Allergy Medicine: Is it Necessary?

Majority of allergy sufferers choose to take allergy medicine only if the gravity of their condition becomes untenable. For them these physiological manifestations are merely bothersome irritants especially if they are only teariness or itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and tiredness. These reactions are normally obviated by simply taking allergy medicine twice daily.

To do away with the daily medication, there are those who prefer to visit their allergists weekly or monthly for injections to heighten the function of their immune system and desensitize their reaction to the allergen or produce enough antibodies to make them immune to the effects of the allergens. This type of treatment is proven to work effectively for some people.

This type of injection treatment does not work and is not recommended for fatal allergic reaction to food like corn, peanuts, or bee stings, which inherently carry a high risk of an anaphylactic reaction at incredible speed with potentially dangerous effects.

These people need to carry a special allergy medicine

In potentially fatal allergy reactions, the only solution is an immediate injection of adrenaline (epinephrine) right after contact with the allergen in order to stop or control the dangerous reaction. Most often, this medication works perfectly to save a person’s life; carrying an adrenaline injection kit at all times precludes the possibilities of severe and irreversible consequences.

It always pays to be aware of what you are allergic too, especially when it comes to food allergens. A person who eats fried chicken with corn flakes crust may not normally relate chicken with corn. If he has an anaphylactic reaction to corn and eats the chicken, his entire body’s immune system could shut down causing irreparable neurological damage. A person can go from being a perfectly healthy to a completely disabled individual in a matter of minutes, which is why having an adrenaline injection kit if you know you are a high-risk allergy sufferer.

The necessity to take allergy medicine depends on the degree and severity of an individual’s allergy, inconvenience of symptoms, and other personal health considerations, but never make it a matter of convenience. A case in point is a person allergic to pet dander may consider the accompanying sensitivities he suffers from a small price to pay for living with a beloved pet. However, a visitor to his home may require allergy medicine to handle his own allergies or symptoms to the same pet whereas another friend simply stays away, avoiding the pet or the person, completely.