Second- and third-generation antihistamines are less likely to cause drowsiness. Of these, cetirizine works the fastest but has a higher chance of making you feel drowsy.
In conclusion, cetirizine produced greater relief of seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms than fexofenadine at 12 hours postdose and over the 5- to 12-hour postdose period.
Telfast, and other prescription-only antihistamine tablets, work in the same way as over-the-counter antihistamines, but are stronger and intended to help with more severe symptoms. You can request Telfast through our online service, without having to see a doctor face to face.
The Allegra Adult 24-Hour Allergy Relief easily tops our list thanks to the medicine's quick-acting formula to tackle your allergy symptoms any time of the day.
Astepro® is a first-of-its-kind, steroid-free nasal antihistamine spray that starts working in 30 minutes for fast-acting 24-hour relief.
Try an over-the-counter remedy
They include: Oral antihistamines. Antihistamines can help relieve sneezing, itching, a stuffy or runny nose, and watery eyes. Examples of oral antihistamines include cetirizine (Zyrtec Allergy), fexofenadine (Allegra Allergy) and loratadine (Claritin, Alavert).
How quickly does Telfast start working? Telfast works within 1 hour of taking the recommended dosage.
Cetirizine is the one most likely to cause sedation,20 particularly in higher doses. Although very rare, idiosyncratic hypersensitivity reactions have been described for each of the antihistamines.
The best antihistamine to take during the day to help with allergic skin rashes is Curist Allergy Relief (levocetirizine) or another antihistamine like fexofenadine or loratadine, which can provide 24-hour symptom relief without making you feel sleepy.
“Zyrtec is found to be more potent, or stronger, in laboratory studies, compared with Claritin,” says Dr. Kung. “It also reaches a higher concentration in the skin, which can be more helpful for skin-related allergies. However, Zyrtec has a greater chance of making you sleepy while taking it.”
Telfast 180mg is the highest strength of Telfast available — it contains 180mg of the active ingredient fexofenadine hydrochloride (HCl). Fexofenadine HCl acts quickly (within 1 hour) without causing drowsiness to help relieve the symptoms of hayfever allergies by blocking histamine receptors in the body.
No interactions were found between cetirizine and fexofenadine. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
Acrivastine (such as Benadryl Allergy Relief) is a newer type of non-drowsy antihistamine that works faster. You can buy “drowsy” antihistamines without a prescription, too.
Antihistamine medicines, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine ), may be useful if you accidentally eat a food that contains histamine. These medications block histamine activity and can reduce symptoms.
If antihistamines aren't working for you and you have allergy-like symptoms, it may not be a bad allergy season—but instead something non-allergic you're reacting to. Symptoms of nonallergic rhinitis include: Sneezing. Runny or stuffy nose.
Zyrtec 24 Hour Allergy Relief
Zyrtec is the only OTC medication recommended by both our allergist panelists. “I really like Zyrtec the best,” says Dr. Passer, who touts the medication as one of the more affordable antihistamines available.
Hydroxyzine is an antihistamine. It is approved for the treatment of anxiety. However, hydroxyzine is also used to treat difficulty sleeping, nausea, vomiting, itching, skin rash, and allergies.
Taking more than your usual dose is unlikely to harm you. If you take an extra dose, you might get some of the common side effects. If this happens or you're concerned, contact your doctor.
The recommended dose is one tablet (180 mg) daily. Take your tablet with water before a meal. This medicine starts to relieve your symptoms within 1 hour and lasts for 24 hours. If you take too many tablets, contact your doctor or the nearest hospital emergency department immediately.
For the relief of the symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis (including hayfever), the usual dosage for adults and children over 12 years old is one Telfast 60 mg tablet twice daily, when required.
Cetirizine has the fastest onset of action among the newer antihistamines.
Bilastine is a new second generation non-sedating antihistamine (NSAH). Bilastine belongs to the same pharmacological class as other Schedule 2 substances such as fexofenadine, loratadine and cetirizine, which are also used for the symptomatic treatment of allergic rhinitis and urticaria.