Whats the Best Antihistamine

[davido140]

As the title really, the other half has a nasty reaction to being around cats and we're off to a house thats home to two cats and four kittens for a new years eve party!

Every time we've been round there before she's a sneezy, coughy, wheezy mess for two days afterwards!

I understand the best thing is to start taking them a day or two before hand?

Cheers

[Chim Girl]

I have a similar allergy, although the symptoms usually stop within a few hours, not days!. I swear by Zirtek. Clarityn, Piriton and some of the other 'own brands' can make me feel incredibly drowsy.

Edited by Chim Girl on Tuesday 30th December 17:29

[groucho]

Speed.

[SpydieNut]

why the hell are people so anti-everything nowadays????





poor little histamines.

[parapaul]

Your choice is fairly easy - Loratadine, arketed as Clarityn (non-drowsy) or Chlorphenamine, marketed as Piriton.

Go to your local chemist and get the own brand stuff - its a fraction of the price

[omega man]

Piriton is the way forward according to a nurse I no

[V8mate]

A water butt should cure your friend's house of nasty cat 'stuff'.

Take one along as a late, surprise Christmas present.

[julian64]

piriton (chlorpheniramine) is very sedative on about ten percent of the population, this seems to get worse with alcohol, so I wouldn't suggest it.

Chemists are really nice people with a good deal of knowledge.

[whitechief]

Chim Girl said:

I have a similar allergy, although the symptoms usually stop within a few hours, not days!. I swear by Zirtek. Clarityn, Piriton and some of the other 'own brands' can make me feel incredibly drowsy.

Edited by Chim Girl on Tuesday 30th December 17:29

Agree with the Zirtek recommendation or any brand that has Cetirizine in it. As for Piriton, if I eat one of these I am out for the count for hours, horrible horrible drug.

[Chim Girl]

whitechief said:

As for Piriton, if I eat one of these I am out for the count for hours, horrible horrible drug.

They have exactly that effect on me too, even after sleeping for hours and hours I feel spaced out. I'd rather suffer an allergy than ever take one again.

[Chim Girl]

julian64 said:

piriton (chlorpheniramine) is very sedative on about ten percent of the population,

I never knew that, and would explain why Whitechief and I don't get on with it. Worth remembering though, should I ever find that I need an over the counter sedative!

[Mobile Chicane]

Absolutely all antihistamines make me drowsy to some extent, so I try to avoid them unless the allergy is so bad I'm wheezing.

A friend recommended Sudafed nasal decongestant tablets (the pharmacy-only version) which work for me and are about 1/4 of the price of antihistamines.

[otolith]

V8mate said:

A water butt should cure your friend's house of nasty cat 'stuff'.

Take one along as a late, surprise Christmas present.

Keeping one's own head in a water butt for a few hours is certainly an effective way of avoiding airborne allergens, but a little extreme and permanent, I fear.

My wife suffers the same reaction to (some) dogs. Either of the two main products seems to help, taken before we get there and during the stay, but she will still have some symptoms.

Avoid phenergan (promethazine), which is what you may be offered if the other products don't work - unless she wants to spend the following 12 hours completely monged.

[Incredible Sulk]

whitechief said:

Chim Girl said:

I have a similar allergy, although the symptoms usually stop within a few hours, not days!. I swear by Zirtek. Clarityn, Piriton and some of the other 'own brands' can make me feel incredibly drowsy.

Edited by Chim Girl on Tuesday 30th December 17:29

Agree with the Zirtek recommendation or any brand that has Cetirizine in it. As for Piriton, if I eat one of these I am out for the count for hours, horrible horrible drug.

Agree with the generic Cetirizine suggestion. The generic stuff in my local chemists is about £3 for 30. Zirtek, which is the same stuff is something stupid like a fiver for a packet of 7. Can't tell you exactly 'cos I stopped buying it (the branded stuff) a year ago.

Edited by Incredible Sulk on Tuesday 30th December 18:46