Previously to being diagnosed I was taking Claritin D for allergies. About a year afterwards, I broke through and it stopped working. I was then switched to Allegra D. A few more years went by and the same thing happened. Then it was Zyrtec D. Well now it is a different story. The drug manufacturers ran out their patent on these drugs and they are now ALL over the counter! My insurance company will pay for a 90 day supply of a prescription but no over the counter meds. This would have surely added up if I had called my ENT. In case anyone else is interested, Clarinex D is the only type of this medication left that is a prescription. So if you are in the same boat I was in......ask your doc. It sure helps on the monthly budget not to be putting out an extra $50 a month on the over the counter meds. We have enough to deal with. I hope this will help others. Janice
You can stil get allegra at wal mart for 4 bucks. I dont need the D bu have taken allegra for a longtime and i still lie it.
Talk to me about the decongestant part. One of the things they are trying to do is open up the blood vessels, the decongestant shrinks those doesn't it? Seems the antihistamine part is what we would need. Maybe I am missing some part of this. I have been afraid to use decongestants much due to this. Anyone have any thoughts?
I can't ever take decongestants. They always make me much worst. My ears plug up worst for days. My doctor doesn't understand this because they are suppost to drain off fluid but this isn't the case with me. Maybe shrinking of the blood vessels caused by decongestants causes the same issue to occurr in the inner ear by shrinking their blood vessels thus causing more fluid buildup. I take Clarenex which is an antihistamine that works good. I was on Xyzal for a couple of months which is the next generation of Zyrtek that was less effective and very expensive compared to Clarinex, wouldn't you know it.
Zyrtec-D is just Zrytec with pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) added. You can now get the generic version of Zyrtec at Costco for dirt cheap. Then all you need is pseudoephedrine, which is generic and easy to get; just have to ask at the pharmacy counter, since sale of it is monitored to prevent abuse by druggies.
Yes. I can't use decongestants anymore. I get migraines from them and get dizzy and all kinds of visual stuff. Sudafed use to be my drug of choice for allergies. I have been through dozens of them and they all eventually stop working after a year or two. The last thing that worked well for me was Astelin, tastes nasty and knocks you out though
You still have to have a script to get Allegra. That is what I take. I used to take Singular, but there's no generic and it's $50 a bottle WITH a prescription vs. the $10 for the Allegra, and I can't tell the difference. So, I stick with the Allegra.
How do all of these interact with diuretics? Isn't that REALLY drying? Are there some you cannot take? I'm told to only take pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) or that weaker new substitute (although it works ok) and NEVER Nyquil or anything like it w/ my meds, of course. Specifically labeled "not for those on reduced sodium diets" as well. All that said, are you taking antihistamines and diuretics or one/the other? I'm fighting a nice cold and had an attack this a.m.. Never fun, but, with a cold, less fun still.
I've been on a D since the beginning. I kept breaking through them and when I did, I would get so full and feel crappy. The ENT just prescribed me Clarinex D which the insurance company DID pay for. So I only paid $6.00 for 3 months worth. That was a huge difference from the $120 it would have cost me for the OTC stuff. I just started it today and will let you know how it works. Janice
Janice - My primary doctor has me on Clarinex and Nasonex, Rx and I use these when needed. Cost is minimal through our insurance of my husband job. I can not take anything else, it makes me extremely drowsy.
Ruth, I was always on the 12 hr D tabs and never became drowsy. I've been taking the Clarinex D now for a few days but can only take it in the evening because it does make me drowsy. Yet I don't feel the need for it during the day. I must be metabolizing it slower or something. All I care about is that something is working and I'm not back in bed for a long duration. Janice ;D
