quote: | Originally posted by DJ RANN
Bro. Alavert FTW.
Suddenly, 4 years ago, out of no where, I got seasonal allergies. Face streaming with snot from every orifice for 6 weeks
Tried them all (Zyrtex, Clarityn, Xyzal, Flonase etc) - the only one that worked was Benydryl but it turned me in to the living dead.
The a friend gave me Alavert and problem solved. Does some crazy shit that I take it once and then allergies go away for about a week. |
Always look at the chemical and try to learn them, and ignore the brand name. The brand names are deceptive. It's ahrd to tell what you've actually tried; as an example, claritin is the brand name for Loratadine, but they also make claritin-D which has loratadine and pseudopherine, which results in totally different effects.
Some basics, in case it's helpful:
Alavert is loratadine, which is the same chemical in regular claritin. Claritin is the brand name for loratadine.
Zyrtec is cetrizine, which is similar to loratadine. In my experience, cetrizine is extremely effective when combating hives or other skin reactions. Something to keep in mind.
Xyzal is interesting. It's a next generation version of cetrizine called levocetirizine. I haven't tried it.
All three of these are 24 hour, non-drowsy antihistamines that act in the same way in your body, so they cannot be taken with each other.
Benydryl is diphenadramine, as you noted, causes drowsiness but works very well, and can be combined with a 24 hour allergy medicine
Quick recap: 24 hour non-drowsy:
- Loratadine (Claritin,
- Cetrizine (Zyrtec)
- Levocetirizine (Zyzal)
Drowsy, short acting (~8 hours or so)
- Diphenhadramine (Benadryl)
Here is what works for me during allergy season (I do not have severe allergies except during tree pollen weeK):
- Loratadine/Cetrizine take approximately 1 week of daily dose to work fully, and after several weeks lose their potency due to tolerance.
- I take loratadine for 3-4 weeks, then I switch to cetrizine for 3-4 weeks
I only take allergy medicine between late winter (tree pollen season) to late summer. I take it even if I'm not having any noticeable symptoms, because the types of pollen varies from week to week as different plants bloom. Honestly, the main reason I take allergy medicine consistently is because it helps when travelling, especially to music festivals in different geographic areas where there are entirely new plant species, and you're camping outside. I've never had really bad experiences, but I have seen people go through hell. Be proactive, not reactive, if you have allergies
hope this was helpful to someone.
quote: | Originally posted by DJ RANN
The a friend gave me Alavert and problem solved. Does some crazy shit that I take it once and then allergies go away for about a week. |
The most likely scenario here is that you took it around the time the pollens you were allergic too had died down. Loratadine does not work for more than 18-24 hours.
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