The other day a young couple came to the pharmacy. The man looked miserable, with itchy, swollen, watery eyes, a stuffy nose and a horrible cough. His girlfriend came to the pharmacy and said, “My boyfriend is sick and he’s been a baby because of that and he snores at night! What can I give him?”

All of her symptoms were caused by histamines (which are released when we have a cold or allergies). Histamine can also cause hives (itchy, red, bumpy rash). So, we treat them by taking an ANTIhistamine. The antihistamine neutralizes some or all of the histamines so that our symptoms subside. Antihistamines come in many forms: oral, topical, nasal spray, and eye drops.

These oral antihistamines can help with cold/allergy symptoms and hives…

The following are available without prescription:

1. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) -Best for rashes and to take at bedtime if patient can’t sleep due to cold/allergy symptoms (will help symptoms and cause drowsiness).

two. allergy to dimetapp (brompheniramine)

3. Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine)

Four. Tavist (clemastine) The above antihistamines work well, but can be very sedating in most people (although some young children can become hyperactive). It has been estimated that up to 90% of Benadryl sold is used as a sleep aid.

Helpful Hint: Diphenhydramine (the active ingredient in Benadryl) is used in most over-the-counter sleeping pills and can be used to treat motion sickness.

5. Claritin and Alavert (loratadine)

6. Zyrtec (cetirizine) The previous two do not usually cause drowsiness. They are available as generics, pseudophedrine (decongestant) combination products, and come in formulations for children ages 2 to adults.

The following antihistamines are available with prescription…

7. Xyzal (levocetirizine) -Excellent for rashes and itchy skin due to allergies. It often causes drowsiness.

8. Allegra (Fexofenadine) -Option for those who an OTC antihistamine does not work or makes them too drowsy. It is available in a generic!

9. Clarinex (desloratadine) -It doesn’t come in generic form and hasn’t really been shown to help any more than over-the-counter generic Claritin.

If you have questions about how to treat other cold/allergy symptoms, take a look at this other article.

Although all medications are antihistamines, they work differently for each person. You may need to try a few to see which one works for you.

Oral antihistamines are also used to treat acid reflux, motion sickness, and motion sickness…but that’s a story for another time.