Treatment Options for Common Allergies
An allergy is a reaction of the immune system to certain substances (allergens). There are different kinds of allergies and some of the common allergies include allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema, asthma, and food allergies, among the others. The symptoms for every allergy are different and the degree of it, too, varies from being very mild to sometimes being life threatening.
Thanks to the advancement in technology, there are several treatment options that help in tackling allergies and their adverse reactions. The treatment options for common allergies are determined to keep in mind the medical history and the severity of the allergies in the person over the years.
These treatment options for common allergies are of three types: avoiding the allergens all together, oral and injectable medicines, and/or immunotherapy.
To avoid the allergens, the allergic person may need to cut off all sources of allergens at home and even at their workplaces, if possible. Washing out one’s nose daily can also help curb the effects of any airborne allergies. This can be done with saline or distilled water using a neti pot. This initially may seem like a hard task and may need supervision.
Some of the medicinal treatment options for common allergies include-
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Mast cell stabilizers
These are ideal for controlling the production of histamines. Histamine is what causes runny noses, runny eyes, or itching eyes as allergic reactions. These are available as nasal and eye drops.
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Nasal corticosteroids
These are nasal sprays that are effective in taking care of allergic reactions that cause swelling in the nasal airways. It reduces the swelling and helps relieve reactions like an itchy nose or nasal congestion.
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Oral corticosteroids
Oral corticosteroids are used to control severe allergic reactions. These corticosteroids are available on prescriptions and need to be taken only as per the doctor’s advice. The intake of oral corticosteroids should be carefully monitored as they are known to have serious side effects.
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Antihistamines
Antihistamines help in taking care of histamine-related allergic reactions. These reactions can cause a runny and itchy nose, sneezing, and hives. These allergic reactions are mostly caused by indoor or seasonal allergens. These are available in various forms like pills, sprays, liquids or as melting pills.
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Decongestants
Decongestants are easily available over-the-counter anti-allergic solutions that help relieve an allergy-related nasal congestion. However, these need to be used carefully as using them for a continued period, for a long time can cause more nasal swelling and congestion.
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Self inject epinephrine
This is one of the fast treatments available for keeping life-threatening allergy reactions from alleviating. These are available in injection pens, which the person with an allergy can use it by himself. The epinephrine needs to be administered as soon as the first signs of an allergic reaction are noticed.
The above mentioned treatments are only some of the remedies and may not help all kinds of allergic reaction. One can always get one of the allergy tests available in hospitals done to find out any substance he/she may be allergic to.
