November 2018 39TODAY’S BEST ALLERGY TREATMENTS
KNOCK YOUR SYMPTOMS OUT
B E FO R E T H E Y D R AG YO U D OW NPILLS
Antihistamine pills are a starting
point. “If your symptoms are mild
and intermittent, then antihis-
tamines (Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec)
work pretty well, particularly for
sneezing, itching and runny nose,”
says Dr William Reisacher, director
of allergy services at Weill Cornell
Medicine. However, these meds
tend to lose their effectiveness over
time, so don’t use them
consistently for longer than two
months. When people
stay on antihistamines too long,
their symptoms can rebound.NASAL SPRAY
If your symptoms linger or are
severe, try nasal spray.
Antihistamine sprays beat the pill
version. Corticosteroid nasal
sprays curb inflammation. Or go
double duty: “The most effective
single med is a combination of an
antihistamine and a topical steroid
in a nasal spray,” says Dr Harold
Nelson. It’s available by
prescription and is sold under^
the brand name Dymista.EYEDROPS
If your eyes are unbearably itchy,
consider antihistamine eyedrops.
You can buy OTC versions (which
are applied twice daily) or your eye
doctor can prescribe a once-a-day
version. “Often I recommend that
people start a week or two before
the allergy exposure is expected,
and continue throughout the
allergy season until after the season
ends,” says Lorne Yudcovitch,
of the Pacific University College
of Optometry.IMMUNOTHERAPY
If your allergies are bad,
immuno therapy might help. An
allergist does blood or skin-prick
testing to determine your allergy
triggers; then a formula that
contains tiny doses of your
allergens is placed under your
tongue or injected.
“Immunotherapy is a way of
mak ing you less allergic to the
agent you’re sensitive to,” says Dr
Eli Meltzer, of the Allergy & Asthma
Medical Group and Research
Center in San Diego.SWOLLEN
EYELIDS
Your face is puffy,
especially around the eyes. You
might also notice under-the-skin
swelling around your lips.WHY IT’S ALLERGIES
A histamine-triggered
inflammatory response boosts
blood f low, and the extra f luid
can make skin puffy. The
inflammation also makes nasal
passages swell. “You actually
have erectile tissue in your
nose,” Tuck says. Then, swelling
and congestion obstruct your
circulation so blood pools in
your eyelids.YOUR PLAN
Here’s a low-tech but effective
remedy: the cold compress. Soak
a washcloth in cold water and
place it over your closed eyes for
about 20 minutes to help shrink
blood vessels. But do it while you’re
standing up, not lying down, so
gravity can help drain blood from
around your eyes. To treat the
underlying allergy, you have a
couple of options – nasal steroid
sprays and over-the-counter
antihis tamine eyedrops (see right),
which block histamine receptors
in your eyes and can have spillover
benefits to nearby eyelids.TENDER SINUSES
You might have a
headache, but more
likely you feel pressure or fullness
in your nasal passages.WHY IT’S ALLERGIES
Pressure from congestion cre ates
discomfort that can register as
tenderness. If you get allergy-
related migraines or haven’t slept
well, congestion can worsen an
existing headache and seem to
concentrate it in the sinuses.YOUR PLAN
Use a nasal steroid spray to ease
inf lammation, but consider
adding an oral antihistamine.
“The two drugs work differently,
so it’s okay to take them together,”
Murphy says. To flush mucus and
help relieve congestion, use nasal
saline. If pain persists, check
with your doctor to ensure you
don’t have a sinus infection or a
deviated septum.STOM ACH ACH E
Your stomach hurts or
you vomit or gag often
(especially in the morning), and
anti-reflux medications don’t
seem to help.WHY IT’S ALLERGIES
You normally swallow just under
a litre of mucus a day. (Pub trivia
fodder!) Add post-nasal drip and
you swallow a lot more- enough to cause stomach pain.
Some people even vomit to clear
the excess. Mornings may be
especially bad because your
nighttime breathing thickens
mucus and your system has
more trouble clearing it out.
Or you might have something
called eosinophilic esophagitis,
a reaction to foods or allergens
that inflames the esophagus,
triggering upper-abdomen pain.
YOUR PLAN
Nasal steroids or antihistamines
can subdue your allergic response
so you produce less mucus.
Another option: saline nasal
sprays or washes. These non-
medicine saltwater products help
thin the mucus so it’s more easily
cleared out. If you need more
help, oral decongestants can offer
additional short-term relief.SENSITIVE TEETH
You have a toothache in
your upper molars- pain, a throbbing sensation or
sensitivity to cold – but you got a
clean bill of tooth health at your
last check-up.
WHY IT’S ALLERGIES
Congestion in the maxillary
sinuses, which sit right on top of
your upper teeth, could be putting
pressure on the underlying
choppers’ nerve roots.YOUR PLAN
Anti-inflammatory nasal steroid
sprays should relieve tooth pain
by clearing up pressure from the
allergy. But it could be something
else. “Inf lamed nasal cavities
are a great breeding ground
for bacteria, so you can get
superimposed sinus infections,”
Corn says. A toothache can be a
sign your allergy has progressed
to something requiring an
ILLUSTRATIONS: BROWN BIRD DESIGN antibiotic. See your dentist.