Food Allergy Treatment: Protection
To protect yourself if you have had allergic reactions to a food, you should:
- Wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace stating that you have a food allergy and are subject to severe reactions
- Carry a syringe of adrenaline (epinephrine), obtained by prescription from your healthcare provider, and be prepared to give it to yourself if you think you are getting an allergic reaction
- Seek medical help immediately by either calling an ambulance or by getting transported to an emergency room.
Anaphylactic allergic reactions can be fatal even when they start off with mild symptoms such as gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort or a tingling in the mouth and throat.
Schools and day care centers must have plans in place to address any food allergy emergency. Parents and caregivers should take special care with children and learn how to:
- Protect children from foods they are allergic to
- Manage children if they eat a food they are allergic to
- Give children epinephrine.
Medicines for Food Allergy Treatment
There are several medicines that you can take to relieve the
food allergy symptoms that are not part of an anaphylactic reaction.
These medicines include:
- Antihistamines to relieve GI symptoms, hives, or sneezing and a runny nose
- Bronchodilators to relieve asthma symptoms.
You should take these food
allergy medicines if you have accidentally eaten a food to which you are allergic. They do not prevent an allergic reaction when taken before eating the food. No medication in any form will reliably prevent an allergic reaction to that food before eating it.
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