Allergies can be an occasional annoyance or a source of ongoing misery. They can even change your life. One guy I knew, Steve, after finally reaching his lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian developed a very serious allergy to dogs and cats while in his very first year of practice.
After trying every antihistamine and desensitizing treatment available at the time, Steve’s allergies were still so severe that he faced a tough choice: to completely change his veterinary practice to taking care of other animals instead of dogs and cats, completely give up his lifelong dream of being a veterinarian, or risk dying from an anaphylactic reaction to one of his patients. He eventually left the veterinary world behind to become a pharmacist, graduating a couple of years after me.
Many years ago I had a customer called Connie, who came in frequently seeking help for her allergies. After years of sniffling and sneezing she was told she was allergic to cats. The trouble with that was she had 2 Siamese cats that she refused to part with. Sasha and Lucy were her best buddies: they slept with her every night and she dressed them up in cute outfits every Halloween and Christmas.
Back then I only had a few antihistamines and a couple of nose sprays to offer to Connie, but today I can show her many more options. Claritin®, Zyrtec® and Allegra® are newer antihistamine pills now available without a prescription. Claritin® (loratadine), Zyrtec® (cetirizine) and Allegra® (fexofenadine) each had great success as prescription antihistamines and are widely available today without a prescription.
In addition to those pills I can also suggest 2 new nose sprays that can really change Connie’s life. These nasal sprays contain anti-inflammatory medicine that works similar to prednisone and are very effective for allergy symptoms of the nose, called allergic rhinitis. Now she doesn’t need to go to a doctor to benefit from them. Nasacort AQ 24 Hr® was the first nose spray with triamcinolone, a prednisone-like ingredient. Available without a prescription, Nasacort AQ 24 Hr® has been joined by Flonase Allergy Relief® which contains a different cortisone-like ingredient, fluticasone. These nose sprays are one of the most effective ways to treat allergic symptoms, especially those that involve the nose like sneezing, sniffling and stuffiness.
Up until now, the only nose sprays we had available for allergies that didn’t need a prescription could not be used for more than a few days at a time. Afrin® (naphazoline) and Neo-Synephrine® (phenylephrine) sprays work by causing the blood vessels in your nose to shrink, relieving your stuffy nose. Trouble is, your relief only lasts a short while; if you continue using them they eventually stop working and your congestion comes back even while you are still using them. This is called rebound. Some people can use these intermittently for months and manage to avoid getting rebound stuffiness, while others find their nose spray only works for about 3 days before it quits. If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, you should avoid this type of nose sprays completely, as they increase blood pressure.
Nasalcrom® is a nose spray for allergies that works by blocking your allergic symptoms. It only works if you start using it several weeks BEFORE you are around whatever you’re allergic to, and has to be used 3-4 times daily for best effect. Unlike Afrin® or Neo-Synephrine®, Nasalcrom® can be used safely in children 2 years and older and can be continually used for years without losing its effectiveness.
Nasacort AQ® 24 Hr® and Flonase Allergy Relief® contain a cortisone-like medicine that can effectively relieve nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing with just one or two sprays a day. Kids as young as 2 years old can safely use Nasacort AQ 24 Hr® and Flonase Allergy Relief® can be used safely in children 4 years old and older. Another great thing is being able to add any antihistamine pill to either Nasacort AQ®24 Hr or Flonase Allergy Relief® for even more relief.
If Connie walked into my pharmacy today, she would have 3 new antihistamine tablets and 3 more nose sprays to choose from for relieving her stuffy nose, and Lucy and Sasha could continue sleeping with her every night. My 3 Scottish Terriers would be SO jealous!
