Allergy, or type I hypersensitivity, is the systemic inflammatory response of the body toward allergens or allergy causing agents. People with allergy are usually hypersensitive toward certain things which are considered normal by other people. Some of these things include dust, pollen, certain foods, and even mosquito bites. The patients may offer suffer from small problems like running nose, itchy nose, rash, and other things. However, sometimes allergy could be really dangerous and potentially life-threatening with symptoms like anaphylactic shock, which could be fatal. Generally, allergy can be found out with certain symptoms and can be treated early with allergy medicine. When found out earlier, the chances of controlling allergy with allergy medicine are more and easier. However, it is to be noted that allergy can only be controlled, and not cured. The most practical remedy for allergy is to lead a clean lifestyle, stay away from the allergens which cause you allergy, take allergy medicine, and follow the instructions of the physician.

Some of the commonest symptoms are running nose, itchy nose, wheezing, ear pain, headache, and in some cases even asthma. While most of the people ignore these problems as not-so-important ones, you have to take notice if they tend to occur again and again in a relatively short period of time. If you feel or suspect that after consuming certain food or after using something you tend to have these symptoms, you should consult your physician immediately. For treating allergy, there are both prescription and over-the-counter allergy medicine available. Usually, physicians will suggest antihistamines to control allergy, as they are considered the best in controlling the symptoms. An antihistamine is also the most versatile of the allergy medicine, as it can be taken as a pill, nasal spray, liquid, or an eye drop. Benadryl, Claritin, and Dimetane are some of the famous over-the-counter medicines while Clarinex, Allegra, and Zyrtec are the most famous prescription medicines.

When exposed to an allergy causing agent, the patient is likely to get his immune system triggered on. The immune system immediately releases histamine, which gets attached to the receptors in blood vessels and makes them larger. This causes problems and results in redness, itch, running nose, and other problems. The proper allergy medicine for this problem is an antihistamine. By giving antihistamines, the histamine receptors are blocked and the symptoms can be prevented. Antihistamines usually cause drowsiness, but non-sedating antihistamines can also be suggested by your physician.

Another important category of allergy medicine is the decongestant. Decongestants, as the name suggests, relieve congestion and usually go hand in hand with antihistamines. As congestion is one of the commonest symptoms of allergy, decongestants are widely used by allergy patients. They are available in the form of both liquid and pills, and are extensively used as nasal sprays and eye drops. Like antihistamines, decongestants are also available as prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs. Sudafed tablets, Afrin nasal sprays, and Visine eye drops are some of the over-the-counter drugs and Claritin-D, Allegra-D, and Zytec-D are some of the common prescription drugs. Corticosteroids, another commonly prescribed form of allergy medicine, are used to treat the inflammation related to allergies. They can be taken as nasal corticosteroids, inhaled corticosteroids, eye drops, and oral steroids.