What allergy medication do you prefer? Poll

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

I'm currently taking Zyrtec, I'm not sure it's working great for me.

 

What seasonal allergy medication do you like and why?

[Word Nerd]

I use generic Zyrtec. Claritin didn't seem to do anything for me. I haven't tried Allegra.

[PuddleJumper1]

Dd has used Zyrtec and Claritin throughout the years. Neither seemed to be working for her lately so the doctor told us to try Allegra. Much improvement in her allergy symptoms. Who knows - at some point the Allegra may stop working as well and we'll go back to one of the others but for now it's our med of choice.

[Jerico]

Right now, zyrtec but it better help or i will try something else.

 

They have over the counter nasacort which may be worth a try.

[Butter]

I prefer Allegra, however it made my son super anxious (side effect of that type of drug).  He takes Claritin, which always has worked well for me, and it works well enough and doesn't cause anxiety issues in him.  Zyrtec was a disaster.  Poor kid was having panic attacks almost daily - on half the regular dose!

 

My husband takes both Singulair and Clarinex and together they do a great job.

[jewellsmommy]

Dd's dr told us to give her zyrtec, and it works fine for her. Dh and I used zyrtec as well. It seemed to lose its effectiveness for us so we switched to Allegra. Ds needed allergy meds last fall, and so we started him on zyrtec. It didn't seem effective so we switched him to Allegra. He still didn't improve so we tried Claritin. That seems to work for him. Oh, and the dog takes zyrtec.

 

So, to sum up, in our house:

 

DD and the dog: Zyrtec

DS: Claritin

Dh and me: Alegra

 

 

[Sara in AZ]

I generally use Claritin, but none of them do all that much for me besides take the edge off a little.

[Wheres Toto]

I am having a real hard time with this right now and I need to figure something out soon.  I have allergy-induced asthma and my allergies seem to get worse the older I get.

 

I used to take Singulair but it was really expensive when we didn't have insurance (the new generics were $250/month), I felt it was affecting my moods quite a bit and I was getting a lot of headaches.

 

I switched to Allegra and was getting headaches all the time, although it did work for the allergies.

 

Claritan and Zyrtec don't work for me..

 

Nasal sprays give me nosebleeds.

 

I'm trying Sudafed (pseudoephedrine - the stuff you have to get from the pharmacist) during the day and Benedryl at night, since Sudafed will keep me awake.  It was working okay but then I got sick and I'm still getting over that so I can't tell if it's going to work for my allergies or not.

[icollectkids]

I put 'other'. We take a spoon of local honey. :) Never have allergy issues now. :D

[zoobie]

Generic Claritin-D from Costco's pharmacy, 15 for $6. It's the kind you have to sign for and pledge a blood oath that you won't cook meth from it.

 

I don't take it while pregnant, so the pollen count being 4 zillion really sucks! I do honey but it doesn't put a dent in the yellow sludge.

[Mrs Mungo]

I take Claritin, when needed. Flonase really helps a lot more than Claritin, but it isn't OTC.

[Cinder]

I generally use Claritin, but none of them do all that much for me besides take the edge off a little.

 

Same here. Claritin only takes the edge off. Allegra and Zyrtec knock me right out so I can't even take those.

 

[JenneinCA]

I use Claritin because it works best for me . Zyrtec and Allegra didn't help much.

My kids use Zyrtec because it worked for them and we had a costco sized container.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Zyrtec makes me tired, gives me weird dreams, and doesn't work all that well. Claritin does not work at all. Allegra neither.

 

I use Benadryl which yes makes me tired, but it is the only thing that touches my seasonal allergies.

I often end up with Benadryl, it makes me sooo sleepy.

[trulycrabby]

I take sudafed, because the others just don't work, as my allergies are more likely to result in an asthma attack rather than sniffles. The pseudoephedrine keeps the lungs open so I can breathe freely. I only have to take it for a few weeks in the spring and summer.

[Tiramisu]

Taking meds makes me nervous in general. Since Claritin takes the edge off without me feeling different in any way, I stick with it. Turning into a zombie is the worst allergy symptom I get, and Claritin does help with that. Cuts post-nasal drip, too. :)

[Pippen]

Allegra-D is my allergy drug of choice.

[MeAndTheBoys]

Chlor-Tabs.  We live in a heavy pollen area but I've never had allergy troubles until this year--

 

I bought the cheapest one they had at Walmart, these Chlor Tabs--and it works great and doesn't make me sleepy.

 

So I didn't have to bump up to anything else :)  I've only taken Benadryl before, and it made me very tired.

 

Betsy

[PrincessMommy]

We take claritin here. I also take pseudophedrine as that helps on really bad days. My dd, who has bad asthma, also gets an allergy shot in the spring and fall. She's on singulair too. We tried allegra but it didn't work for us.

 

Edit for stupid auto spell

[Julie Smith]

My husband uses a different kind every year. New the end of the year he says whatever name brand he is using is no longer as effective.

[ElizabethB]

Claritin works well for me now.

 

Before allergy shots, any allergy medication did little more than take the edge off. The shots were very helpful.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I use generic Zyrtec. Claritin didn't seem to do anything for me. I haven't tried Allegra.

:iagree: we also take sudafed and a couple different nose sprays (Rx, can't remember the names).  We all have horrible allergies, DH and DD have sinus induced migraines so they both do "rinses". DS and I are allergic to most animals and we have dogs, cat, and bird.    

