Monthly Archives: October 2015

Ocular Allergies Troubling You – Some Tips to Manage them

Any allergen that causes some kind of disturbance to your eyes could possibly indicate ocular allergies. The most common symptom of ocular allergy is burning sensation, redness, itching and swelling. If your eyes get swelled up during a particular season or if they suddenly become red, then that could point towards scheduling a time with an allergist. This one of the reasons why doctors always advise to wash hands properly before touching eyes and to use only clean cloth to wipe the eye off. Sometimes ocular allergy could also result from splashing dirty water on the eyes. The worst part is the irritation that allergies to the eye could cause. It is not at all a pleasant situation. Here are some tips that should help you avoid or take control of the allergy, though before trying any of these, it is always better to consult an allergy specialist.

Precautions & Management

The first thing to note is whenever you go out, wear sunglasses. And don’t by any shoddy pair; make sure that you are purchasing UV protection sunglasses that can keep your eyes safe. Whenever you are touching your eyes, wash your hands with at least water and then use a clean cloth gently. If you suffer from ocular allergies or have had some symptoms earlier, then visit a doctor who can advise or detect the allergen. Then try to take extra precautions for that allergen. Quite often when we are in a strong emotional state, we are careless with the eyes; that should be avoided at all costs. Wearing reading glasses or sunglasses could help in that to quite an extent.

Medication

There are certain over the counter drugs that can be used to alleviate the irritation during eye allergy. But it is still advised not to use them blindly! You should always consult an allergist to help you identify the best medicine that would suite your eye. Wrong medication could further damage the eye. Some of the commonly administered medications are:

Artificial tears
Antihistamine drops, that help during itching
Swelling control drops
Decongestant drops

Most of the eye related medicines would be in the form of drops. Precaution should be taken while administering these drops. You have to make sure that you hold your eye lids with clean hands and then you use clean cloth to wipe the tears. Do consult your allergist about the medication that would be best suited for you.

Know More About Effects of Asthma Medicines

Asthma is kind of an allergy, it causes breathing problem because of allergens. The most common form of asthma allergy treatment involves inhalers. The basic function of the inhaler is to break the medicine in the tube and then push the medication directly in the wind pipe so it reaches the lungs. In this article, we will discuss the effects of asthma treatment. Like all other allergy treatments, there are some medicines that are administered for instant relief, whereas others are administered to increase tolerance of the allergen.

Short term Relief

An asthma attack would be characterized by shortness of breath and coughing. This could be directly related to the swelling in the wind pipe and the irregular breathing. So in the short term, the medicines are most commonly administered through inhalers. These inhalers help in directly injecting the dose in the windpipe. Medicines are mostly aimed at reducing the swelling and relaxing windpipes. Relaxation of the windpipe provides more air to reach the lungs inducing normal breathing. That is one of the reasons why allergist always recommends asthma patients to carry inhalers with them all the time. Asthma attacks could be life threatening and medication should be taken as per prescription.

Long term relief

Long term treatments would include taking medication as per prescription irrespective of asthma attacks. These medications increase body’s tolerance towards the allergen. Over the period of time, the aim of the medication is to reduce the severity of the asthma attack. The dosage depends on the allergen and the severity of the allergy. A major side effect of long term medication could be weakening of bones. This is not a common problem and has been documented in some cases. Doctors do recommend taking vitamins and eating healthy to avoid such problems. Some patients, over the period of time, have complained of infection in the mouth. This could be result of a salt that reacts with the body. In this instance, a different medicine would be administered that does not include that particular salt.

Like any allergy treatment, the medicine used for asthma treatment is usually dependent on the allergen. So it is very necessary to know what triggers the reaction. This is mostly while prescribing long term medication. For short term, usually the medication is standard that would perform the same function irrespective of the allergen. Asthma patients should not take any medications over the counter without first consulting an allergist or asthma doctor.

Treatment for Chronic Hives

Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria is a form of chronic hives where “chronic” means that the symptoms of hives and itching last continuously for more than six weeks. The term “idiopathic” describes, on the other hand, the fact the chronic hives appear without any apparent cause unlike e.g. hives due to allergy to foods or medications. Recently last year in March FDA has approved Omalizumab made by biopharmaceutical company Genentech/Novartis under brand name Xolair. This medication has been approved by FDA for years before for the treatment of allergic asthma, specifically moderate to severe asthma where other therapy is insufficient. Xolair/Omalizumab has been shown in multiple clinical studies to be extremely efficient in management and treatment of chronic hives.

Symptoms of CIU

Chronic urticaria can have a sudden or a gradual onset. The main symptoms of CIU include:

Spots of small or large areas of red swollen skin commonly called hives
Severe localized or generalized itching
The hives can sometimes also burn or be tender
This condition can sometimes be incapacitating and lead to disability

The management of chronic urticarial/CIU is rather difficult because the causes remain unknown and the medication used to control the itching called antihistamines may cause drowsiness and often may not be sufficient to control the symptoms. Xolair is the very first new medication in more than a decade which was approved by the FDA for the treatment of CIU. The Xolair is currently approved for patients with CIU of 12 years and older but may be, in the future, be approved for even lower age range. While Xolair when used for allergic asthma the dose needs to be calculated based on several parameters, for CIU it is always administered at 300 mg per injection once in 28 days. Xolair is very effective and most patients get relief of their hives and itching within day or two after the first injection but sometimes it may take a little longer.

What is Xolair and how it should be used?

It is a medicine which is given through injection and basically prescribed in two cases

In case of Asthma triggered by some allergic reaction, which through blood or skin test,.
CIU that means chronic hives without any reason, and H1- antihistamine treatment is not working.

