OTC Allergy Meds

[TwiceHorn 31509]

I have pretty bad allergies to basically everything airborne.  However, I have lived with them for a half-century or so, so they usually aren't a big hairy deal, although it usually leads to a cold type thing this time of year (scratchy throat, nasal congestion dripping into lungs, coughing).  Not really what I want to have given the current situation.

When my face really starts to leak, benadryl is magic, but it also makes me drowsy.

Twenty or more years ago, I tried a couple of the prescription meds, one of which (started with an S) was soon taken off the market, and the other one didn't seem to be super-effective.  I haven't tried much since.

As indicated, I usually just live with sniffles and sneezing until my face starts leaking, then I take benadryl and shut down.

What are some recs for OTC meds that I might find more effective at warding off allergy symptoms and not god-awful expensive?  TIA.

[TwiceHorn 31509]

Also I guess I should note that this is for DFW's toxic brew.

[South Austin 52521]

For whatever reason, Claritin stopped working for me several years ago.  Now I take Allegra in the morning from October/November through the Spring, and then double up with Flonase in the evening during heavy cedar and oak season.  Works pretty well. 

[Sabalo 996]

+1 on Flonase.

[Radical Larry 28649]

I use Claritin and Flonase. 

[UTPhil2006 3807]

Claritin isn't as effective as Zyrtec for me.  But moving out of Austin also helped as well.

[TonyTexas 10518]

Im  a Zyrtec man. 

[jimmyjazz 45990]

I no longer take Allegra, but it did work.  I just have an odd predilection to not putting any more shit in my body than I have to.  (I have to take inhaled corticosteroids for asthma, and that's about all I can stomach.)

My wife and son both take Zyrtec and swear by it.

[torre 1286]

Flonase works for me.   Oral prescription just not as affective and may cause side effects (my experience).

About $12-$15 over the counter,  iirc, (60sprays)  Walmart has its own brand Equate for about $10.   Key ingredient is Fluticasone Propionate.

It is recommended to spray daily during allergy season but I go by the allergy forecast.

 

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by torre

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

Flonase never worked for me unless I remembered to start before the season.  Astelin (nasal spray antihistimine) worked OK for a short time.  The combination of the two, Dymista, really works for me but it's Rx.  

As far as OTC pills go, I also never had much luck with Claritin.  Doesn't really work on me at all. Like a sugar pill.

I really liked Seldane, but when they reformulated (to stop the cardiac arrests) to Allegra, it also removed a lot of the effectiveness for me. It makes things better but doesn't make them go away.

Zyrtec works but wears off after about 12 hrs which is a problem because it makes me too sleepy to be useful.  I'd take it in the morning and fall asleep on the phone 2-3 hours later.  So I had to take it at night before bed, and by 10am or so it had worn off.

Xyzal (sort of the next gen Zyrtec) works best for me overall.  Knocks me on my ass for a while just like Zyrtec, so I have to take it at bedtime.  I sleep like a rock, then for the whole next day and night I'm good.  Works out to taking one every other night.

[TwiceHorn 31509]

Thanks for the tips. Wound up getting generic zyrtec because it was cheap and in a small package. The selection was a bit picked over, lots of name brands and 48 tab packs. 

Seems to be working alright. 

I used flonase or an Rx predecessor long ago. It burned my nose really badly. 

[Iceman 2720]

different shit works for different folks.

Allegra works like magic for me, although like the OP, when my allergies kick into overdrive hayfever horseshit, Benadryl is all I want so I can sleep. Thankfully, I haven't had that crap in over a year.

Claritin doesn't do shit for me, nor does Flonase.  Wife uses Zyrtec and that's pretty much all that works for her.

It also takes about a week to figure out how your body is going to respond to it.

I am neither a doctor, nor have I stayed in a HE Express lately; but this has been my experience with allergy meds, OTC.

