what’s the best thing to do for an allergy?

November 8th, 2005 by admin

pet allergy
cez q asked:


what can we do to somehow lessen the reaction of allergy to our body?
like a first aid when you can’t run immediately to a doctor..

especially for:
latex allergy
pet allergy
cosmetics allergy
drug allergy

i need answers because i’ll do lecturing in one of the communities here in our country

thank you!!

2 Responses to “what’s the best thing to do for an allergy?”

  1. lisa b Says:
    November 9th, 2005 at 6:59 pm

    Don’t use products that cause your alleriges. Use an alternative to latex, throw away cosmetics or buy an all natural product, for drug allergies Benadryl.

  2. Chris H Says:
    November 11th, 2005 at 10:09 pm

    The first step is avoidance, try to not come in contact with whatever you are allergic to.

    Secondly, any oral antihistamine product will help a mild allergic reaction. Benadryl has a fairly fast onset and is the standard of care for acute reactions. For pet allergies, especially if you are visiting a friend, you can take Claratin or Zyrtec an hour before coming in contact with the animal and it should prevent symptoms from developing. Claratin does not cause drowsiness, but is slightly less effective than Zyrtec, which can cause drowsiness in 15% of people who take it.

    If you just experience hives (rash), you can use the above oral products, of if you are concerned about the extreme drowsiness of Benadryl (the active ingredient is also marketed as a sleep aid, that’s how potent it is) you can use hydrocortisone cream. This will help out with just the skin reaction associated with the allergy.

    If you are known to have very severe allergies (trouble breathing), then you should have an epi-pen at all times. It’s a prefilled syringe of epinepherine that can open up the airway if someone is having a severe allergic reaction. It should be taken as soon as the person is exposed to the allergen that causes the severe reaction. The person suffering from the allergy would still need to be seen by a doctor following use of an epi-pen, because the effects can wear off if the reaction is severe enough.