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Allergies have no cure; however, there are some medications available which may assist you with the symptoms.
Antihistamines are used to treat allergy symptoms. They can be taken in many forms, including eye drops, nasal spray, liquid, and pills. Some over the counter antihistamines include Claritin, Benadryl, Chloe-Trimeton, Zyrtec, Dimetane, and Tavist. Ocu-Hist is an eye drop available over the counter. Prescription antihistamines include Allegra, Clarinex, Astelin, Emadine, and Livostin.
Antihistamines work by blocking histamines. Basically when you are exposed to an allergen, your immune system goes into action and histamines are released. They cause inflammation in your nasal passages and sometimes in your bronchial tubes. Swelling, redness, itching, and secretion changes occur. Using an antihistamine can prevent symptoms, but be aware that antihistamines can cause drowsiness in some cases.
The purpose of decongestants is to relieve congestion, and they can come in liquid, pill, eye drop, or nasal spray form. Eye drop and nasal spray decongestants are only able to be used for a few days since long term usage of these can lead to a worsening of the symptoms. The liquid and pill form can be taken safely for longer periods of time. Some examples of over the counter decongestants include Zytec-D, Sudafed, Neo-Synephrine and Afrid nasal sprays, as well as Visine eye drops. There are also prescription decongestants available, such as Claritin-D and Allegra-D which combine another allergy medicine with a decongestant.
When you have an allergic reaction, the tissues of your nose swell due to the contact with the allergen. Fluid and mucous are produced. Redness in your eyes is a result of the blood vessels swelling. The decongestants act to shrink swollen nasal tissues and the blood vessels to relieve the symptoms of the congestion, nasal swelling, redness, and mucous secretion.
There are some side effects of decongestants, such as increased blood pressure, so if you have glaucoma or blood pressure concerns, decongestants are not a good idea. Decongestants can also cause insomnia, restricted urinary flow, and irritability.
Combination Allergy Drugs
There are some allergy drugs that have an antihistamine and a decongestant to help relieve multiple symptoms of allergies. There are also combinations of asthma and allergy medications and an antihistamine eye drop with a mast cell stabilizer drug. Over the counter combination medications include Benadryl Allergy and Sinus, Tylenol Allergy and Sinus, and Zyrtec-D. Prescription combination allergy drugs include Claritin-D, Allegra-D, and Semprex-D which are used for nasal allergies. Optivar, Zaditor, Patanol, and Vasocon are used for allergic conjunctivitis.
Steroids, or corticosteroids will reduce the inflammation related to allergies. They act to prevent and treat nasal stuffiness, itchy and runny nose, and sneezing due to allergies. They also are able to decrease the swelling and inflammation from other forms of allergic reactions. Steroids are usually highly effective for allergies; however, they must be taken every day in order to benefit you. It also may take one or two weeks before the effects of the medicine will be realized.
Steroids are available in a variety of forms. First they are available as pills for you if you have serious allergies or asthma. Inhalers are available for sufferers of asthma. Nasal sprays are for seasonal or else year round allergies, and creams are available for skin allergies. Eye drops are for you if you have allergic conjunctivitis. Steroids can be prescribed in addition to other allergy medications.
Some steroids include nasal steroids such as Beconase, Nasocort, Flonase, Nasonex, Veramyst, Rhinocort, and generic Fluticasone. Inhaled steroids include Flovent, Pulmicort, Azmacort, Asmanex, Aerobid, Alvesco, and Q-Var. Symbicort and Advair are inhaled drugs that combine a steroid with another asthma drug. You can only receive an inhaled steroid with a prescription. Eye drop steroids include Alrex and Dexamethasone, and oral steroids include Prenisone or Delatasone.
There are also some side effects from steroids, especially if they are given orally and if given for long periods of time. Some short term use effects might be high blood pressure, retention of fluid, and gaining weight. Long-term steroid side effect use may include diabetes, cataracts in your eyes, growth suppression, osteoporosis or bone thinning, and muscle weakness. The side effects of inhaled steroids includes hoarseness, yeast infections in your mouth, and cough.
Bronchodilators are inhaled and are utilized to control asthma symptoms. They are available only with a prescription. Short acting bronchodilators are used for quick relief of asthma symptoms. Long-acting bronchodilators can provide up to twelve hours of relief from symptoms of asthma and can assist people who have nighttime asthma difficulty.
Bronchodilators work by relaxing the muscle bands that tighten around the airways. This will open the airways quickly, allowing more air to come in and out to the lungs to improve breathing. Bronchodilators are also helpful in that they also clear mucus out of the lungs. When the airways open up, the mucus is able to move about more freely and can be coughed up and out easier. Usually one or two puffs of an inhaler will help the wheezing subside and the chest tightness go away that is related to a mild attack. If you have a more severe attack, more puffs may be needed. Some examples of bronchodilators include Xopenex, Maxair, Pro-Air, Proventil, and Ventolin.
Bronchodilators are strong drugs. If they are overused, they can cause side effects of high blood pressure and a rapid heartbeat.
Mast cell stabilizers are used to treat mild to moderate inflammation in the bronchial tubes as well as other symptoms of allergies. This type of medicine can be used to help prevent symptoms of asthma when exercising and can also be given before the exposure to an allergen when it is unable to be avoided. Mast cell stabilizers can be available as inhalers for asthma, as eyedrops for allergic conjunctivitis, and in the form of nasal sprays for symptoms of nasal allergies. It may take a few weeks for the full effects to be felt from this medication. Some of the mast cell stabilizers include Tilade, Crolom, Alocril, Intal, Alomide, Alamast, Nasalcrom, and Opticrom.
Mast cell stabilizers work by stopping the release of the histamine from the mast cells. There are some side effects of mast cell stabilizers too. For example, coughing, throat irritation, and skin rashes can occur as a result of inhaled mast cell stabilizers. Eye drops may result in burning, blurred vision, or stinging.
Leukotriene Modifiers are used for the purpose of treating allergy symptoms and asthma. They can be prescribed in combination with other drugs. They come as pills, oral granules, and chewable tablets, but can only be prescribed by a doctor. Some names of leukotriene modifiers are Singulair, Zyfloe, and Accolate.
Leukotriene Modifiers block the effect of the leukotrienes, which are chemicals that are produced in the body as a response to the allergy. The side effects of these drugs are rare. They may include heartburn, stomach upset or pain, fever, cough, stuffy nose, headache, and rash.
Over the Counter Products
There are additionally some over the counter products which can help with the symptoms of allergies. The first is salt-water solution or saline, which can be available as a nasal spray in order to relieve congestion, prevent crusting, and loosen the mucus. There is no medicine in these sprays. Also artificial tears, which contain no medicine, can be used to treat itchy, watery, and red eyes.
Allergy shots, or immunotherapy, can be an affective form of treatment if you suffer from allergies for more than three months of the year. These shots will be given to you gradually, increasing levels of the allergen to assist your immune system to build some tolerance to the allergen.
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