[Redneck Mutha 8006]

Nothing for the first 10ish years I was in Austin.  Then Claritin for a few years.  Then was fine for a while.  Then Costco version of Flonase for a couple years at bedtime to prevent the snores.  Now HEB version of Benedryl sometimes right before bed, which I can take after 3 drinks or less.

tl, dr; I'm cheap and use generic/costco/heb shit when I need something now, also fuck molds and oak.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

I was a big Zyrtec user until it stopped being as effective as it once was.  On the advice of my Doc,  I started to rotate between Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra.   So I will go six months with one and then move on to the other...    I do this along with a simple saline spray.  This has worked for a daily routine  for 10 to 11 months during the year.

This time of the year with the Live Oak pollen flying everywhere I have to the get the stuff with the  (D) which is kept behind the counter and you have to swear your life to a Fed Pen for a few years  you are not buying it to cook up meth.

I don't know how my allergies will react when we move up to the Hill Country in a few years with the Cedar.   Do you all who have issues with Live Oak pollen have it with  Cedar?  If so I might have to find a good allergy  doc and get injections.   I dread March because of the pollen and this year was worse because we had no real winter to help get rid of other allergens and molds in the air.  And we haven't really had a good hard rain this month to help wash it away from outdoor surfaces so it's still lingering  all over the place.  

[TwiceHorn 31509]

Plus one on saline nasal spray.  When your nasal cavities are itching and you want to stick something up your nose to scratch, that stuff really calms things down.  Usually a blow or two after and I'm good for a couple of hours.

 

When I had the scrip for the steroid nasal spray like Flonase way back when, I also had polyps (probably still do) and the steroid was supposed to reduce/heal those.  But man that shit hurt.

[torre 1286]

3 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

 

   Do you all who have issues with Live Oak pollen have it with  Cedar?  

Yes !     As exemplified by the above replies,  everyone is different.    But cedar is the "heavyweight" for me.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Plus one on saline nasal spray.  When your nasal cavities are itching and you want to stick something up your nose to scratch, that stuff really calms things down.  Usually a blow or two after and I'm good for a couple of hours.

 

When I had the scrip for the steroid nasal spray like Flonase way back when, I also had polyps (probably still do) and the steroid was supposed to reduce/heal those.  But man that shit hurt.

I use the Arm and Hammer brand and it's essentially the same thing you get from making your own saline nasal wash with on those things advertised on TV. I'm using it even more now with the virus thing hoping it keeps my nasal passages clear of crud.   I don't have any scientific evidence this works, but it can't hurt if it's helping to flush out the sinus cavities.  This cold and flu season ( I got a flu shot), I didn't catch a cold and the allergy season although bad has not been as bad as previous seasons using this in conjunction with the D versions of the noted allergy meds.  

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

12 minutes ago, torre said:

Yes !     As exemplified by the above replies,  everyone is different.    But cedar is the "heavyweight" for me.

We don't have much Cedar down here in the Coastal Bend although some of the pollen makes it way down here from the Hill Country when we have fronts come through.  That's one reason I wanted to spend a few extended weekends up there this spring to get a feel if it would bother me.  My oldest who lives in San Antonio has similar allergy issues as I do seems to think it doesn't bother him as much, but like you say everyone is different.   

[Irish Wrist Watch 1392]

Used to have chronic sinusitis. Dried them out with one small red Sudofed a day. 10mg, as I recall. Not sure I'd recommend that anymore. Nevertheless, that seemed to solve the almost constant sinus problems. At some point switched to generic Claritan. one a day. Taken it for years now. Also keeps the arthritis in my hands away. Have very little problem with airborne allergens thee days.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Irish Wrist Watch

[TwiceHorn 31509]

Cedar and Live Oak used to get me good in Austin, not so much in Dallas.  Red Oak does just fine up here, along with ragweed, dandelion, and all the grasses in both places.

And in the fall, when the leaves die, drop, and get moldy, that gets me too.

Despite no rain today (it rained earlier yesterday) I didn't feel the "itch" that I did yesterday.  Maybe the zyrtec hanging in, don't know.  Took nothing felt fine.

[pacman 7359]

I use sam's brand for zyrtec. Always been the best for me.

[William_Cannon 86]

Thanks for the tips. Wound up getting generic zyrtec because it was cheap and in a small package. The selection was a bit picked over, lots of name brands and 48 tab packs. 

