Drug treatment

The therapeutic arsenal of the allergy specialist has enlarged greatly in the last twenty years. New drugs and delivery mechanisms have resulted in better and stronger therapeutic action with less unwanted side effects. 

Anti-allergy drugs can be grouped into two categories:

• Symptom relieving drugs which are useful during acute allergic attacks. Examples of such drugs are antihistamines, useful for the treatment of allergic rhinitis or allergic conjunctivitis or episodes of urticaria, or bronchodilator medications that helps to reverse the narrowing of the bronchi during asthma attacks.
• Disease controller drugs which cannot relieve an acute flare-up of the disease but prevent acute exacerbations if administered regularly and for a longer period of time. Typical example of this type of drugs are the corticosteroids. Controller drugs have strong anti-inflammatory properties and can calm down the immune conflict triggered in our body by contact with an allergen. These drugs take days or even weeks to become fully effective, this is why they cannot be used to treat the symptoms during acute flare-ups. However, as with anything else in life there are exceptions: some anti-allergic drugs can be used both as symptom relievers and disease controllers. Antihistamines are such an example: they have an immediate relieving effect which makes them suitable for treatment of acute flares of allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis or urticaria.  However, if administered continuously for weeks or months, they can also reduce allergic inflammation and thus make the person less susceptible to develop an allergic attack. Antileukotrienes are also controller drugs which, when taken regularly, can improve asthma control.