Allergy reactions are commonly experienced by many people. There are many elements which can lead to an allergic reaction. Examples include pollen, dust, foods, and stings among others. Allergies do not have a cure. However, there are some types of medication, which can be used to ease or treat some of the unwanted allergy symptoms such as a runny nose, acne, and congestion. Such medication can be prescribed by your doctor or bought over the counter.
Medication used to treat allergy symptoms
There are varieties of medications that can be used for the treatment of allergy symptoms. The medication that you should use will depend on the type of allergy or the symptoms that you are experiencing. The most common ones are decongestants, antihistamines, and corticosteroids, which are discussed in more details below.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines come in the form of pills, nasal spray, liquid, or eye drops. They can relieve itchy eyes, seasonal allergies, and swellings. It works by blocking a substance known as histamine, which is released by the immune system when you are experiencing an allergic reaction. Histamine binds itself to receptors found in blood vessels, resulting in swelling, redness, changes in secretion, and itching. When the antihistamine blocks the released histamine, it prevents all the symptoms that would have occurred.
Decongestants
Decongestants, as suggested by the name, provide relief to congestion. In most cases, they are prescribed together with antihistamines to relieve the allergy symptoms. You can get them in the form of pills, liquid, eye drop, or nasal spray. When experiencing an allergy reaction, swelling may occur in your nose, which in turn causes the production of mucus and other fluids. Redness can also occur in the eyes when the blood vessels swell. Decongestants can shrink the swelling in the nose and blood vessels, which relieves symptoms such as congestion, redness, and mucus secretion. There is a possibility of increase blood pressure when you use decongestants, meaning that you should avoid them if you glaucoma or problems related to blood pressure.
Steroids
Steroids, medically known as corticosteroids, are used to reduce inflammation that is caused by allergies. They can also treat sneezing, nasal stuffiness, runny nose, and itchiness. You can get them in the form of inhalers, pills, liquid, cream, eye drop, or nasal spray. They work quite effectively but require constant use for the best results. It comes with some possible side effects such as fluid retention, weight gain, and high blood pressure.