[Elfknitter.#]

I put 'other'. We take a spoon of local honey. :) Never have allergy issues now. :D

I found local bee pollen much more helpful than local honey.

[kbutton]

We have mixed results in our house--each person has their own favorite one that works for them. Zyrtec does NOT work for me.

 

For folks who find Claritin helpful but not enough, ask your doc about taking two--I believe the dosing in other countries is double what it is here.

 

Be careful with local raw honey and bee pollen. Yes, it works great for some people. It made me have trouble breathing, and I think I could have experienced anaphylaxis if I'd taken it again. It's like taking allergy shots but without a calculated dose and monitoring.

[InterestingCase]

My eldest and I love Allegra, but my middle child had anxiety attacks and bad dreams when taking it. My youngest does not tolerate Zyrtec well--it makes her emotional--and I am afraid to give her Allegra after my middle son's reaction. As a result, both my middle and youngest get half-doses of Benadryl; it takes care of the allergies to some degree and doesn't make them too sleepy. Most importantly, no scary side effects.

 

I have learned how profoundly individual body chemistry can impact both effectiveness and side effects of any medicine. 

[Peach]

Flonase and my asthma inhalers. Any other tablet type knocks me completely out in 20 minutes. 

[melmichigan]

I take  the generics for Zyrtec and Flonase, Singulair impacts my mood so that's a last resort along with Pulmicort, so only if my asthma gets bad.  Claritin quit working.  If I run into trouble then they add an additional antihistamine opposite the Zyrtec.

 

DH takes generic Zyrtec and 12-hour Sudafed because he has really small ear canals and ends up with ear infections this time of year.  His doctor writes a prescription for the Sudafed so we can get a month supply at a time.

 

The kids take Zyrtec but SIngulair is a last resort for them as well.

 

 

[nukeswife]

I take Singulair daily for my asthma and it helps a little with allergies.  During high pollen times (like now) I also take zyrtec.  Claritan does nothing for me and Allegra gives me really bad headaches.  

[happypamama]

I take generic Zyrtec, because it seems to work well for me, and it doesn't make me drowsy. It was also listed as being very safe for pregnancy and nursing, which was important to me. I can tell when it kicks in -- within about an hour of taking it, my sniffling nose and itchy eyes are much better. I didn't react well to Claritin a while ago, so I've been hesitant to take it again. I also take Flovent (IIRC) for asthma when I start needing my rescue inhaler because of the heat.

[speedmom4]

I take a half of a Clairitin-D almost every day. I get such bad sinus pressure when I forget. I also take a half of a Benadryl at night. If I forget I wake up with my nose stopped up.

 

Right now the pollen in our area is out of control and the Clairitin and Benadryl relieve some but not all of my symptoms.

 

I tried Zyrtec for a while but I felt like a zombie and had to go back to Cairitin.

 

Good luck!

 

Elise in NC

[Hoot]

Nettles & Eyebright tincture plus a shot of local raw honey and apple cider vinegar. 

[Beth in OH]

Claritin in the am; Benadryl at night.  

 

Chlor-Trimeton 12 hour, but I don't think you can find it anymore.  Here's a generic.

 

Zyrtec works well, but I never get past the drowsiness.

[elegantlion]

Benadryl, I take one each night and if I'm have an issue during the day. Dog takes Benadryl too, eats them out of my hand, poor dog is allergic to more stuff than me. 

 

I tried Zyrtec and have some on hand, but it makes me way more drowsy than Benadryl and I feel hung over the next day. 

[LaxMom]

Other: the one that works this year.

 

For years, it was Zyrtec. Now, it's Allegra. (Claritin never worked) And joy of joys, Nasocort is OTC now!

 

If I'm ahead of the trees, several weeks of nettle decoction keeps the worst of it at bay, but my herb freezer drawer is stuck shut and I haven't ordered any new ones because I "plan" to get it open. Someday.

[DarlaS]

I took Claritin for the longest time and it worked well... until it didn't. I switched to Zyrtec and that eventually left me with a dry, yet still quite stuffy nose. I didn't have allergy symptoms, but could not breathe normally.

 

Now I am taking Allegra. I did not associate headaches with it, but that might be because I don't use it daily. I did take one today and I did get a headache. Hmmmm.... I guess I better keep an eye on that. It does kind of make me feel like the inside of my sinuses are kind of sore--kind of like that feeling when you accidentally snort a bit of water up your nose and it stings a bit.

[FaithManor]

Allegra D is the only thing that controls my seasonal allergies. When it was prescription only, my doctor would only give me 10 days at a time and our insurance didn't cover it. So every ten days, $75.00 office call and $60.00 for ten days worth. It was nutsso I would suffer along with other things that didn't work.

 

My life improved dramatically when it became OTC. My youngest inherited my pollen issues and since he is still small takes children's allegra despite being almost 14. It works super well for him here the others barely help.

[Debbi in Texas]

I take 2 benadryl every night.

[Momofeat]

I take Zyrtec because the generic version is super-cheap, but Xyzal is my favorite for the kids. It seems to have the fewest side effects.

[celticmom]

I take local honey. I react badly to benadryl and sudafed. I have not been desperate enough to try the others yet.

[MissKNG]

Anything that works. I've tried all three. They work a season then do not work the next season. It's been that way my whole life. My file at my pediatrician was like an inch thick because of so much allergy activity. I think my body adapts to medications and they render useless after a while. So anything that works!

 

I need shots. That is the bottom line. I don't like needles. I rather suffer.