What is stronger than Claritin?

[Bubbleawsome]

Seriously. Please help me out of this seasonal HELL.

Anything non prescription that won't put me on a list for making meth in my basement.

 

[Captante]

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) works very well for me at least and its cheap. Unfortunately it also knocks most people out ... so much so its also sold as a sleep-aid!

 

[Kyle]

I'd try Zyrtec and Allegra as well (similar to Claritin)...seems for me some years one med will work better than the other, though Claritin seems the most consistent. While they are similar, they're not identical. When I was younger I needed to take a pill every day- now it's once a week at most, and some years nothing at all.

I do feel your pain though, I had a couple years that were absolute hell and nothing could help it seemed- 10+ years ago though.

 

[Kyle]

There's also a shot I've gotten from an MD that lasts a few months that worked really well, however I believe you can only get that 1x/year.

Could try nasal sprays as well- not sure if the ones I've used in the past are OTC yet (nasacort was one of them I think? Flonase?). They worked great but I ended up getting nose bleeds and had to stop using them.

 

[Childs]

Try two Claritin pills instead of one.

 

[umbrella39]

Zyrtec-D

Have to pull out that driver's license and feel like a criminal if you want real relief... Flonase is now OTC as well. Works good but takes a few doses.

 

[uhohs]

have you tried Zyrtec (Cetirizine) or Allegra (Fexofenadine)?

different people have success with different antihistamines.

 

[DrDoug]

Flonase. Use as per directions as it's a corticosteroid. It takes a few days to kick in but once it does life gets much better.

 

[Pardus]

Cures all:

 

[dr150]

Try two Claritin pills instead of one.

Bingo.

It's one so you won't feel sleepy.

Two is really where it's at regarding its true effectiveness.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Seriously. Please help me out of this seasonal HELL.

Anything non prescription that won't put me on a list for making meth in my basement.

It isn't the antihistamine but the decongestant that is monitored. Are you looking for something to stop your body's histamine response or something to decongest your sinus cavity and nostrils?

 

[Kneedragger]

I used to have really bad allergies. I got fed up with allergy pins not doing much and decided to get allergy shot. Now I go in once a month for a shot and life isn't perfect but way better!

Might be time to see an Allergist?

 

[zinfamous]

Seriously. Please help me out of this seasonal HELL.

Anything non prescription that won't put me on a list for making meth in my basement.

so you need sufedren (decongestant) more than loratidine (the antihistamine that is the active drug in Claritin)?

If you are getting stuffy, then you you should focus on sudofed and equivalents (the non-government watch list versions aren't really that great)

If you want a good antihistamine (you can always try non-D claritin or zyrtec), try some of the corticosteroids like Nasonex or Nasacort which are now OTC.

Those have worked much better for me in recent years. But I usually spike with loratidine as well.

EDT: I meant to say Flonase and not Nasonex. Flonase is what you want (Dr Doug reminded me). Flonase works much better than Nasocort, ime, but is a bit more expensive.

Flonase is awesome, though.

 

[purbeast0]

i used to use claritin when it was prescription only, but ever since it has become OTC it hasn't worked as well for me so i've switched to zyrtec which has had good results. in the spring i typically use that as well as some sort of allergy eye drops.

 

[Homerboy]

I've used OTC junk in the past and it never worked for me -- i have horrible, deblitating seasonal allergies.

Few years ago, allergist gave me prescription for Levocetirizine 5mg. things are a miracle.

I will recommend OTC Flonase too. Couple shots of that help out a ton.

 

[gorcorps]

I used Claritin last year, but found zyrtec to be more helpful this year.

 

[Worthington]

Get on a regiment of Flonase.

 

[zerocool84]

Get on a regiment of Flonase.

I prefer Nasacort

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I think it's a histamine and contestant problem. I've got itchy eyes and nose, but also crazy high congestion.

 

[amdhunter]

Flonase. Use as per directions as it's a corticosteroid. It takes a few days to kick in but once it does life gets much better.

OMFG YES - NO JOKE. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

This was the first year I used it, along with generic loratadine (Claritin) pills and I seriously didn't have one day of stuffy nose, sneezing or anything.

I did feel like "something was wrong allergy-wise" but holy shit the combination had me feeling 100% perfect.

Seriously couldn't recommend this combination high enough.

 

[Jaskalas]

Claritin noticeably causes brain fog. I assume that's low level drowsiness kicking in.
Need the relief but do not like the side effect.

 

[amdhunter]

Claritin noticeably causes brain fog. I assume that's low level drowsiness kicking in.
Need the relief but do not like the side effect.

I haven't encountered any ill effects with Claritin at all. Benadryl on the other hand...

 

[Scarpozzi]

Claritin is bottom of the line.....so is benedryl....another in that gen is lodrane.

When I first started having problems with my allergies, a coworker told me to get either Zyrtec (which was new at the time and not OTC) or Allegra...which worked great too, but was far cheaper before it went OTC. Different people are allergic to different things and different antihistamines work better for different people. You can also build up a tolerance to them...so use them when you need them and back off them through the seasons to gauge where you are.

Zyrtec and Allegra can both be purchased from Samsclub for CHEAP compared to anywhere else under the label Cetirizine (Zyrtec) and Fexofenadine (Allegra). There are others, but a year's supply of Cetirizine was like $16.99 years ago where the namebrand was $1/pill at Walgreens and the Walgreens brand was only 20% cheaper.

My wife has had the most success with Cetirizine, Lodrane, and Flonase (if you go the steroid route).

 

[evident]

Cures all:

I dunno, sometimes alcohol makes me stuffed up.

Oh and FYI, Costco has generic version of claritin for 5X cheaper, for those who have good luck w/ it. It's been a life saver for me so far this season.

 

[TheGardener]

To summarize, if Claritan (loratadine) doesn't help, then try another non-prescription med. I did, and I ended up going back to loratadine.

Perhaps the best advice given thus far, is to see an allergist. That way you know for sure what is causing your issues.