The best allergy treatment is an effective allergy treatment. But what are your options, and how can you know which allergy medicine or treatment will be the most effective one for you?
Let’s look at the various allergy medicines available, as well as additional treatment options like immunotherapy, to help explain the various ways you can treat your allergies and reduce your allergy symptoms.
Antihistamines for Allergies
When the immune system encounters an allergen, it releases the chemical histamine along with others to fight off the allergen. Histamine causes a chain reaction in the body in its effort to flush out the allergen. It increases blood flow and causes inflammation within the body to help drive invaders out faster.
Histamine is essential to daily bodily function. However, when too much histamine is released, the patient can suffer mild to severe allergic reactions, depending on their histamine sensitivity.
Allergy symptoms that histamine can cause include:
- Congestion
- Excessive coughing or sneezing
- Runny nose
- Watery eyes
- Facial or bodily swelling
- Skin rashes
- Gastrointestinal upset (nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting)
- Anaphylaxis
Antihistamines, however, work to reduce allergy symptoms by blocking the effects of histamine.
There are several forms of antihistamines that patients can take or apply to relieve their allergy symptoms. These include:
- Eye drops
- Nasal sprays
- Oral medications (tablets or capsules)
Mast Cell Stabilizers for Allergies
Another class of allergy medicine is mast cell stabilizers, which work to target the same thing as antihistamines, but they work in different ways.
While antihistamines block histamine receptors, mast cell stabilizers block the calcium channels in mast cells that release allergy-causing chemicals. These chemicals can trigger allergic rhinitis, asthma, and other reactions. If their channels are blocked and the cells can be stabilized, the likelihood of allergy symptoms will be reduced.
Mast cell stabilizers come in several forms, including:
- Eye drops
- Inhalers
- Nasal Sprays
- Oral medications (capsules)
In many cases, mast cell stabilizers are prescribed in combination with antihistamines.
Allergy Decongestants
Effective for nasal and sinus-related allergies, decongestants offer fast relief when the patient is fighting congestion.
Decongestants do not target histamine the way antihistamines do. Instead, decongestants work to target the blood vessels in the nose and reduce swelling.
When blood vessels in the nose swell, they narrow airways, block sinuses, and prevent proper drainage. As a result, patients can experience congestion, runny nose, postnasal drip, and other frustrating symptoms.
When applied, decongestants temporarily reduce swelling in the nasal area to restore function and provide some relief. The keyword here, though, is temporary. Decongestants are not long-term solutions for allergy treatment; they can only deliver short-term relief. Once the effects wear off, the blood vessels can quickly swell again. Patients will need to continue to use decongestants until they are no longer exposed to their allergy trigger(s).
Decongestants come in several forms, including:
- Dissolvable powders
- Nasal sprays
- Nose drops
- Oral medications (tablets or capsules)
- Syrups
Corticosteroids for Allergies
When allergies lead to swelling, corticosteroids can provide relief. Corticosteroids suppress the immune system, reducing swelling, redness, itching, or other symptoms during an allergic reaction.
Corticosteroids work by binding themselves to the receptor proteins in cells that trigger the chain of events that lead to an allergic reaction. This interference helps suppress immune system activity and prevent inflammation and swelling.
Corticosteroids are especially effective for:
- Skin allergies, eczema, or hives
- Asthma
- Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
There are several forms of corticosteroids, including:
- Eye drops
- Inhalers
- Nasal sprays
- Oral medications (tablets and capsules)
- Topical ointments
Immunotherapy for Allergies
Unlike allergy medicines, which treat allergy symptoms, immunotherapy targets the entire immune system to stop or significantly reduce allergy flare-ups for good.
Immunotherapy is not an allergy medicine, but it’s a long-term allergy treatment that exposes the body to allergens for several years, desensitizing the system to the allergen so that it will no longer react or will react very mildly when exposed to the trigger.
Immunotherapy is broken down into two phases:
- The Build-Up Phase: The build-up phase lasts for a few weeks to a couple of months and involves injecting small doses of the patient’s allergy triggers into the skin. The build-up phase ends once the patient receives the necessary dosage to develop a tolerance to the allergen.
- The Maintenance Phase: Once the build-up phase is completed, it’s important to maintain exposure and continue training the immune system not to react. The maintenance phase can last 3-5 years or until the immune system is no longer reacting to the allergen.
If you suffer from any allergy, Langford offers the allergy medicine or treatment options you need to find relief.
Dr. Langford and our team are dedicated to helping allergy patients reduce their symptoms and face their days with clarity. Schedule an appointment to discover the most effective allergy medicines available or learn if immunotherapy is a good fit for you.
Schedule your allergy appointment with our team today: 478-787-4728
Langford Allergy delivers allergy, asthma, and immunodeficiency care to patients throughout Middle Georgia, including:
- Macon, GA
- Warner Robins, GA
- Milledgeville, GA
- Forsyth, GA
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