Seems to be working alright. 

I used flonase or an Rx predecessor long ago. It burned my nose really badly. 

Kirklands brand of Zyrtec is dirt cheap. I take that and also Kirklands Flonase. I’ve used Claritin and alegra in the past and both stopped working... it seems the body gets used to the med.

[Deej 76842]

I had to quit Zyrtec. That stuff caused me to become extremely irritable when I was on it. Always just moments away from raging at the slightest provocation. 

Benadryl works, but the first 3-5 days of taking it is like popping a couple of Xanax. After that, the sleepiness tends to lessen considerably. 

[zork 629]

Cheap and effective to take the top off of that itchy throat and post nasal drip brought on by some of the allergens out there.  If I am doing something outside and the snot starts flowing I take one of these.  It is only a 4 hour pill and it dries you out real good so drink a lot of water with it.  It has a combo of an antihistamine and nasal decongestant in one cheap ass pill.  (I think it is a knockoff of the old Actifed)

[cactusflinthead 27601]

I'll rotate between Zyrtec and Claritin. If it's really bad I'll take a Benadryl on top of either one. Flonase works ok too, but it seems to take a while to kick in. If I take it every day for a week or so it does better than sporadically grabbing it when the snot attack hits.

Drixoral man, that was the shit. 

[tokamak 6432]

On 3/29/2020 at 5:30 AM, Nueces River Rat said:

I was a big Zyrtec user until it stopped being as effective as it once was.  On the advice of my Doc,  I started to rotate between Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra.   So I will go six months with one and then move on to the other...    I do this along with a simple saline spray.  This has worked for a daily routine  for 10 to 11 months during the year.

This time of the year with the Live Oak pollen flying everywhere I have to the get the stuff with the  (D) which is kept behind the counter and you have to swear your life to a Fed Pen for a few years  you are not buying it to cook up meth.

I don't know how my allergies will react when we move up to the Hill Country in a few years with the Cedar.   Do you all who have issues with Live Oak pollen have it with  Cedar?  If so I might have to find a good allergy  doc and get injections.   I dread March because of the pollen and this year was worse because we had no real winter to help get rid of other allergens and molds in the air.  And we haven't really had a good hard rain this month to help wash it away from outdoor surfaces so it's still lingering  all over the place.  

I don't have allergy problems thank God but I do get colds a lot because I have two young kids in daycare and I guess my immune system is trash. I think a lot of people don't realize the bolded part. If you're buying Sudafed or really any decongestant from off the store shelf, you're wasting your time and money. Get the good shit from behind the counter. You do have to swipe your drivers license but if you're just buying one box at a time or whatever, they'll never bother you about it.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

2 hours ago, tokamak said:

I don't have allergy problems thank God but I do get colds a lot because I have two young kids in daycare and I guess my immune system is trash. I think a lot of people don't realize the bolded part. If you're buying Sudafed or really any decongestant from off the store shelf, you're wasting your time and money. Get the good shit from behind the counter. You do have to swipe your drivers license but if you're just buying one box at a time or whatever, they'll never bother you about it.

Correct.   By the  24 or 30 dose pack and don't buy anymore until you get close to exhausting that pack and you won't pop up on a watch list.  Likewise try buying it at the he same pharmacy you regularly use so it doesn't look like you are shopping around like someone does with Docs looking for pain meds scripts.   

It regards to colds, Mucinex D is much better than the stuff not behind the counter.   

Edited March 31, 2020 by Nueces River Rat

[dcbc 14492]

Took a trip to Austin this weekend and woke up with burning, watering eyes.  Relative offered me a Zyrtec facial wipe (like a makeup remover wipe).  I hit my eyes and nose with it and was fine within a minute.  Unreal good.  Never had heard of this before.  I don't generally have allergies, but these things are instant relief.

[TeeDubya 3362]

On 3/29/2020 at 5:30 AM, Nueces River Rat said:

 On the advice of my Doc,  I started to rotate between Zyrtec, Claritin, and Allegra.   So I will go six months with one and then move on to the other...    I do this along with a simple saline spray.  This has worked for a daily routine  for 10 to 11 months during the year.

