In your non-professional opinion, what is the best over-the-counter, non-drowsy allergy medicine?

Claritin works best for me.

The big problem with allergy medicine is that they seem to rect so differently for different people. My daughter can take Allegra, but it knocks my son out, and it makes my girlfriend jittery and anxious.

My girlfriend is using Flonase. Finds it very effective,

Advil for allergies and cold or
Sudafed.

Cetirizine works for my husband and I.

They’re all more or less equally effective. I just get the generic that happens to be cheapest.

And that’s a professional opinion.

Generics – @Rarebear is a bit miffed that drug companies have not been forthcoming with their royalty checks for when he prescribed their name brand drugs.

BTW, loratadine (Claritin) works for me for about a week, then my body gets used to it. Cetirizine (Zyrtec) works great, but makes me sleepy.

I usually go for chlorphenamine (Piriton). Okay so technically it can cause drowsiness but I personally find the sedative effect is that noticeable and the antihistamine effect is better than other OTC mess. If things get really bad I go for fexofenadine which needs a prescription but works out cheaper in the long run.

Be cautious about people’s recommendations about drugs, even OTC ones—especially if you’re taking other meds. Everyone’s physiology is different. What works for one person might not work for another, or even produce a bad reaction. I suggest you seek advice from a doctor or at least a licensed pharmacist.

I wouldn’t worry about it. They’re quite safe.

The boys take a Loratadine each every day.

Loratadine (aka Claratin) has always worked for me.

Zyrtec has worked well for me. Generic eq.

Panto. It’s a B vitamin. I’m told it’s good for allergies. I don’t know because nobody has ever come back and told me it worked for them. They look as if I had slapped them. I think they wanted sympathy, not advice. It’s their own fault. They should have talked to my brother, CharmAZ. He doesn’t know much, but he sure is charming.

Tavist is the only one that doesn’t give me a hangover effect.

I was an experimental test subject for it some 45+ years ago, and it’s still the one that works for me. I have friends bring it back from the States for me.

Claratin

@RocketGuy I think this explains it: Chefs buy generic salt, Pharmacists buy generic Asprin

“In a detailed case study of headache remedies, we find that more informed or expert consumers are less likely to pay extra to buy national brands, with pharmacists choosing them over store brands only 9 percent of the time, compared to 26 percent of the time for the average consumer. In a similar case study of pantry staples such as salt and sugar, we show that chefs devote 12 percentage points less of their purchases to national brands than demographically similar nonchefs.”

Hail generics!

I buy most of my medicine and first aid supplies at Dollar Tree. $1 for a bottle of generic Bismuth Sulfate that does exactly the same as the $8 bottle of Pepto Brand.

That’s okay if what you’re buying is made in the USA, @Seek.

If it comes from overseas, YAIYO.

I don’t know what YAIYO means, but I’m not dead yet.

Your ass is your own.

@gorillapaws – I only buy generics. Same stuff, less money.