Patrick Andrus had just a few minor allergies when he grew up in southwest Oklahoma.

Then he moved to northeast Oklahoma late last year.

Andrus, a full-time youth minister at St. Paul United Methodist Church, said he was fine at first.

“I was OK until about a month ago,” he said. “The first two weeks were the worst. I couldn’t breathe, and I had a lot of upper respiratory problems.”

The most likely culprit at this time of year is a late-blooming plant called ragweed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the type of ragweed common in Oklahoma is “Ambrosia artemisiifolia.” It’s rare in southwest Oklahoma, but widespread in Muskogee and Cherokee counties.

Fortunately for Andrus, his father is a doctor, so he got advice on medication without paying for an office visit.

“I used Claritin-D to take care of the general allergic reaction,” he said. “I also used a lot of nasal sprays.”

With responsibility for 45 teenagers at the church, Andrus was fortunate that his allergies didn’t interfere with work.

Pediatrician Dr. Tom Kincade with the Cherokee Nation Clinic in Muskogee, said there are several reasons that plants like ragweed create such widespread discomfort.

“We know from the research that many people are specifically sensitive to ragweed pollen,” he said. “Also, it releases pollen in both the early morning hours and evening time, and in Oklahoma in general, there are a lot of winds. All those factors create a ripe environment.”

Kincade said avoidance is the best remedy with most allergies, but that’s difficult if the thing you’re allergic to is airborne.

“What people can do is close their windows and make sure their heating and air conditioning system has hypoallergenic filters,” he said.

Kincade said that approximately one out of every four Oklahomans has some kind of hay fever.

“With ragweed, if you’re allergic, you’ll have watery, itchy symptoms in every hole in your head,” he said.

Many medicines are available in both over-the-counter and prescription strengths.