 

This.  Try rotating through the second-generation anti-histamines.  This is exactly the strategy I use.

[DalTxHornFan 3108]

2 minutes ago, TeeDubya said:

This.  Try rotating through the second-generation anti-histamines.  This is exactly the strategy I use.

I do the same thing, but my rotation is more like weekly.  Breathing is not optional.

[RPM 26326]

I switch between Claritin and Zyrtec. When one stops working (usually after a couple weeks) I switch to the other until it quits being effective. I guess I build up a resistance to it or something, but switching works for me.

[Kennythetiger 9398]

8 hours ago, dcbc said:

Took a trip to Austin this weekend and woke up with burning, watering eyes.  Relative offered me a Zyrtec facial wipe (like a makeup remover wipe).  I hit my eyes and nose with it and was fine within a minute.  Unreal good.  Never had heard of this before.  I don't generally have allergies, but these things are instant relief.

Thanks for this. Staying with my sister’s family for Christmas. My little nieces have a cat that drives my allergies crazy. 

[CooterBrown 18015]

Just a reminder, this is the week to begin a daily Flonase dose to mitigate the upcoming cedar fever season.

[dcbc 14492]

3 hours ago, Kennythetiger said:

Thanks for this. Staying with my sister’s family for Christmas. My little nieces have a cat that drives my allergies crazy. 

Username checks out. 

Hope it helps. 

[Bevo 13579]

On 3/28/2020 at 12:19 PM, TwiceHorn said:

I have pretty bad allergies to basically everything airborne.  However, I have lived with them for a half-century or so, so they usually aren't a big hairy deal, although it usually leads to a cold type thing this time of year (scratchy throat, nasal congestion dripping into lungs, coughing).  Not really what I want to have given the current situation.

When my face really starts to leak, benadryl is magic, but it also makes me drowsy.

Twenty or more years ago, I tried a couple of the prescription meds, one of which (started with an S) was soon taken off the market, and the other one didn't seem to be super-effective.  I haven't tried much since.

As indicated, I usually just live with sniffles and sneezing until my face starts leaking, then I take benadryl and shut down.

What are some recs for OTC meds that I might find more effective at warding off allergy symptoms and not god-awful expensive?  TIA.

S = Seldane which was replaced by Allegra due to serious side-effects if taken with Erythromycin or Azithromycin (Z-Pak). I like Allegra and I like Zyrtec. I'm not a fan of Claritin but others seem to like it. Zyrtec is cheap if you purchase the generic version from Costco. Try allergy drops which are easier than shots and a little less expensive.

[Hefeweizen 5328]

Not sure how I missed this… Cedar kicks my ass.  I through using Xyzal for a pill and saline rinse followed by Ipotropium Bromide plus Flonase generic.  That just about keeps me alive through February.

[Mole 4333]

I’ve found that an acid reducer helps with allergies. Sometimes my allergies get bad enough to where I swell up a little — lips, eyes, feet, or hands. Nothing dangerous, just uncomfortable.

Benadryl plus an acid reducer makes it go away quicker than just the Benadryl alone. So I take the acid pill plus an allergy pill everyday and rarely have problems anymore.

[tantric superman 4667]

Get some good saline spray as someone said, just to rinse all the shit out at the end and beginning of the day.  I got some Xlear Nasal Spray with Xylitol at sprouts and it worked pretty well.  My brother has bad allergies and he's all about the nettie pot flushing shit out once a day.   

Because I'm not supposed to get near cortisone I picked up some NasalCrom spray.  It works a bit differently than other sprays and worked really well for me.  I just used it once a day in the morning and you have to start a few days before it takes effect.  Worth checking out.

.https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-14037/nasalcrom-nasal/details

 

 

[tantric superman 4667]

Oh, Zrytec before a hot date.  I used it rarely but it always works. 

[Anastasis 23479]

Neti pot or Neilmed nasal rinse 

flonase

allegra or Zyrtec 

Antihistamine eye drops for any ocular symptoms 

that regimen works well enough for me. And all available in generic forms at relatively low cost. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Anastasis