Corticosteroid creams relieve allergic skin reactions such as itching, redness or scaling. Some low-potency corticosteroid creams are available without a prescription, but talk to your doctor before using these drugs for more than a few weeks. Side effects can include skin discoloration and irritation. Long-term use, especially of stronger prescription corticosteroids, can cause thinning of the skin and abnormal hormone levels.
Mast cell stabilizers block the release of chemicals in the immune system that contribute to allergic reactions. These drugs are generally safe but usually need to be used for several days to produce the full effect. They're usually used when antihistamines are not working or not well-tolerated. A leukotriene inhibitor is a prescription medication that blocks symptom-causing chemicals called leukotrienes. This oral medication relieves allergy signs and symptoms including nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing.
Only one type of this drug, montelukast Singulair , is approved for treating hay fever. In some people, leukotriene inhibitors can cause psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, strange dreams, trouble sleeping, and suicidal thinking or behavior.
Immunotherapy is carefully timed and gradually increased exposure to allergens, particularly those that are difficult to avoid, such as pollens, dust mites and molds. The goal is to train the body's immune system not to react to these allergens. Immunotherapy might be used when other treatments aren't effective or tolerated.
It is also helpful in reducing asthma symptoms in some patients. Immunotherapy may be given as a series of injections, usually one or two times a week. The dose may be increased weekly or every two weeks based on the patient's tolerance. Injections of the maximum tolerated dose may then be given every two to four weeks year round.
Side effects might include irritation at the injection site and allergy symptoms such as sneezing, congestion or hives. Rarely, allergy shots can cause anaphylaxis, a sudden life-threatening reaction that causes swelling in the throat, difficulty breathing, and other signs and symptoms. With this type of immunotherapy, you place an allergen-based tablet under your tongue sublingual and allow it to be absorbed. This treatment has been shown to reduce runny nose, congestion, eye irritation and other symptoms associated with hay fever.
It also improves asthma symptoms. Several SLIT tablets contain extracts from pollens of different types of grass, including the following:. Some medications target a specific reaction in the immune system and try to prevent it from happening. These medications are given as injections. They include dupilumab Dupixent to treat allergic skin reactions and omalizumab Xolair to treat asthma or hives when other medications don't help.
Side effects of biological medications may include redness, itchiness, or irritation of the eyes and irritation at the injection site. Epinephrine shots are used to treat anaphylaxis, a sudden, life-threatening reaction. The drug is administered with a self-injecting syringe and needle device auto-injector.
You might need to carry two auto-injectors if there's a chance you could have a severe allergic reaction to a certain food, such as peanuts, or if you're allergic to bee or wasp venom.
A second injection is sometimes needed. As a result, it's important to call or get immediate emergency medical care. A health care professional will train you on how to use an epinephrine auto-injector. It's important to get the type that your doctor prescribes, as the method for injection may differ slightly for each brand. Also, be sure to replace your emergency epinephrine before the expiration date.
Work with your doctor to choose the most effective allergy medications and avoid problems. Even over-the-counter allergy medications have side effects, and some allergy medications can cause problems when combined with other medications. It's especially important to talk to your doctor about taking allergy medications in the following circumstances:.
Keep track of your symptoms, when you use your medications and how much you use. This will help your doctor figure out what works best. You might need to try a few medications to determine which are most effective and have the least bothersome side effects for you. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Sign up for free, and stay up-to-date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID, plus expert advice on managing your health.
Error Email field is required. Collectively, these seasonal allergies are referred to as hay fever. Taking an antihistamine like diphenhydramine -- sold as Benadryl -- can reduce or block histamines, thereby stopping the symptoms. But, the FDA says some antihistamines can make you feel drowsy, unfocused and slow to react. Filie added that you may experience slower reaction time, haziness, or mild confusion -- even if you don't feel drowsy after taking antihistamines. She added that some people who take other popular allergy drugs like cetirizine Zyrtec and loratadine Claritin may also experience drowsiness.
Some allergy medicines may look similar, but contain different ingredients, so she reiterated the importance of knowing exactly what you're taking. The FDA agrees. The agency says different antihistamines may be dosed differently, so if you run out of one that works for you and pick up a different kind at the store, you might not be getting a drug that works the same.
The histamines induce an inflammatory response, where they will dilate the blood vessels that will increase the blood flow to the site of injury or invasion. There are some side effects that come along with this healing process. Antihistamines are usually used to ease allergy symptoms.
They work by blocking histamines attachment to receptors, which prevent the compounds from carrying out their functions. They can cross the blood-brain barrier and inhibit one of the other functions of histamines, which is the role they play in regulating sleep and wakefulness.
This disruption of the action of histamines in the brain results in drowsiness. Older antihistamines have a sedating effect because the medication penetrates the blood-brain barrier, which means that the medication not only works in treating an allergy but also affects the brain.
This results in a feeling of lethargy. In fact, some older antihistamines are prescribed specifically because they help with sleep and relaxation. However, this can be an unwanted and serious side effect for someone who needs to drive or operate heavy machinery. This is also the reason why newer and different antihistamines have less drowsiness effects associated with them. Newer, once-a-day antihistamine medications have no effect on the brain and just function in decreasing allergy symptoms.
They block the histamines which cause inflammation, mucous, itching and hives.
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