Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Allergic Reaction
About this symptom
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Check Your Symptoms
- Home Treatment
- Prevention
- Preparing For Your Appointment
- Credits
For tips to help relieve symptoms of an allergic reaction, see home treatment for:
- A severe allergic reaction. If you
have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, call
or other emergency services immediately. - Itching or hives. Avoid more contact with whatever you think is causing the hives.
- A sore throat caused by postnasal drip. Gargle with warm salt water to help ease throat soreness.
- Hay fever symptoms. Take an antihistamine to reduce symptoms of itchy, watery eyes; sneezing; or a runny, itchy nose. Be sure to read and follow any warnings on the label. Don't give antihistamines to your child unless you've checked with the doctor first.
- Allergies that are worse in damp weather. Mold may be the cause of allergies that get worse in damp weather. Mold produces spores that move, like pollen, in outdoor air during warmer months. During winter months, indoor molds can also be a problem.
- Indoor allergies. Newer, energy-saving homes that are built with double- or triple-paned windows and more insulation keep heat as well as allergens indoors.
- Allergies to a pet or other animal. When allergies are worse around pets, symptoms may be caused by your pet's dead skin (dander), urine, dried saliva, or hair.
- Seasonal allergies. These are often caused by exposure to pollen.
For tips on how to treat dry and irritated skin, see the topic Dry Skin and Itching.
For information on how to treat an insect bite or sting, see the topic Insect Bites and Stings and Spider Bites.
Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment
Use the Check Your Symptoms section to evaluate your symptoms if any of the following occur during home treatment:
- Trouble breathing, wheezing, or tightness in the chest develops.
- Swelling of the throat, tongue, lips, or face develops.
- Hives develop or get worse.
- Swelling gets worse.
- A skin infection develops.
- Symptoms have not improved after 2 weeks of home treatment.
- Symptoms become more severe or more frequent.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: April 29, 2011 |
| Medical Review: | William H. Blahd, Jr., MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
