The Best Time to Take Allergy Medicines

Filed in archive Allergy Medications , Asthma , Living with Allergies on August 31, 2006

You religiously take your anhistamines and allergy medications. Fine. But did you know that you can benefit most from them if you take them at the right time?

Dr. Richard Martin, an allergy specialist from the National Jewish Medical & Research Center who studies circadian rhythms-- regular changes in mental and physical characteristics that occur in the course of a day-- say our body clocks determines the best times to take our medicines.

"For our patients with certain diseases, those rhythms are just amplified and worsened at night and therefore we try to target the medications for that time."

Studies show allergy symptoms are their worst between four and six am.

If you take your medicine at night, it'll be in your system, already working to reduce the sneezing, runny nose, and itching when you wake up.

Dr. Martin also points out that it's easier to prevent the symptoms of allergies, rather than reversing them once they are already in action. For asthma patients, oral steroids are best taken at 3 pm to reduce nighttime symptoms. Inhaled steroids, on the other hand are most effective when taken between 3 and 5 pm.

Watch and listen to Dr. Martin in this video report, or you can read the transcript here.