The saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers,” and anyone with bad allergies knows that’s not always a good thing. D.C.-area allergists say you might want to start taking those allergy meds early.

“Even around Feb. 6 to 9, it got warm, so the pollen came out pretty strong,” said Kaiser Permanente Dr. Troy Baker, an allergy specialist in Virginia. He said spring allergies this year went on the offensive sooner than usual and warned Mother Nature is just getting started.

“Grass comes on pretty hard in the months of May, June, July,” he told WTOP.

Baker said an early spring means an early summer — and it pays to prepare your pollen defense.

“If you have allergies to grass, start now,” he said. “This is the right time to get going on your allergy medication.”

Nasal sprays are generally more helpful than pills, according to Baker.

“Stacking medications in different categories is generally OK, too,” Baker told WTOP.

He said on days when allergies are at their worst, you could use a nasal spray, antihistamine, and even a decongestant all together. But he also said it’s not healthy to continue to combine these medications long term for weeks on end.

If all else fails, he said it might be time to pull the trigger on allergy shots.

“It’ll give you about 80% improvement,” he said. “So, that is an option to consider as well.”

It can also pay dividends to look ahead a few days to know what’s coming in terms of how much pollen could be in the air. Pollen.com provides a five-day allergy forecast, which is predicting D.C. will have high pollen counts through Monday.