How to Select a Treatment Option for Allergies

Millions of people in this world suffer from allergies. There are certain allergens, such as dust mites, pets, grass, chemicals, pollen and mold, which can trigger a person’s allergies and cause them to sneeze, sniff, have watery eyes, cough and/or break out in hives. It is important to know exactly what you are allergic to, so you can properly treat your allergies. There are several treatment options available that can help reduce and prevent allergy symptoms. However, there are a few things you need to do in order to select a treatment option for allergies.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Medical evaluation
• Allergy tests

1. Create a list of your symptoms. Make a list of the things that trigger your allergies and the type of symptoms you are having from each allergen. Also, write down what time of day your symptoms occur, how often it happens and the severity of the allergic reaction. Your doctor needs to know this information, so be sure to keep an accurate list of all of your symptoms.

2. Schedule an appointment with an allergy specialist or ear, nose and throat doctor. You need to meet with a doctor in order to discuss your symptoms, take allergy tests and to select a proper treatment option for your allergies.

3. Meet with your doctor and discuss your allergy symptoms. Your doctor begins by giving you a medical evaluation and asking you about your symptoms, medical history and current medications (prescription and over-the-counter) that you’re taking. Be sure to thoroughly describe all of your symptoms and give your doctor as much information about them as possible.

4. Complete the necessary allergy tests. In order for your doctor to properly diagnose you, she needs to give you certain tests to pinpoint your allergies. The tests may include skin and patch tests, RAST (Radioallergosorbent test) and the ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay test). It may take a few days to receive all of the tests results back from the laboratory.

5. Discuss the test results and treatment options with your doctor. The treatment options are based upon your tests results and symptoms and may include medications (such as antihistamines and decongestants), allergy shots for severe allergy symptoms, nasal sprays, eye drops, medicated creams, alternative treatment options, such as adjusting your diet or acupuncture therapy, and lifestyle changes.

6. Select an appropriate treatment option. Your doctor helps you choose a treatment option that best suits your needs which may include a combination of two or more methods. For example, your doctor may recommend a nasal spray decongestant for nasal congestion, an antihistamine for a runny nose, watery eyes and sneezing, a medicated cream for hives or a rash and allergy eye drops for itchy eyes. He may also make changes to your current diet and suggest certain lifestyle changes, such as eliminating alcohol and tobacco from your life.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid coming in contact with anything that triggers your allergies and causes you to have an allergic reaction.

Resources

• Visit Drug Digest for more information about treatment options for allergies.
• MyAllergyNetwork.com

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