Navigating allergy season can be a humbling experience, even if you’ve been here many times before. You can take your medications as prescribed but still have a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and a cough, which makes it fair to wonder what you did wrong.
“If your symptoms do not improve or get worse during the first few weeks of the spring season, this is a sign that your medications are not effective enough.” Alina Banerjee, MDa Brigham comprehensive allergist, clinical director of allergy and clinical immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a professor at Harvard Medical School, tells SELF.
But this does not necessarily mean that you need to switch medications. Instead, you may want to consider something called “dosing flexibility,” where you increase the dose of your medication to meet the conditions you’re dealing with. David Corey, MDsays professor of immunology, allergy and rheumatology at Baylor College of Medicine.
As you can imagine, there’s a lot to unpack here. Of course, you should only do this with the help of a healthcare provider. Here’s how allergists recommend navigating the process.
Signs that your current allergy treatment regimen isn’t working for you
Some people feel like they’re making a million dollars after they start allergy treatment, but that’s not the case for everyone.
“The best indicator of the effectiveness of allergy medications is simply, ‘Are you feeling better?’ Dr. Corey says. (Doctors usually view “better” as an 80% or more reduction in your allergy symptoms, he says.)
Poonam Thakkar, MD“If your treatment is successful, you should notice meaningful relief,” MD, associate professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, tells SELF. But symptoms that interfere with your ability to sleep, work, go to school, or your daily activities are red flags that your current treatment plan isn’t adequate, Dr. Thakkar says.
Another red flag that your medication isn’t doing its job, according to Dr. Banerjee: Symptoms return a few hours after taking the medication. “If this happens, it may mean that the type of medication, dosage, or timing isn’t right for your specific allergy, and it’s helpful to re-evaluate your treatment plan with your allergist,” she says.
Doctors may recommend increasing the dose under certain circumstances.
There are many reasons why your current allergy regimen may not be working for you, including that you may need a different treatment or that additional medication may be helpful. But it’s also possible that your doses are incorrect, Dr. Corey says. If you like your current medications or have already stockpiled them and don’t want to get rid of what you have, he says it’s worth talking to your doctor about whether increasing the dose is an option.
