Over-The-Counter Medication Options it is To Treat Child Sinus Allergies

Why Over-The-Counter Child Sinus Allergy Medicines

In most of the child sinus allergy cases, there is no necessity to use prescription medications. The doctors often ask the parents to try OTC medications first for the children having sinus allergies. They recommend and prescribe prescription medications only if the OTC medicine option does not give the desired results. There are certain advantages in using OTC medicines for child sinus allergies. These are:

	Easy and ready availability without doctor’s prescriptions
	Formulated in lower doses which are considered safe
	Costs relatively less and even the insurance company pays more than thi
	Many of the OTC medicines for child sinus allergies were originally started as prescription medications and were granted OTC status after proving their safety and effectiveness
	Highly effective at treating mild to moderate child sinus allergies

Use of OTC medicines for managing child sinus allergies reduces the frequency of visits to doctors thereby saving parents time. This in turn helps the parents to attend work regularly and hence there will not be any loss of income. The costs incurred for doctor’s visits will also come down.

What Are The OTC Child Sinus Allergy Options, And What Are They Useful For?

A whole range of OTC child sinus allergy products are available in the market in order to treat each of the main symptoms of child sinus allergies. Some of the reliable ones are:

1. Antihistamines

The chemical histamine causes most of the allergic reactions in the children and OTC medicines antihistamines stop this chemical from producing allergic reactions. Antihistamines give relief to the child from nasal congestion and runny nose, itchiness, watery eyes, cough, sneezing, hives, and swelling. Common OTC antihistamines sold in the market as branded products are Benadryl, Chlor-trimeton, Claritin, and Dimetapp. The above contain active ingredients diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, loratadine and brompheniramine respectively. If you are interested in generic versions look for the medicines with the above ingredients.

2. Decongestants

The objective of decongestants is to narrow blood vessels in the nose and reduce inflammation; this in turn relieves stuffiness and congestion because of which the sinuses drain freely thereby relieving sinus pressure. Blocked sinuses cause secondary infections which are harmful to the child. The most popular brand of decongestant is Sudafed and this contains the active ingredient in pseudoephedrine.

Decongestants are also available in the form of nasal sprays; one such branded popular medicine is Afrin; these contain the drug oxymetazoline and work in the same manner as oral decongestants.

3. Combination Medicines

OTC medications which combine the effects of decongestant and antihistamine medications are also available; the popular medicines in this category are Actifed and Claritin-D and these drugs are a combination of the drugs pseudoephedrine and triprolidine or loratadine.

4. Nasal Sprays

In order to overcome nasal allergy symptoms a number of OTC nasal spray/drop medications are available in the shops and safest among them is a simple saline nasal spray. This is a sterile salt water solution and is useful in clearing the nose of allergens and congestion.

The OTC medicines that are being used for treating child sinus allergies are having certain other problems such as drowsiness, hyperactivity and stomach upset. In case these side-effects have negative impact on your kid’s life it is advisable to consult your child’s doctor for finding an alternate medicine. There is a possibility that prescription medicines cause less side-effects than OTC medicines and both you and your doctor could explore this possibility.

For More Help Choosing OTC Child Sinus Allergy Medications

In case you are not familiar with the right OTC medicine to use for child sinus allergies, you should consult your child’s pediatrician or talking to a pharmacist. Both will be able to advice on the various medicinal options available for treating the child sinus allergies of your child and also the medicine that is best suited for your child’s condition.