What Medicine Is Good for a Sinus Allergy?
Whether it is cats or pollen that gets to you, sinus allergies can be debilitating. You suffer sneezing fits and nonstop stuffiness; you have trouble getting a full night's sleep; you dread going outdoors or visiting pet-loving friends. An array of over-the-counter and prescription medication can relieve the symptoms. If you want to make the commitment, you can receive treatments to make you less susceptible to certain triggers.
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What is a Sinus Allergy?
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Allergy sufferers have immune systems that go into overdrive when confronted with substances--such as pollen and cat dander--that don't affect other people. As a result, the body behaves as if it is fighting off a cold infection. You sneeze, your eyes become watery, your nose runs, mucus clogs your nasal passages.
Determining If You Are Allergic
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Allegies can develop in childhood or emerge when you are an adult. What first may seem like a lingering cold may turn out to be an allergy. An allergist can give you a battery of skin tests to determine substances that you are allergic to. Based on the triggers and the severity of your reaction, you can consider possible courses of action.
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Prescribed Medications
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Many allergy sufferers take a daily prescription pill to ward of symptoms. Clarinex and Allegra are brand name products; check with your doctor about cheaper generic alternatives, some of which may be available over the counter. Prescription nasal sprays can also be taken daily as a preventive measure.
Over-the-Counter Medications
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You can buy effective medications without a prescription. Decongestants narrow blood vessels in the nose, thus making breathing easier. Look for the ingredients pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. You will find them in brand name drugs, such as Contac and Sudafed; check with the pharmacist about store-brand medications that are equally effective but much cheaper.
Antihistamines help prevent and treat allergy symptoms, such as sneezing and runny noses. Look for the ingredients brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, dimenhydrinate, diphenhydramine and doxylamine. As with decongestants, ask your pharmacist about store-brand substitutes for brand-name products.
For effective all-day relief, try loratadine, which used to be available only by prescription. It's more expensive than the others, but you can get cheaper versions through store brands.
With all over-the-counter medications, be sure to read the warning lables. Check whether they can cause drowsiness; potentially harmful side effects; or pose a threat to people suffering from other medical conditions. Additionally, your body may respond well to one medication but not another. What works for your friend may not work for you.
Vaccination
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If you suffer from severe allergies, you can receive a battery of allergy shots that will reduce or eliminate your susceptibility to certain triggers. Depending on your insurance coverage, the shots can be costly. You may have to receive them weekly over a period of months at your allergist's office. They are more of a inconvenience than a pain.
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