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Top 10 Over-the-counter Allergy medicines

Some allergies are cured by medicines prescribed by a doctor or a specialist and some are cured or treated by medicines which can be bought over-the-counter. In this article, I’ll show the top ten lists of medicines over-the-counter.

1. Claritin

Loratidine is the generic name for claritin. Loratidine is called a “second generation” antihistamine because it was developed many years after the first generation antihistamines. The main improvement in the second generation is that these medicines do not cause the extreme sleepiness you can get with the original ones. The other improvement is that they last 24 hours. Loratidine helps most people with allergies, with almost no side effects. Claritin is expensive. Generic loratidine is not. If you want Claritin-D you can buy it, or you can buy generic loratidine and generic pseudoephedrine.

2. Zyrtec

Cetirizine is the generic name for zyrtec. is a second-generation antihistamine like loratidine . Some said that this works 2 hours faster than Claritin. It maybe goes to work a little faster. But most people need to take their antihistamines on a daily basis during certain times of the year, or maybe all year, depending on the allergy. About 10% of people still get a little sleepy with cetirizine. Thats why its at number two. It is better for hives, but if you are having hives, you need to see your doctor.

3. Benadryl

Diphenhydramine is the generic name for benadryl. This is the most well-known antihistamine. It has been around a very long time, and it is an excellent antihistamine. However, it makes people very sleepy. It does go to work fast, but it only lasts 4 to 6 hours. If you have allergies, you can carry this with you. Then, if you are allergic to cats, and you wind up visiting a friend with a cat and your allergies attack, you can take Benadryl and you will start to feel better in 30 minutes. It also works great for itchy skin rashes, like if you have been bitten by lots of mosquitoes on vacation, and you want to get a good nights sleep. Diphenhydramine comes as a generic and in all sorts of forms.

4. Chlor-Trimeton

Chlorpheneramine is the generic name for chlor-trimeton. It is very similar in most ways to diphenhydramine. It may work better for some individuals. So if you are looking for a fast-acting medicine that might make you a little sleepy and diphenhydramine doesnt work, try chlorpheneramine. This also comes in all sorts of combinations, with a decongestant, with a pain reliever, in longer acting capsules. Be sure you know what you are taking.

5.Cortaid

1% hydrocortisone is the active ingredient in most anti-itch creams. It does work. Prescription strengths usually work better, but this is better than nothing. Look for this with the least additives. Be careful not to buy cream with diphenyhydramine in it. It turns out that while diphenhydramine works great by mouth, if you put it on your skin you can develop an allergic reaction to it. So look for the hydrocortisone. It will help if you get something you are allergic to on your skin and you get an itchy rash. That could be poison oak or ivy, or it could be a chemical in makeup, shampoo, or toothpaste. If you know that you have skin allergies and you dont have a prescription, this cream plus one of the antihistamines will help you.

6.Visine-A

These eye drops have two ingredients. One is naphazoline, which constricts the blood vessels on the surface of the eye. That helps get rid of the redness. The other is pheniramine maleate, an antihistamine which stops the histamine from causing tallergic symptoms. These drops are somewhat effective and fairly safe. They come in many brands which all have the same ingredients, including Naphcon-A and Opcon-A.

7. Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride

This used to be what Sudafed was made of. This is the best decongestant without any question. What this will do is open up a plugged nose, as well as open up plugged Eustachian tubes. If your allergies are bothering you and an antihistamine is not enough to unplug everything, pseudoephedrine will take care of it. It comes in many generics, which will also be behind the pharmacy counter in many states. If you buy Sudafed off the shelf, you will now probably be getting Sudafed PE, phenylephrine hydrochloride, which cannot be used to make crystal meth but also does not work very well. If you are buying prescription Claritin and you need a decongestant too, Claritin D has pseudoephedrine. Go for the pseudoephedrine. You can ask the pharmacist for real Sudafed if you dont remember the name.

8. Ocean Sinus Irrigation

This is a modified salt water solution. It comes in a simple spray bottle (Ocean Nasal Spray) or a large canister that can actually spray a lot more in your nose and clean out your nose and sinuses. This is great if you have a lot of mucous and you feel it in the back of your throat, or you feel like you have to clear your throat a lot. It is also good if you have had a sinus infection which people with allergies may have more often.

9. Nasal Crom

This used to be a prescription nose spray. It is made from the same medication as the Crolom eye drops and it works the same way. You need to spray it in your nose before allergy season starts, if possible. Again, you need to give it two to four weeks to really see if it is going to help you. There are generic formulations of Nasalcrom (cromolyn sodium nasal spray).

10. Crolom Eye Drops

These eye drops does not treat symptoms directly. The drops are used to prevent the allergies from happening. The medication stops cells in your eyes from releasing the chemicals that make them itch and run. So you have to use them on a daily basis, starting from before the time of year you usually get eye allergies. If you are already having symptoms, it will take a couple of weeks of use for you to know if this is going to help you. It is worth trying, because it is really completely safe. There are always long lists of possible side effects from anything, but this is as safe a medicine as you can find. Its worth giving it a two to four week try.

By: yeovandZ