Xolair should be used under the prescription and care of the doctor. It should be administered in a hospital or in a setting in a healthcare institution. The injections of Xolair should be given subcutaneously i.e. under the skin once every two or four weeks. Patients should follow all the recommendations of the doctor and they should not stop taking hive’s or asthma medication on their own. It can take some time to see some results after taking Xolair.

Some Symptoms and Diagnosis of Drug Allergies

You can only be prepared for an illness if you know what it is? There are certain symptoms and diagnosis that everybody follows to understand what kind of illness it is. Even for drug allergies, there are some tell signs that you can indicate whether you should stay away from certain drugs or not. But that doesn’t mean that it will help you are done, that definitely means that you will have to contact an allergist. Only an allergist or an allergy doctor could help you better diagnose the problem and then provide remedies.

Symptoms

Fever

If you get a sudden rise in temperature after consumption of a medicine, then that drug might not be necessarily helping you. Unless you are already feverish, if you feel feverish after you have started taking a medicine, then there is reason to believe you have drug allergy. It might not be the drug per se, but a salt in that drug.

Skin

Some drug allergies could highlight themselves in the form of rashes or swelling on the skin. You could have small spots that come on different areas of the skin or on the face. If you see any such occurrence after starting a new drug, then it is a very good reason to stop taking that drug and consult a doctor first.

Heartbeat and Breathing

If you get a little agitated, that is you are either getting too hyper or it’s getting difficult to breath, then it is time to see an allergist. This is in any ways a sign to consult a doctor, but if it started after you started taking a medicine then let your doctor know.

Vomiting and Stomach problems

Some medicines might result in vomiting, that’s a kind of a defense mechanism of your body. It throws the foreign substance out. Stomach aches and vomiting could be a sign of drug allergy.

Some of these symptoms are often misunderstood as normal illnesses. But as part of the check, do think about any medicines that you have started recently.

Diagnosis

Some common salts that are known to cause allergies are penicillin, insulin, iodine, etc. Like we mentioned before, drug allergies are first tested by stopping the medicine that you recently started taking. After that an allergist would do a skin test by testing various salts on your body. So it is necessary that if you see any of these symptoms, consult a doctor or an allergy clinic and get a complete diagnosis done.

Getting Treated for Drug Allergies and Prevention

Drug allergies could occur to anyone and at any point of time. The main reason behind drug allergy is never a medicine but a particular salt in that medicine. You might be consuming that salt earlier, but in that medicine it might be in low quantity that is why you might not have seen any effects. So it is not necessary that you might not get allergy from that salt in future if you take it in high quantities. Also your defense mechanism might function differently during stages of life. We have discussed in length some common symptoms and diagnosis of drug allergies, today we are going to educate you on some treatments and preventions.

Treatments

Like any other treatment, an anti allergy treatment involves preventing the body to react when it comes in contact with the foreign substance, in this case, it would be the salt or trying to minimize the reaction from the salt that is affecting you.

Doctors also administer some antihistamine. These might be in the form of cream, medicine, or inhalers depending on the form of allergy. Antihistamines are administered to curb down the effect of allergen. Some of these antihistamines are also generally available in stores as over the counter drugs. But if you are affected by drug allergy, then it is best advised to consult a allergist and then purchase a antihistamine.

If the allergic reaction is in the form of asthma then a bronchodilator might be administered. These are kind of specific for asthma reactions. There are different kinds of bronchodilators that can be administered for different respiratory problems.

These are more towards medication; there is a treatment which might seem a little harsh. In cases where certain medication is necessary and at the same time is the reason behind allergy, then in a controlled environment, allergist might make your body tolerant to that salt by administering it in larger quantities. But these are done by experts and only as the last option.

Prevention

The most common and obvious prevention is to avoid the salt that you are allergic from. Whenever you purchase any drug, make sure you check its composition. If the medication is necessary, then it is advised that you consult an allergist or visit an allergy clinic. Certain medications that are used for allergy effected people should only be taken after consulting the experts.

Set the Right Expectations while Visiting an Allergist

There are several factors that you can cause an allergy. There are numerous allergens and numerous ways through which the body would react to those allergens. Sometimes it will not be too serious, so over the counter drugs would resolve the issue. In conditions where anti-histamines prescribed by general physician don’t help, then it is time to go to a specialist. Doctors that specialize in allergy treatment are called allergist. They have their own set of tests and treatments that could help determine the exact allergen. To fight any allergy, it is crucial to identify the allergen and its reaction.

If you are hearing about allergist for the first time, then it is time you followed these simple steps.

Before The Visit

The first and the foremost thing you need to do is take away that fear. Allergist are not dentist, though the skin and prick test do sound painful. But like the dentist, allergist is very effective. After the few minutes of test, the medication and precautions that he/she would advice would be the best solution you could follow.

If you are on an over-the-counter allergy medication, it is necessary that you stop taking it before your visit the allergist. When you call to book an appointment with an allergist, the do advice new patients about days they should stop taking medication before coming for a checkup. This is done so that natural reaction of the body is recorded to different known and common allergens. Plus, if you are taking anti-histamines, then your blood test would also not be that helpful.

At the Allergy Clinic

First and foremost, the allergist would require you to fill up all the details about you and your medical condition. If you are maintaining a reaction history, then it would be good to attach it along with the form that the allergist provides. These forms seem daunting, but are a way for allergist to understand the severity of your condition.

Then it is also necessary that you have ample time, don’t rush through your appointment because it would not be possible. The duration of your stay at the allergic clinic would first depend on the length of the test and then on the reaction during the skin test. And no allergen would prescribe or suggest anything unless he has tested you properly.