Maybe. But I would say for me the benefits of not suffering "breakthrough" hayfever attacks far outweigh the side effects.

Antihistamines are great - but the nasal corticosteroids are what really control my hayfever (1) when used consistently.

1 - Hayfever so bad that I used to have to get custom serum shots containing the local pollen profile, every 2 weeks as a kid. Had anaphylaxis twice.

Best to limit corticosteroids if you can. Azelastine was approved to go OTC last year and is a half-decent antihistamine nasal spray. Hopefully it will be available stores this summer.

Nothing works quite as good as a corticosteroid of course, but azelastine controls my symptoms without having to rely on steroids.

Administered nasally it has very poor systemic bioavailability.