Allergies

With the arrival of Spring also comes allergens that cause many allergic people a lot of symptomatic suffering, these allergy symptoms being: stuffy or runny nose, itchy throat, coughing, itching skin , and red & itching eyes.

There are some ways to relieve the symptoms by using over-the-counter products. Below is an outline of the common active ingredients in OTC allergy medications and their purposes.

What is an Allergy?
When a person has allergies (or "hay fever"), his or her body's immune system is reacting strangely to a substance in the environment that should have been harmless.This substance that is causing the allergies is called an allergen.
Allergies are a very common problem in the U.S., affecting 2 out of 10 Americans.

Different Types of Allergens

Perennial Allergies (or Allergies that occur all-year-long; Indoors)
- dust mites, cockroaches, mold(indoors and outdoors), animal dander, wool dust

Seasonal Allergies (Outdoors)
- Weed, Grass, Tree Pollens

Preventing Allergies

Since allergens that cause allergies are environmental, you can avoid or reduce your exposure to these allergens by controlling your environments. Note that:

• the most common way of exposure to allergens is through inhalation
• season allergies are often caused by outdoor allergens and perennial (or year round) allergies and asthma symptoms may be caused by indoor allergens

Methods of Reducing Allergen Exposure
Outdoor Allergens
1. To increase air circulation, instead of leaving windows and doors open, use air conditioning as an alternative.
2. Upon return from a trip outdoors, change your clothes and take a shower.
3. Rather than drying your laundry outdoors, use a dryer instead.
Indoor Allergens
1. For those with house dust allergies, use allergy-free covers to cover pillows and mattresses to reduce dust mite contamination.
2. For those with animal dander allergies, remove pets from home or keep some rooms pet-free, i.e. bedrooms.
3. For mold allergies, use air conditioning and a dehumidifier to help reduce mold growth.
 

Oral Medications

For All Allergy Symptoms (Itching-red eye, Itching skin, Nasal congestion, Cough)

Antihistamines

• Loratadine & Fexofenadine - no drowsiness (good for daytime)
• Certirizine - mild drowsiness
• Chlorpheniramine & Diphenhydramine - drowsiness (good for nighttime)

Conclusion

For all allergies, the rule of thumb is to look for products with that one ingredient.

Use the product with the ingredient that

• doesn't induce drowsiness (loratadine or fexofenadine) for daytime use
• does cause drowsiness (chlorpheniramine or diphenhydramine) for nighttime use

If this doesn't work, then you can try other medications.

*Oftentimes, a product with the ingredient which causes drowsiness tends to work better than the one that doesn't induce drowsiness.

For Stuffy/Runny Noses (a.k.a Nasal Congestion)

Decongestants

• Phenylephrine - no drowsiness (good for daytime)

For Cough

If you cannot get relief from taking Robitussin DM, you can take it in combination with an antihistamine, oftentimes that combination will resolve the coughing problem. Actually, in many instances, the antihistamine alone can relieve your coughing symptom.

Decongestant Warning for those with Hypertension: Decongestants can cause  hypertension so for people with hypertension, or high blood pressure, they will need to watch out for this side effect. It's better to avoid these products if possible.

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Eye Drops

For Itching, Red Eyes

(If you have a lot of eye discharge, or the symptoms are not relieved in 2-3 days, you should always consult your doctor before trying anything else.)

Antihistamine

• Pheniramine, Antazoline, Ketotifen

For Red eyes

Decongestants

• Oxymetazoline, Tetrahydrozoline
  

For Dry Eyes

• Artificial tears

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Nasal solutions - Temporary Nasal Decongestant for Sinusitis and Nasal Congestion (Stuffy/Runny Noses)

For Stuffy/Runny Noses

Nasal decongestant - acts as temporary relief for nasal congestion

• Phenylephrine, Oxymetazoline, Naphazoline

For Moisturizing Dry Nasal Passages

• Sodium Chloride Nasal Solution
  

For All Nasal Symptoms

Nasal irrigation usage, flushing sinuses/nasal passages with saline solution, have been proved by medical reports to be a great benefit for people with sinus/nasal problems. Nasal irrigators wash away pollutants, toxins, allergens, and dirt. Nasal irrigation helps to relieve symptoms of sinusitis and allergies without the unwanted side effects of medications. You can also take antihistamines and decongestants simultaneously because the medications can expedite the healing process.

For Rhinitis (or "inflammation  of the nasal passages"), irrigation is a really good method to relieve symptoms of an inflamed or blocked nasal passage, i.e. runny or stuffy nose.

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