Allergy Medications

Try to prevent rather than medicate

It is best to try and prevent the symptoms of your allergy by eliminating or reducing your contact with the allergen that affects you. Using drugs and medication to cover up the symptoms does nothing to try and address the cause of the problem and can sometimes have even more unpleasant side effects than the allergy itself. However, it can often be hard to reduce your exposure to certain allergens, for example if you have hay fever.

Typical symptom-relief medications

The most common medications that are used to reduce the symptoms of different allergies are antihistamines and steroids. These are available in many different forms, such as nasal sprays, tablets and creams, depending on the nature and location of your symptoms. If you are unsure as to what would be best for relieving your specific symptoms then consult your doctor, allergist or pharmacist.


Antihistamines

Depending on the severity of your allergy, these are available both over the counter at your local pharmacy and on prescription from your doctor. Should your symptoms prove to be very frequent or debilitating and over-the-counter antihistamines have done little to improve them, then you can ask your doctor to you write you a prescription for something stronger. Examples of over-the-counter antihistamines are Benadryl and Claritin. Should these, or other products similar to these, prove unsuccessful, typical medications that your doctor might prescribe include Clarinex and Allegra. Most over-the-counter antihistamines tend to cause drowsiness, so some people prefer to go straight to their doctor for a non-sedating antihistamine prescription, particularly if their job requires a high level of concentration or awareness.

Allergy shots

If you suffer from quite severe or frequent allergic reactions it might be an idea to consult your doctor or allergist regarding allergy shots, or immunology. This attempts to reduce your body’s sensitivity to the allergens which are causing you to react. Immunology is therefore still not a cure, however it takes a more proactive approach to treating the symptoms of allergies than just repeatedly taking medications and drugs.

The allergy treatment works by the patient receiving regular injections of a small dose of the allergen that provokes a reaction. The concentration of the allergen in the dose administered is gradually increased, thereby hopefully slowly getting your body used to being exposed to the allergen. This should reduce your overall reaction to the allergen, and thus decrease your symptoms in general. This treatment takes time to allow your body to adjust, usually a matter of years, but many people find it successful with some even having their symptoms disappear completely.

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