Over-The-Counter Allergy Medicines

Over-The-Counter Allergy Medicines

Trying to find an allergy medicine for you or your loved one? Unfortunately, there are enough allergy medications out there to give you a headache separate from your allergy symptoms.Since some are OTC (Over-The-Counter) and others require prescription, sorting through the different types of allergy medicine can be a hassle too.

If you are looking for your available options in the local pharmacy, here are four types of OTC allergy medicine to choose from:

Antihistamines

During an allergic reaction, the body releases a chemical called histamine that binds to different body sites to inflame those sites and illicit an overexaggerated response. Antihistamine works by competing with histamine for those sites, blocking them from histamine and reducing allergy symptoms.

Antihistamine appears in many allergy medicine forms like pills, liquid, eye drops, and nasal sprays. Some popular examples include loratadine (ex. Claritin), fexofenadine (ex. Allegra), cetirizine (ex. Zyrtec), diphenhydramine (ex. Benadryl), and more.

Decongestants

Sinus congestion, post-nasal drip, and inflammation are some common allergy symptoms. Decongestants directly target the sinuses and inflamed blood vessels to reduce nasal allergy symptoms. Exercising judgment when using decongestants is advised because the body can become either desensitized with prolonged use or become drowsy and worsen allergy symptoms.

Decongestants come in pills, liquid, eye drops, topical creams, and nasal sprays. Some popular examples are phenylephrine (ex. Vicks Sinex and Sudafed), oxymetazoline (ex. Afrin), and others.

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