Allergy medication

In cases where the body is unable to resist the aggressive onslaught of allergens on its own, allergy medications come to its aid. It just so happens that minor signs of allergic diseases, manifested in the form of a runny nose and sneezing, swelling of the nose and increased lacrimation, itching, redness of the skin or rashes on certain areas of the skin, are not taken seriously. People do not rush to see a doctor, but habitually go to the nearest drugstore for "some kind of allergy medicine."

After taking a few tablets of a drug bought in a hurry, the symptoms resembling allergies disappear, and the person forgets about all the recent "sufferings". Meanwhile, at the cellular level, the allergic reaction quietly continues, moving to other stages, taking other forms. In this article, we will try to present the main allergy medications, their groups, and mechanisms of action in a structured manner. We will dwell on those medications that are taken more often than others.

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Allergy as a theater of war

In order to have an idea of what happens in our body at the moment when a foreign agent is introduced into it and what allergy medications actually exist, we can consider allergies as an analogy to military action.

Every second and around the clock, billions of cells stand guard over our health, united in special rapid response teams, equipped with all the necessary weapons, capable of quickly and accurately striking any enemy. These groups of cells, merging together, represent the body's defenses. An enemy that gets into a healthy and strong body is immediately tracked down, disarmed, tied up and eliminated. The weaker the body, the fewer victories its defenders achieve, the stronger the enemies become, organizing constant sabotage, undermining health.

An allergic reaction is a constant battle. It sometimes subsides, sometimes flares up again, with greater ferocity. These are battles that take place at the cellular level of the body, conducted on all fronts, with the use of heavy artillery, infantry, the role of which is played by T-lymphocytes, antibodies, T-helpers, - and fire support from the air. In our comparative example, anti-allergy medications act as air support. The choice of medications is a very important and responsible step. In order for an air strike to be effective, not to bomb your allies, not to scatter bombs and missiles over an empty area, you need to know the enemy and his location.

In the case of allergies, preliminary reconnaissance is carried out with the help of an allergist. After receiving all the reconnaissance data, in the form of the results of allergy tests containing a description and the exact name of the enemy or a whole list of them, inherent in this particular case, you can begin planning the main offensive movement. For each of the allergens, or in combination, targeted anti-allergy therapy is selected. This is the only way to be absolutely sure that allergy medications taken to support the body or completely take on the protective function will most effectively combat the root cause of poor health.

For people who often suffer from allergies of unclear genesis, it is always necessary to remember that the removal of symptoms is not a complete recovery. Based on the given analogy, you can strike at the enemy and force him to lie low for a while, go underground and gain strength. Taking the wrong medications to eliminate the symptoms of allergic manifestations can lead to very serious complications and the development of irreversible pathologies of internal organs.

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Allergy medications: group affiliation and mechanism of action

It is not easy to describe even an approximate process of treating allergic reactions of the body in a few words. And it is not only the variety of forms of manifestation of allergic conditions, and not so much the individual characteristics of each specific case. When it comes to treatment, you can never be sure that the use of a standard algorithm of actions will lead to the expected results. A comprehensive approach to studying the problem, diagnostic measures, identifying the root cause that led to such vivid manifestations on the part of the body - these are the important components that must necessarily precede any treatment procedures. Each situation has its own differences, however, the drugs used are basically always the same, only used in different combinations, doses and courses of treatment have different time intervals.

All allergy medications can be represented as two large blocks, divided according to the speed of development of the therapeutic effect:

• immediate response means,
• slow or extended action.

Each block, in turn, has a branched classification of the drug groups included in it. The immediate response block, aimed at stopping allergic mechanisms at different levels of development, necessarily implies control by a doctor. The drugs of this block are used for the complex treatment of complex attacks. Specifically for treatment, and not just for short-term relief. The block includes:

• glucocorticoids
• adrenomimetics (representatives: ephedrine, adrenaline);
• M-cholinergic receptor blockers (representatives: atropine, metacin, platifillin);
• cromones (representatives are ketotifen, cromolyn sodium);
• antihistamines (representatives are diazolin, suprastin, tavegil, zyrtrek);
• immunomodulators.

