After you've figured out what your triggers are and the best ways to avoid contact with them, you should start to feel better. But most people will still need to treat the allergies and asthma. Luckily, there are many effective medicine choices available these days. The goal is to prevent the inflammation that causes your symptoms, both in relation to allergies and asthma.

Allergy medications you can take include:

• Oral or nasal antihistamines
• Nasal steroid sprays
• Leukotriene modifiers
• Decongestants

Some of the above types of medicines are available over-the-counter, while others must be prescribed by your doctor.

The most effective asthma medicines are taken via an inhaler device, so that you breathe in a fine mist or powder right into your lungs. These medicines are called inhaled steroids and must be prescribed by a doctor. You usually take 1 to 2 puffs once or twice daily.

When inhaled steroids aren't effective, your doctor may consider prescribing one of the following types of medicines to work with the steroid:

• Leukotriene modifiers
• Long-acting bronchodilators

When even that doesn't work well to control severe asthma, your doctor may suggest an asthma medicine called an immunomodulator that is taken via a shot. Xolair is an example of this type of medicine.

According to research, one of the biggest reasons why people with asthma and/or allergies have problems is because they fail to take their medicine as prescribed. Sometimes people skimp on taking it because it costs so much. Other times, they wait until they begin to notice symptoms before taking the medicine, but that can be too late. Allergy and asthma medicine only works when you take it.

And if you have both allergies and asthma, then you want to be sure you're not only taking your asthma medicine every day. You also want to take your allergy medicine to keep allergies under control so that they don't affect your asthma.

So, if you have the allergic type of asthma (like most of us), then do yourself a favor. Avoid your triggers like crazy and take your medicine!