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subject: Relieving Allergies - What Medications/Remedies Should I Be Looking For? [print this page]

Relieving Allergies - What Medications/Remedies Should I Be Looking For?

A Message from DrugOTC.com About Allergy:

Allergy

With the arrival of Spring also comes allergens that cause many allergic people a lot of symptomatic suffering, these allergy symptoms being: stuffy or runny nose, itchy throat, coughing, itching skin, and red & itching eyes.

There are some ways to relieve the symptoms by using over-the-counter products. Below is an outline of the common active ingredients in OTC allergy medications and their purposes:

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Oral Medications

For All Allergy Symptoms (Itching-red eye, Itching skin, Nasal congestion, cough)

Antihistamines

Loratadine & Fexofenadine - no drowsiness (good for daytime)

Certirizine - mild drowsiness

Chlorpheniramine & Diphenhydramine - drowsiness (good for nighttime)

For Stuffy/Runny Noses (a.k.a Nasal Congestion)

Decongestants

Phenylephrine - no drowsiness (good for daytime)

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Eye Drops

For Itching, Red Eyes

(If you have a lot of eye discharge, or the symptoms are not relieved in 2-3 days, you should always consult your doctor before trying anything else.)

Antihistamine

Pheniramine, Antazoline, Ketotifen

For Red eyes

Decongestants

Oxymetazoline, Tetrahydrozoline

For Dry Eyes

Artificial tears

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Nasal solutions - Temporary Nasal Decongestant for Sinusitis and Nasal Congestion (Stuffy/Runny Noses)

For Stuffy/Runny Noses

Nasal decongestant - acts as temporary relief for nasal congestion

Phenylephrine, Oxymetazoline, Naphazoline

For Moisturizing Dry Nasal Passages

Sodium Chloride Nasal Solution

For All Nasal Symptoms

Nasal irrigation usage, flushing sinuses/nasal passages with saline solution, have been proved by medical reports to be a great benefit for people with sinus/nasal problems. Nasal irrigators wash away pollutants, toxins, allergens, and dirt. Nasal irrigation helps to relieve symptoms of sinusitis and allergies without the unwanted side effects of medications. You can also take antihistamines and decongestants simultaneously because the medications can expedite the healing process.

For Rhinitis (or "inflammation of the nasal passages"), irrigation is a really good method to relieve symptoms of an inflamed or blocked nasal passage, i.e. runny or stuffy nose.

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For Cough

If you cannot get relief from taking Robitussin DM, you can take it in combination with an antihistamine, oftentimes that combination will resolve the coughing problem. Actually, in many instances, the antihistamine alone can relieve your coughing symptom.

Decongestant Warning for those with Hypertension: Decongestants can cause hypertension, so for people with hypertension, or high blood pressure, they will need to watch out for this side effect. It's better to avoid these products if possible.

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Conclusion

For all allergies, the rule of thumb is to look for products with that one ingredient.

Use the product with the ingredient that

doesn't induce drowsiness (loratadine or fexofenadine) for daytime use

does cause drowsiness (chlorpheniramine or diphenhydramine) for nighttime use

If this doesn't work, then you can try other medications.

*Oftentimes, a product with the ingredient which causes drowsiness tends to work better than the one that doesn't induce drowsiness.

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