The block of drugs with a delayed effect includes the following groups:

• immunosuppressants (drugs from the group of corticosteroids and cystostatics);
• nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (indomethacin, ibuprofen, voltaren).

Of course, these are far from all the groups of drugs that are used to treat allergies. This classification is given for the sole purpose of showing how wide the choice of possible treatment options and combinations of drugs is. It is impossible to solve such a global problem as allergies with just one drug. Only a doctor should select a treatment course, just as any drug should be taken only after consultation with the attending physician, and not with a pharmacist.

It is also worth paying attention to the fact that all the above groups of drugs are not used independently, but in mandatory combination with other drugs, enhancing and complementing each other's effect. Some allergy medications are aimed at eliminating stagnant processes that lead to the formation of edema, others destroy biologically active compounds that lead to the formation of substances toxic to the body, and others are prescribed for the purpose of quickly removing all decay products from the body.

Let's look at the most common allergy medications that are prescribed as preventative measures or as emergency first aid medications.

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Antihistamines for allergies

Before moving on to listing the drugs included in this group, I would like to dwell a little on the name itself. Why "antihistamines". The fact is that an allergen, entering the body, promotes the beginning of many chemical reactions in the cells, as a result of which a lot of active substances are formed, leading, ultimately, to inflammatory processes. These substances are called inflammation mediators. One of these active substances is histamine.

Produced by immune cells in large quantities, histamine activates the main inflammatory mechanisms that underlie all external negative manifestations of allergies: swelling, itching, irritation of the skin and mucous membranes, rashes, redness. Allergies manifest themselves not only by external signs. Negative changes also occur inside the body. Therefore, special drugs have been developed aimed at suppressing the effects of histamine by reducing or completely stopping its production. These allergy medications are called "antihistamines", that is, directed against histamine.

The group of antihistamines has an immediate effect. Tablets are activated within 10-30 minutes, and those administered by injection - within 2-5 minutes. Allergy medications in this group are classified by generation. There are currently three generations of antihistamines. The first generation of antihistamines has the greatest number of side effects, against the background of a low therapeutic effect. The more perfect the generation, the higher the prevalence of the therapeutic effect over side effects. In third-generation drugs, the manifestation of side effects is minimized, with a pronounced and rapid therapeutic effect.

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First generation drugs

Common names such as suprastin, tavegil, diazolin - belong to antihistamines, from the first generation. After taking such tablets, after some time, dry mouth, drowsiness, and distracted attention are observed. Thus, the sedative function of these drugs is reflected. Some patients, while taking first-generation antihistamines, may experience severe skin itching, and heart rate may increase. In addition to the side effects, there are a number of contraindications.

Second generation drugs

Antihistamines for allergies from the second generation have fewer side effects, but put additional strain on the heart, which is why they should not be prescribed to people over 50 years old, as well as to anyone suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Among the drugs of this generation, preference is most often given to Claritin and Fenistil.

Third generation drugs

The most common, in the last few years, are third-generation antihistamines, which have proven themselves to be the most effective allergy medications, and which also have no side effects. The use of these drugs is indicated at any age, starting from infancy. Despite the fact that the allergy medication, as such, does not have a pronounced side effect, there is always a possibility of developing individual intolerance. Representatives of this group of drugs are Zyrtrek, Telfast.

Knowing the tendency of people to choose medicines "at their own discretion", I would like to emphasize once again that this article is written only for informational purposes, in order to reveal the depth of the problem associated with the development of allergic conditions, to look into the mechanism of action of the drug after it enters the body. To show that allergy medications are a complex classification containing several dozen names, choosing the right one, from which, is a very complex process.