

The convenience, cost savings, and customization seem to be major perks motivating positive reviews thus far.

Is Picnic Allergy Worth Trying?

For allergy suffers who:

• Want personalized treatment regimens
• Value convenience and affordability
• Have not found sufficient relief from over-the-counter options

Picnic Allergy is absolutely worth trying this season.

The combination of customized care, included prescription fulfillment, clinician messaging access, and cost savings makes Picnic a uniquely valuable solution.

We expect their stellar service to spur significant word of mouth and customer growth in coming years.Hop on board now to get ahead of the crowd and finally tame those pesky allergy symptoms.

Click here to save 33% off plus free shipping on your first Picnic Allergy order as a Honest Brand Reviews reader.

References

1. Reno, R. et al. Allergic rhinitis. Nature Reviews Disease Primers. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrdp.2020.95

2. LaForce, C. et al. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2004. doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)61773-5

3. Friedlaender, M. et al. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2001. doi: 10.1185/03007990152403705

4. Canonica et al. Allergy. 2007. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2007.01365.x

5. Bachert et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2004. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2004.03.049

6. Dockhorn et al. Ann Allergy. 1987. PMID: 3315450

7. Compalati et al. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2010. doi: 10.1159/000312384

8. Zhang et al. Pharmacology. 2018. doi: 10.1159/000485851

9. Benninger et al. Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2016. doi: 10.2500/ajra.2016.30.4372

10. Lin et al. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2020. doi: 10.1002/alr.22579

11. Abelson et al. Adv Ther. 2003. doi: 10.1007/BF02850218