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Do Antihistamines Make Allergies Worse?

Taking antihistamines can help fight off an allergic attack. But there is new research suggesting that it also might make the next attack even stronger.

Researchers studied 50 mice that were injected with bee venom, a substance that causes nearly all organisms to develop an allergy upon exposure. Half of the mice were also given doses of the antihistamine Clemastine.

Six weeks later, the mice were injected with more bee venom. The mice that had been given antihistamines reacted more violently to the second venom injection. The researchers theorized that the mice given allergy medication had no chance to build up a tolerance to the allergen.



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Article's Comment     ( 7 Comments )
 
 
 +8 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY foxtroter_203   
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
[ Posted on January 14, 2008 ]
Post Reply
Similar problem for the body when given antibiotics unnecessarily.
 

            
 
Author of the Article
BY Russ Bianchi   
  
[ Joined on 09/06 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on January 14, 2008 ]
 
To answer the post title question: YES.

 
 +5 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY samurai   
  
[ Joined on 04/07 ]
[ Posted on January 14, 2008 ]
Post Reply
As a teen, one of my chores was mowing the lawn, and trimming the hedges.  I used to be swollen from the allergies.  My mom never "treated it" and told me, "your body will learn how to fight it all by itself".  Oddly, each summer my allergies diminished and today, I never , ever have any traces of allergies of anything .  I see people suffer throughout the year, and I feel that I am so lucky to never suffer from allergies. 
 

 +5 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Casie Girl   
  
[ Joined on 03/07 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on January 15, 2008 ]
 
Your mom knew what she was talking about.  Our bodies were built to take care of a lot that challenges them.  Unfortunately, nowadays, we don't give it the fair chance and ultimately do ourselves more harm than good.

 +5 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY Aaltrude   
  
[ Joined on 04/07 ]
Author of the Article [ Posted on January 14, 2008 ]
 
Samurai - I had a similar experience. Every spring as a child I used to break out in hives whenever the elm tree opposite our house was pollinating. Each year the reaction was less than the previous year until I grew out of it completely.

 
 +3 Points           
 
Author of the Article
BY nanciesweb   
  
[ Joined on 06/06 ]