How to Treat with Dust Allergy?
The first treatment for controlling dust mite allergy is avoiding
dust mites as much as possible. When you minimize your exposure to dust
mites, you should expect fewer allergic reactions or the reactions
should be less severe. However, it's impossible to completely eliminate
dust mites from your environment. You may also need medications to
control symptoms.
Allergy medications
Your doctor may direct you to take one of the following medications to improve nasal allergy symptoms:
- Antihistamines reduce the production of an
immune system chemical that is active in an allergic reaction. These
drugs relieve itching, sneezing and runny nose. Over-the-counter
antihistamine tablets, such as fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy),
loratadine (Alavert, Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy) and others,
as well as antihistamine syrups for children, are available.
Prescription antihistamines taken as a nasal spray include azelastine
(Astelin, Astepro) and olopatadine (Patanase).
- Corticosteroids delivered as a nasal spray can
reduce inflammation and control symptoms of hay fever. These drugs
include fluticasone propionate (Flonase), mometasone furoate (Nasonex),
triamcinolone (Nasacort AQ), ciclesonide (Omnaris) and others. Nasal
corticosteroids provide a low dose of the drug and have a much lower
risk of side effects compared with oral corticosteroids.
-
Decongestants can help shrink swollen tissues in
your nasal passages and make it easier to breathe through your nose.
Some over-the-counter allergy tablets combine an antihistamine with a
decongestant. Oral decongestants can increase blood pressure and
shouldn't be taken if you have severe high blood pressure, glaucoma or
cardiovascular disease. In men with an enlarged prostate, the drug can
worsen the condition. Talk to your doctor about whether you can safely
take a decongestant.
Over-the-counter decongestants taken as a nasal spray may briefly
reduce allergy symptoms. If you use a decongestant spray for more than
three days in a row, it can actually make nasal congestion worse.
- Cromolyn sodium prevents the release of an
immune system chemical and may reduce symptoms. You need to use this
over-the-counter nasal spray several times a day, and it's most
effective when used before signs and symptoms develop. Cromolyn sodium
doesn't have serious side effects.
- Leukotriene modifiers block the action of
certain immune system chemicals. Your doctor may prescribe this
prescription tablet, montelukast (Singulair). Possible side effects of
montelukast include upper respiratory infection, headache and fever.
Less common side effects include behavior or mood changes, such as
anxiousness or depression.
Other therapies
- Immunotherapy. You can "train" your immune
system not to be sensitive to an allergen. This is done through a series
of allergy shots called immunotherapy. One to two weekly shots expose
you to very small doses of the allergen, in this case, the animal
protein that causes an allergic reaction. The dose is gradually
increased, usually during a three- to six-month period. Maintenance
shots are needed every four weeks for three to five years. Immunotherapy
is usually used when other simple treatments are not satisfactory.
- Nasal irrigation. You can use a neti pot or a
specially designed squeeze bottle to flush thickened mucus and irritants
from your sinuses with a prepared saltwater (saline) rinse. If you're
preparing the saline solution yourself, use water that's
contaminant-free — distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or
filtered with a filter that has an absolute pore size of 1 micron or
smaller. Be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with
contaminant-free water, and leave open to air-dry.
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