Medindia » Consumer Health » Health Information » Choose The Right Over-the-Counter Drugs for Allergy - OTC Selection
Disease Info Index
Choose The Right Over-the-Counter Drugs for Allergy
Page Options
Locate a Doctor
Speciality
City (or)
eg:Chennai
Pincode
eg:600000

Choose The Right Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs for Allergy

How to Select Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs for Allergy

RSS Feeds   Text 
There are a number of over-the-counter drugs for allergy available with the local drug-store. It is for the allergy sufferer to choose the right one from among them.

Selecting the right over-the-counter allergy (OTC) medication from the wide array of choices available at your local pharmacy/drug-store can be quite confusing. The right choice depends upon whether you have seasonal allergy, environmental allergy, food allergy, drug allergy or toxin allergy. You also need to know what drugs are available over-the-counter for allergy and which symptoms they treat.

Typically, there are four types of allergy medication – antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, decongestants and topical corticosteroids.

Choose The Right Over-the-Counter (OTC) Drugs for Allergy

You should opt for over-the-counter medication only when you have a mild allergy. Severe cases of allergy have to be referred to a doctor. Ask your doctor before starting a medication if you are suffering from any other ailments or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Antihistamines containing the active ingredients brompheniramine maleate (Dimetane) or chlorpheniramine maleate (Chlor-Trimeton) may have drug interactions with certain drugs like tranquilizers and sedatives.

Here’s a list of commonly available OTC drugs for allergy.

Antihistamines – Diphenhydramine (Benadryl), brompheniramine (Dimetane), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), loratadine (Tavist, Claritin), cetirizine (Zyrtec) (prescription drug in some countries).

Decongestants – Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), Oxymetazoline HCl (Afrin nasal spray), phenylephrine hydrochloride (Neo-Synephrine nasal spray).

Combination drugs (antihistamine + decongestant) – Pseudoephedrine-triprolidine (Actifed), chlorpheniramine maleate-pseudoephedrine sulfate (Chlor-Trimeton D), clemastine-phenylpropanolamine (Tavist D), acetaminophen-diphenhydramine HCl (Tylenol Allergy, Sinus), pheniramine maleate- naphazoline hydrochloride (0.025%) (Ocu-Hist or Visine-A eye drops).

Topical Corticosteroids – Cortaid.

Get only those allergy drugs that have worked for you earlier. Remember to check the active ingredient/s in the OTC allergy medicine you use.

Generally, over the counter drugs should not be used over long time. Consult a doctor if your allergy symptoms are new.

Share it!
Comment & Contribute
Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. Comments are normally moderated and are reviewed after they are posted.
* Your comment can be maximum of 2500 characters

Notify me when reply is posted
I agree to the terms and conditions
  
If you have a question about health related issues, you can now post it in our Ask An Expert section on our community website Medwonders.com and get answers from our panel of experts.
X
Related Links
Allergy
Dealing with Pollen Allergy
Remedies for Seasonal Allergy Relief
Allergy Eye Drops – Antihistamine Eye Drops for Seasonal Allergy
Quiz on Rash
Hives / Utricaria
Children Food Allergies - Peanut Allergy - Egg Allergy - Milk Allergy
Allergy Videos
Know Your Body – Respiratory System
Some Tips to Avoid Allergy This Spring
Nasal antiallergics- Corticosteroids
Citing this Health Article
The information on Medindia is factual, unbiased and authentic. If you find the content useful - PLEASE INCLUDE A LINK TO THIS PAGE.

Highlight the text, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.

News on Choose The Right Over-the-Counter Drugs for Allergy
* Study Says Softening Agent Used in PVC Floor Materials Increases Risk of Asthma and Allergies in Infants
* Allergies and Asthma Probably Aggravated by Biodiversity Loss
* Experts Warn of Allergy Risk from New Nickel-plated Coins
* OTC Medicines of No Use in Insect Bites
* Tests for Sensitivity, Allergy or Intolerance to Food
Total News Item 258
Are you a member of Facebook? Become a fan of Medindia and get breaking news delivered to your Facebook page.