What should you know about food allergy medicine?

Some medicines may reduce itching, hives, or mild swelling after a clinician has assessed the reaction. They do not make a food safe to eat, and a medicine that helps a skin symptom should not be relied on to stop a dangerous reaction. Food allergy care also involves identifying triggers, checking ingredients, and knowing the signs of anaphylaxis.

A reaction can involve the skin, mouth, throat, breathing, stomach, or circulation. An itchy throat can be one symptom, but it needs attention when it occurs with other symptoms or progresses.

Follow the personalised plan given by your doctor. Record the food, amount, timing, symptoms, and any medicine taken; this helps guide assessment. Do not test a suspected food at home. Ask whether you need prescribed emergency medicine, how to use it, and when to replace it. Read labels and take care with shared cooking surfaces and packaged foods.

For evaluation, see [Allergy Testing](/treatments/diagnostics-and-screening/allergy-testing/). Learn more about [Food Allergy](/conditions/food-allergy/) and [Anaphylaxis](/conditions/anaphylaxis/).

Get emergency help immediately for trouble breathing, throat tightness, a hoarse voice, faintness, confusion, repeated vomiting, or rapidly worsening symptoms after eating. Use prescribed emergency medicine exactly as instructed and seek emergency care even if symptoms start to improve. [Anaphylaxis Emergency Treatment](/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/anaphylaxis-emergency-treatment/) explains the emergency response.

Which symptoms should I treat at home, and which require emergency help? Do I need a written action plan? How should I avoid the suspected food, and should I see an allergy specialist?