Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis, Research Paper Example

A 14 year old female presented with a case of cystic acne (Barnes et al., 2012). She has used over the counter products previously and is concerned that her symptoms are not disappearing. As such, it was recommended that she utilize 10% over the counter 10% benzoyl peroxide in addition to prescribed 20 mg of tetracycline. The benzoyl peroxide is expected to cost less than $10 for one bar of medicated soap if acquired from her local drug store, while the tetracycline medication will cost under $5 if it is covered by her insurance. This treatment is recommended because it is surprisingly low cost and works to reduce symptoms from both the inside of the body and outside (Benner et al., 2013). It is recommended that the patient takes the tetracycline with meals to avoid side effects such as nausea. My initial approach matches the final strategy recommended for the patient profile presented because this treatment method is low risk and effective. There are very few antibiotics on the market that have shown the same promise for acne treatment as tetracycline with such few side effects. It is important to treat teenagers with low risk drugs to avoid negative impacts on their development. It will be necessary to determine if this patient benefits from the treatment to determine if a higher dose of tetracycline or an introduction of combination therapy will become necessary. Stronger drugs are available on the market, but it is important to determine whether this method works before altering strategies used.

The rate of compliance for the use of long term intranasal compliance is approximately 66%, although the exact value is different for different drugs (Anolik, 2010). In children, this number is decreased. Many patients report that the medicine doesn’t taste good, so they don’t like to use it. Others claim that they simply forget to use it on a regular schedule. It is important to ensure that all individuals have access to this medication when they are having an attack. Furthermore, it is important for them to understand that long-term steroidal use could contribute to decreasing efficacy of the drug. Therefore, it is important for them to follow their health care professional’s instructions on the matter. The drug should not be taken every day unless specifically indicated by the medication. Fears of parents regarding long-term use of steroids are somewhat justified, but it is important for them to gain the education necessary to understand that if the doctor prescribes long-term care for them, it is as a preventive measure due to the severity of their symptoms. Therefore, it is important to reduce levels of noncompliance (AAFP, 2010). Steroid spray could therefore be replaced with pills that accomplish similar functions. In addition, parents could be provided with pamphlets that explain the benefits of long-term steroid use in children with severe asthma. While the effect of steroid use is somewhat negative, it is not severe as many parents report. It would be valuable to present them with data demonstrating that only a small percentage of children experience adverse effects when using such treatments. Therefore, it is not rational to consider the use of these therapies as detrimental and it continues to be important to require both children and adults to use their inhalers and other asthma medications as recommended by their doctors in order to avoid any unnecessary adverse health effects.

References

AAFP. (2010). Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis. Am Fam Physician, 81(12):1440-1446.

Anolik, R. (2010). Fluticasone furoate nasal spray: Profile of an enhanced-affinity corticosteroid in treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis. J Asthma Allergy, 3: 87–99.

Barnes LE, Levender MM, Fleischer AB Jr, Feldman SR. (2012). Quality of life measures for acne patients. Dermatologic Clinics, 30(2): 293–300.

Benner N, Sammons D. (2013). Overview of the treatment of acne vulgaris. Osteopathic Family Physician, 5(5): 185–90.