Allergy - Treatment Options
The first stage of treatment is to identify the allergen and try to prevent exposure to it. There are various treatment options available for treatment or symptomatic relief of allergy depending upon the severity.
Some of these are:
Decongestants
These are available over the counter and can provide much needed symptomatic relief from running nose, stuffy nose etc.
Some of the common decongestants are
- Nasal spray decongestants such as phenylephrine or oxymetolazone.
Antihistamines
These are used broadly to treat symptoms of all kinds of allergic conditions. They are available over-the-counter, and by prescription. Some are also available that have a decongestant added to the antihistamine. These can be either sedating or non-sedating.
The non-sedating ones are the oral medications like
- A nasal spray such as azelastine.
There are the older anihistamines like
These older anti histamines are equally effective but because of their sedating ability, these drugs must be used with caution especially if work involves concentration like operating machinery or driving etc.
Leukotriene inhibitors
These work by reducing the inflammation involved during an allergic reaction. One example of this class is montelukast.
Mast cell inhibitors
These act before the release of histamines. They prevent the release of histamine and other chemicals that cause allergic symptoms from mast cells when an individual comes into contact with an allergen. Example for this class is cromolyn sodium.
Allergen immunotherapy
This method involves the repeated injection of the allergen to specifically down regulate the immune response. On long-term this leads to reduction of the allergy symptoms.
Steriods
Steriods are used in severe cases of allergies where there are multiple attacks in a short period of time. Steroids provide relief but are not a treatment. They mask the severity of the condition like reducing inflammation.
Some intranasal preparations are available that have been proven to be very effective in alleviating the nasal symptoms.
Some of them are
Next page: Prevention of allergy
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last modified: July 21, 2011