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Popular Treatments for Seasonal Allergies

Popular Treatments for Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies are inevitable health conditions that recur year after year, leaving you with itchy eyes, drippy noses, and a whole lot of inconvenience. While completely avoiding pollen and other allergens is a total impossibility, it is possible to provide pain relief and ease the discomfort by adopting proper medication. Medication is undoubtedly the best solution to combat seasonal allergies; it is essential that you consult a doctor before taking medicines. Several over the counter drugs prove to be helpful in case of an allergy, some of the best seasonal allergy medicines have been listed below for your convenience.

Try antihistamines
Allergic reactions produce a chemical called histamine in the body that gives you a sickening feeling during seasonal allergies. Antihistamines are drugs that fight against the chemical and helps provide instant relief. The best seasonal allergy medicine comes in the form of pills; however, some antihistamines are also available in the form of nasal sprays. These medicines are known to control, target, and alleviate common allergy symptoms like sneezing, itching, and runny nose. Nasal sprays, on the other hand, work as decongestants that bring relief from itching, drippy nose, and nasal congestion. Some over the counter that you can try after adopting necessary precaution are Cetirizine (Zyrtec), Desloratadine (Clarinex), Fexofenadine (Allegra), Loratadine (Alavert, Claritin), and the like. Most of these drugs are have lesser sedatives and do not make the patient very drowsy.

Decongestants
While decongestant is the best seasonal allergy medicine to unclog your blocked nose, you need to exercise caution while using decongestants as they have side-effects if used for a prolonged period. It is, therefore, recommended that you use decongestants only when you are feeling absolutely miserable. Some of the common ill effects of decongestants include urinary tract issues, palpitations, high blood pressure, and the like. To ensure you do not have to deal with an unforeseen circumstance, consult a physician before buying any type of decongestant. Use of decongestant for more than three days at a stretch may increase the chances of the congestion relapsing. Sprays that have the potency of shrinking the nasal passage should not be used more than once as they can worsen the issue. Ensure you adopt all necessary precautions before using a decongestant. Some of the popular over the counter decongestants available for moderate use include pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. Oxymetazoline is another decongestant in the form of a nasal spray that can be used as recommended. People with prostate issues and heart problems must avoid the use of decongestant pills and sprays. Apart from using the best seasonal allergy medicine, you can also consider rising your nasal passage with saline water for some quick relief.

The antihistamine and decongestant combo
The best seasonal allergy medicine is the one that targets more than one symptom at once. Many drugs include a substantial component of more than one kind of drug. Seasonal medications that combine a certain amount of antihistamine and decongestant often prove to provide great results than drugs that solely have only one type of a certain component. Some of the over counter products that have more than a single kind of drug in its constitution are Allegra-D, Claritin-D, and Zyrtec-D.

Other medications
Several other drugs fight allergies that stem out of birch pollen, oak pollen, grass pollen, and even ragweed. These drugs not only curb symptoms like nasal congestion sinus pressure, facial pain, runny nose, watery eyes, scratchy throat but also fight asthmatic reactions that tend to increase in the event of a seasonal allergy. The best part about some inflammation-fighting drugs is that they are readily available over the counter drugs that can be bought without a doctor’s prescription. You must, however, consult a physician before self-medicating to avoid drug allergic reactions. Nasal sprays like Cromolyn or nasalcrom is known to fight signs and symptoms of seasonal allergies.

Allergy shots
When all seasonal allergy treatments fail to cure symptoms, many doctors recommend taking allergy shots to ease the discomfort. Sometimes even the best seasonal allergy medicine may not be able to target the symptoms and provide any relief. This is when a form of immunotherapy comes in handy to tackle the issue. Allergy shots are nothing but a series of injections of allergens. The process requires the patient to receive an increased number of allergens gradually. The process helps modify the immune system’s response to allergens and in turn reduces the effects of allergic reactions.

Home remedies
Apart from relying only on the best seasonal allergy medicine, many people recommend adopting complementary home remedies to relieve allergy. Some of the remedies include using a bottle to rise pollen from the nose, using organic extracts and herbs, removing clothes worn outside and washing clothes thoroughly to remove any trace of pollen or any other allergen that may trigger an allergy.