Hello doctor, I am a boy, 18 years old. From the last three years, I am facing an allergy in which I face difficulty in breathing, coughing, and sound produces while breathing. The problem increases at night and I wake up near 4 to 5 times during my sleep and sit for a while. This is my fourth year when I am again facing this problem. This problem arises usually in March and April and does not disturb in other months. When I faced this problem the first time, I consulted a physician who gave me five tablets of Asthalin (one for each day) and a cough syrup. It gave me relief. But last year, when I took the same Asthalin and cough syrup, it did not work. So my parents took me to another doctor in the city who gave me Leephylline 200 mg tablets for five days. He said that it is just an allergy which will go by itself after 18 years. He told me not to drink cold water, curd, rice, etc., when the season changes. This year I again faced the same problem but I did not drink cold water when the season changed this year. This year that doctor got transferred to another city. And when I went to buy Leephylline tablet, the chemist said that it is not coming. He gave me tablet Allegra M as its substituent. This tablet did not work. Then I went to consult a doctor who prescribed Cefixime dispersible 200 mg tablets. It also did not work. I want to ask that what is the reason behind my allergy? Why it occurs? Can you prescribe me a right tablet for my problem? Please give me advice what to do to get relief permanently from this problem.
Hello. You seem to be suffering from airway hyperreactivity disorder, the common colloquial term being an allergy. This occurs because your respiratory pathway is more sensitive to some day to day substances which others are able to tolerate without any problem. When such a situation occurs it can present with wheezing, breathing trouble, chest heaviness, sneezing, running nose, itching, sinus headache, disturbed sleep and day time sleepiness. One must be careful regarding seasons. If the allergy is occurring during some particular season then it must be due to some particular pollen. The substitute the pharmacist has given and the one the new doctor has given are all different. You need medicine to dilate your respiratory pathways. You need Asthalin inhaler of strength 100 mg and Seroflo inhaler of strength 250. For details regarding how to use these inhalers and how to avoid allergies in the future, you can revert back to me. But when you revert please give us details as to whether the breathlessness occurs throughout the day or only in the night, when it increases with physical exertion, whether it causes fever, headache, running nose, sneezing, etc. With the right advice, precautions, and allergy management protocol, you will be good soon.