Non-Drowsy hayfever tablets

On the advice of my asthma nurse,I was recommended to try using hayfever tablets during the Spring and Summer months and I dont know if its just my system but if those ""non drowsy"" tablets are non drowsy ,I would hate to think how drowsy the drowsy ones are??!!

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I think its different from person to person, I dont really get drowsy from any non drowsy tablets, but I have friends who get really drowsy.

[KateMoss]

I have been taking Zirtek (generic name Cetirizine) for years and have no drowsiness from them.

Which ones did you try?

Kate

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Hi

I know several people who drive for a living and are prescribed Telfast 120 (fexofenadine) antihistamine. This is meant to be non-drowsy and also lactose-free if that helps anyone too.

Good luck

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I use Benadryl (acrivastine) and I haven't found it has any side-effects at all. Its certainly non-drowsy.

I know when I used to be given Piriton as a child I walked around like a zombie, and slept for days. Its real knock-you-out stuff!! I haven't been near it for 17 years!!

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I use cetirizine too and i have no problems with it and my daughter takes it too and she's 8 with no probs either.

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Sadly my husband gets extremely drowsy (and grumpy!) on cetirizine so I think it really is a question of trial and error. Give them a go until you find them that works for you.

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I have tried non drowsy antihistaminnes and they make me drowsy aswell I told my doc how every antihistamine I try makes me drowsy and she told me just to use nose drops as they do the same thing, and also because I get alot of sinisitus, and they seem to be working really well

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Thanks for the replies,-its the ""generic"" Citrizine I have been using-but it seems as if the effects do seem to vary from person to person.

-should be ""safe"" to stop using them by now though?

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talk to your doctor first before you stop taking them, and maybe mention the drowsines, cause there are all sorts of antihistammines you can try.

[yaf_user681_25874]

Hi Bluejam

talk to your DR or a pharmacist about trying some different ones...

last year I bought some OTC as I hadn't got them on prescription and I was suffering, but they made me really drowsy (these were on of the ""one a day"" type).. so I spoke to the pharmacist who suggested trying one of the older multiple times a day tablets instead - I think they were Benadryl - they worked at the time but would have been v expensive bought otc (around £7 for a week's supply), so I saw GP and tried some diff anti histamines to find one that was ok.

Saves me a fortune as I get them on prescription and I buy a PPC in any case.

cheers

Kat

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Hello everyone,

when I suggested it was ""safe"" to stop using them I was thinking more in terms of the end of pollen season-I,m not really sure they are doing much in the way of curbing my symptoms,I think thats more the Seretide!-but I will ask the pharmacist-ta!

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I take Loratadine for allergies, so maybe it'd work for hayfever too? When I was in hospital I was taking Piriton although this knocked me out fairly well, but my current meds don;t give me any trouble!

I'd check with your GP though as I'm pretty sure it isn't OTC, and some antihistamines can contradict asthma meds.

Emz x

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Hi Bluejam and all,

Personally, I can take any antihistamine, drowsy-making or non-drowsy-making, and not be affected by it, but I have had the dubious pleasure of rather a lot of sedative medication in the past and have developed some tolerance!

I had a friend at Uni who had hayfever and would occasionally take half a tablet of cetirizine and be completely knocked out by it - admittedly, she was tiny, and also had Oriental Alcohol Intolerance syndrome (where certain liver enzymes are lacking) which may have had something to do with it.

The BNF has this to say:

'Non-sedating antihistamines such as cetirizine, desloratadine (an active metabolite of loratadine), fexofenadine (an active metabolite of terfenadine), levocetirizine (an isomer of cetirizine), loratadine, and mizolastine cause LESS sedation and psychomotor impairment than the older antihistamines because they penetrate the blood brain barrier ONLY TO A SLIGHT EXTENT.' [emphasis mine]

So it's all a question of degree - and some people are doubtless more affected than others. If you have particular problems with ceterizine, it's certainly worth trying one of the others mentioned above - I believe loratadine and acrivastine (which is also supposed to be less sedating) are the only ones which are available over the counter. It's also worth saying that the sedating effects usually lessen with time, although that's not a lot of help for driving to work, etc, at the moment, I appreciate!

As others have said, if you can't tolerate any antihistamines, there are other treatment modalities available for hayfever/rhinitis. Steroid nasal sprays such as Beconase and Flixonase can be very effective (both prescription only although Beconase can be 'prescribed' by a pharmacist at their discretion in someone with a known diagnosis). Sodium chromoglycate eye drops are effective for eye symptoms (again, can be given by a pharmacist). There is also a chromoglycate nasal spray and topical antihistamine nasal sprays and creams available, although these are thought to be less effective. Leukotriene antagonists such as montelukast (Singulair) and zafirlukast (Accolate) are also licenced for rhinitis, and are prescription only. Topical and tablet decongestants, which contain things like pseudoephedrine, are usually best avoided, as they are not that effective, produce a rebound effect when you stop taking them, and can interact with asthma medication to make the unpleasant salbutamol palpitations we all know and love a bit worse.

You are right that hayfever season *should* be starting to draw to a close (although I do know people who are at their worst right now - I think due to molds from decomposing plants, ?also some weeds pollenate about now? - help, Kate!). Some people, though, (including myself) suffer from fairly bad rhinitis all year round, usually due to other allergens such as dust, house dust mite, animals, moulds in the home etc, so you may find that you're unlucky enough still to be troubled.

One other thing - always get your doctor to prescribe antihistamines, if you are going to use them long term - it's cheaper even without a pre-payment certificate.

Hope this helps

Em H