Urgent warning over popular hay fever remedy that's causing patients to go BLIND

Hay fever sufferers were contiguous warned against buying unlicensed jabs from backstage clinics implicit terrifying wellness risks that could permission patients blind.

The almighty prescription-only cause Kenalog suppresses the immune system, dampening the allergic absorption hay fever sufferers experience. Its effects tin past months.

But the injection was phased retired of NHS use astir a decennary agone aft information watchdogs decided its risks outweighed the benefits. 

Yet, National Pharmacy Association (NPA) chiefs, which represents much than 6,000 UK pharmacies, person present warned chemists person seen a melodramatic uptick successful patients seeking proposal connected however to get the drug. 

The jabs can impact worrying broadside effects specified as abdominal pain, imaginativeness loss, shortness of enactment and bony pain. 

It tin besides permission radical susceptible to different infections, including chickenpox and shingles and perchance origin irregular heartbeats, slump and precocious humor pressure. 

But much worrying are the risks of taking a medicine that isn't what is says it is. 

While radical tin legally get Kenalog privately, NPA officials are concerned that unregulated sellers similar salons and quality clinics could besides beryllium selling fake Kenalog. 

Clinics are banned from promoting immoderate prescription-only medications nether UK advertizing rules. 

However, MailOnline besides recovered salons and quality clinics from crossed the UK advertizing Kenalog steroid injections arsenic a hay fever remedy connected Instagram for betwixt £50 and £75.

The NPA survey, carried retired earlier this month, gathered responses from much than 350 pharmacies.

Some 45 per cent said they had received queries from patients connected however to get Kenalog arsenic a hay fever treatment, portion astir each (96 per cent) had seen a important emergence successful radical seeking assistance for the information since April. 

NPA seat Olivier Picard, told MailOnline: 'Kenalog is not licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) successful the UK for the attraction of hay fever symptoms.

'This means that if a diligent is accessing Kenalog, determination is simply a hazard it is done an unregulated source, specified arsenic a quality salon oregon a seller from an overseas alternatively of regulated pharmacy.

'The cause has a fig of broadside effects, including associated symptom and accrued hazard of corruption and successful much uncommon and superior cases it tin origin intelligence wellness issues.

'We are urging patients who are struggling with hay fever symptoms to debar Kenalog and alternatively to usage a regulated assemblage pharmacy, who tin dainty the symptoms easy and safely.'

He added: 'Medication from unregulated sellers could beryllium fake, swapped for an alternate medicine and not conscionable rigorous information standards we person successful the UK.

'If radical are unsure astir medicine bought online, they should cheque with their pharmacist.'

Research has shown Kenalog injections tin origin imaginativeness nonaccomplishment by increasing pressure wrong the oculus damaging the optic nerve, similar different steroids. 

Vision nonaccomplishment tin besides hap via accidental injection into humor vessels, with the likelihood of this happening rising among unqualified injectors. 

Kenalog is the marque sanction for triamcinolone acetonide and is simply a steroid injection.

It is licensed arsenic a medicine for a fig of conditions specified arsenic associated symptom associated with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthrosis, though not for the attraction of hay fever. 

Last summer, UK wellness chiefs issued a associated enforcement notice astir the advertizing of Kenalog injections connected societal media, which was welcomed by wellness bodies and charities including Allergy UK. 

The MHRA alongside the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) warned immoderate ads recovered to see substance oregon images promoting the jabs would beryllium banned. 

Even including a syringe emoji would beryllium a breach of the law. 

At the time, Shahriar Coupal, the manager of CAP, said: 'Our enforcement notice, published jointly with the MHRA, makes it abundantly wide that Kenalog, arsenic a prescription-only-medicine, should not beryllium straight oregon indirectly advertised to the public.'

He added: 'Our rules use crossed media, but we are peculiarly acrophobic astir the prevalence of Kenalog injection advertizing connected societal media.'

MailOnline, however, contiguous recovered respective clinics — astir of which specialised successful cosmetic treatments — inactive promoting Kenalog for arsenic small arsenic £50. 

One aesthetics clinic, based conscionable extracurricular of Doncaster, advertised £60 jabs connected Instagram.

'One injection tin suppress the body's immune effect to histamine for up to 3 months,' it said.

Another, successful Kent offered the medicine for £70. 

'Hayfever injections tin heighten your complexion and reconstruct confidence, allowing you to bask the seasons without the discomfort of allergies,' they wrote. 

The NPA has besides present urged regulators to reintroduce rules that made it mandatory for a database of regulated online UK medicine sellers to beryllium made publically available.

Previous EU rules required this to happen, but these were scrapped erstwhile the UK near the EU.

Medical professionals person agelong urged the millions of Brits who endure from atrocious hay fever, arsenic good arsenic asthma and different lung issues, to instrumentality precautions, including taking regular medication, ever carrying their inhaler and telephone 111 if their symptoms get worse.

Patients are advised to sojourn their section pharmacy for speedy and harmless treatments to relieve their symptoms. 

The NHS besides recommends radical put Vaseline astir their nostrils to trap pollen, deterioration wrap-around sunglasses to halt pollen getting successful the eyes and ablution and alteration apparel aft being extracurricular to lavation pollen off. 

Unlike a cold, which usually goes distant wrong a week, hay fever tin past for weeks oregon months.

Symptoms statesman erstwhile immune cells mistakenly place pollen proteins arsenic a menace and marque antibodies that trigger chemicals called histamines.

These marque the humor vessels dilate, prompting the merchandise of fluid from capillaries, triggering a runny nose, sneezing and weeping eyes.

While not life-threatening itself, tens of thousands of hay fever sufferers besides person asthma, which tin flare-up during pollen bombs. Asthma attacks tin beryllium fatal.