Which one should you take? For true cold symptoms, a decongestant will provide more relief than an antihistamine. If you notice your “cold” symptoms occur at the same time each year (spring for examine), or are consistent year-round, you may actually have allergies that could benefit from antihistamine medication.
While antihistamines work to prevent and quell allergy symptoms by blocking the effects of histamine, decongestants work by narrowing your blood vessels, decreasing swelling and inflammation. Decongestants offer relief by helping to break the vicious cycle of continuous congestion and pressure.
Can You Take a Decongestant and Antihistamine Together? Yes, decongestants and antihistamines can be taken together. In fact, some medications already combine them to help cover more of your symptoms. These usually end in -D such as Claritin-D.
Along the same lines as OTC options, antihistamine medications, such as Sudafed, Claritin, Zyrtec or Benadryl, can also offer sinus infection symptom relief. While these medications specifically target allergy symptoms, sinus infection symptoms can be similar, making antihistamines worth a try.
Antihistamines are just one type of over the counter medication that is used to relieve cold, sinus and allergy symptoms. Some are designed to relieve congestion in the sinus cavities, while others are used to suppress your cough or keep your airways open.
Antihistamines — These medications help to relieve the symptoms of nasal allergies that lead to inflammation and infections. However, some doctors advise against using antihistamines during a sinus infection because they can cause excessive drying and slow the drainage process.
If your allergies cause your sinus headaches, over-the-counter antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec, and Rytan can relieve pressure and congestion.
Antihistamines help relieve most allergy symptoms by blocking the action of histamine in your system, not the congestion. ZYRTEC-D® contains both an antihistamine and a decongestant for allergies. It powerfully clears your blocked nose and relieves other allergy symptoms.
Other common side effects include dry mouth, dizziness, and headache. Decongestants may keep you awake and are usually taken during the day.
Summary. Zyrtec-D (cetirizine / pseudoephedrine) relieves allergies and congestion without causing daytime sleepiness, but it can keep you up at night. Claritin-D (loratadine / pseudoephedrine) relieves allergies and congestion without causing daytime sleepiness, but it can keep you up at night.
You should seek advice from you GP or pharmacist before starting a decongestant course if you have any of the following conditions: diabetes. high blood pressure. an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
They then mistakenly take antihistamines, which end up drying out the nose and making thick mucus worse. "That's why it's important to make the right diagnosis," says Ellis, who also warns against self-medicating with decongestants like Sudafed, which are also drying and will further thicken your mucus.
Alternatives to decongestants
In the drug realm, antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), cetirizine (Zyrtec), and loratadine (Claritin) can help with a stuffy nose are safe for the heart.
Telfast Decongestant is used to relive the symptoms of seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis (including hay fever) with sinus/nasal congestion. Symptoms of this can include: nasal and sinus congestion, sneezing, itchy and runny nose, watery eyes and an itchy throat.
Try using a medicine that thins mucus and improves sinus drainage (mucolytic). Guaifenesin is a commonly used mucolytic. Mucolytics are often combined with other medicines such as cough suppressants. Acetaminophen can be found in many forms and comes in different doses.
In addition, using nonprescription decongestant nasal sprays for more than three or four days can cause worse nasal congestion once the decongestant wears off, a condition called rebound rhinitis.
If a nasal decongestant spray is a fixture in your medication lineup, it's important to know that using these sprays for more than three consecutive days can actually worsen your congestion. "This side effect of nasal decongestant sprays is called rebound congestion," says Dr.
You should avoid taking Sudafed at night because it can cause sleep problems. To prevent this side effect, take your last dose of Sudafed several hours before you go to bed. Sudafed 24-hour tablets should be taken in the morning.
“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.”
Zyrtec is an antihistamine, while Sudafed is a decongestant. As an antihistamine, Zyrtec can help with many allergy symptoms, while Sudafed primarily helps with nasal congestion. These medications can usually be taken together, as long as it's safe for you to take either medication alone.
Sandoz issued a voluntary recall of 1,023,430 units of Zyrtec (10 mg) capsules as a result of failed impurities and a specification being reported for impurity at the 21-month stability time point, according to an FDA Enforcement Report.
Postnasal drip caused by allergies can be managed with OTC antihistamines and decongestants. Note that older antihistamines like Benadryl and Chlor-Trimeton can actually thicken mucus; instead, try Claritin, Alavert, Allegra, Zyrtec, Xyzal or Clarinex.
Thin postnasal drip secretions caused by allergies may be treated with antihistamines. Second-generation antihistamines such as Zyrtec and Claritin may offer better relief than older-type antihistamines such as promethazine (older antihistamines tend to thicken post-nasal secretions).
What's the best time of day to take ZYRTEC®? Any time of day works. And ZYRTEC® will continue to work for 24 hours.