For those who suffer from allergies, medications can provide welcome and much-needed relief. Symptoms experienced by those with allergies include runny nose, sneezing, red eyes, and postnasal drip. These symptoms are all unpleasant but manageable with allergy medications. But what happens if allergy medicine is not working? Why does this happen? And are there any alternatives?
Why do allergy medications stop working?
There are several reasons why allergy meds sometimes stop working. In many cases, the person has been taking them for chronic allergy symptoms. With regular usage over months or even years, the body can become desensitized to the effects of the drugs being used. And often, allergies are a chronic condition, so there is ample “opportunity” for allergy medications to lose effectiveness.
Drug tolerance can happen in one of two ways. In one of these ways, cells become less receptive to the medication with continued exposure to that medication. With another form, the body becomes more efficient at flushing the medication out of the body so that only a small portion of the medication is ever being received.
In some, a worsening of their allergies or the development of new allergies is to blame. With time, allergies can become worse, and new allergies can develop. When a person continues taking the same dose of medication for a worsening problem, they may think that their medication is the culprit and losing effectiveness. However, in some cases, the condition at hand is actually getting worse.
What should you do if your allergy medicine is not working?
If your allergy medication is not helping you anymore or is not helping you as much as before, it’s time to reach out to your doctor. They can help determine the cause and can prescribe different medications or a different frequency of the current medication you’re taking, if necessary.
Your doctor may also suggest specific treatments outside the traditional oral medication route. Allergy shots can be very effective. Some procedures can successfully curb or even eliminate specific bothersome allergy symptoms. For example, ClariFix cryotherapy can help remedy a constantly runny nose and postnasal drip.
So, if your allergy medicine is not working, call your doctor for help figuring out the cause and decide on an alternative treatment plan.
