Spring is beautiful, with budding flowers, blooming trees, picnics, and much-awaited outside activities. Unfortunately, it's also a critical time for seasonal or spring allergies. When you inhale tree, grass, and weed pollens during this season, you can develop allergies.
The immune system of an allergic person recognizes pollen as a threat and generates antibodies to combat the allergens. This leads to the release of a chemical called histamine into the blood. The histamine triggers symptoms like runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion, coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, irritated throat, asthma, etc.
Spring allergies are also called hay fever or seasonal allergic rhinitis. It can make you miserable. But the good news is that you can take certain medications to reduce your misery, get back to a normal life, and enjoy all that spring offers.
Medications for Spring Allergies:
There are several medications available for spring allergy symptoms. They are namely:
- Antihistamines relieve allergy symptoms like runny and itchy nose, watery and itchy eyes, and sneezing. These are available in tablets, liquids, and nasal sprays.
- Nasal corticosteroids are considered as one of the most effective medications by doctors because they help reduce inflammation and relieve allergic rhinitis.
- Decongestants help relieve nasal congestion by reducing swelling and inflammation.
- Leukotriene receptors work by blocking the action of the chemicals that induce an allergic reaction. Available only on prescription.
- Eye drops treat eye allergies by relieving itchiness, redness, and swelling.
Best OTC Medication for Spring Allergy:
With the wide range of allergy medications available, you might wonder which one is right for you. It's important to know that no two people are alike, and so neither are their allergies. In general, medication can relieve symptoms by reducing inflammation and swelling of the nasal passages. However, some drugs may work better than others depending on how long your symptoms last. The range of medications includes:
Antihistamines:
Antihistamines work by blocking the histamine that your body releases during an allergic response (1). They include:
1. Zyrtec:
Zyrtec has cetirizine as the main active ingredient (2). It helps relieve runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, nose or throat itching from hay fever, and upper respiratory tract infection. Zyrtec comes in tablets, chewable and dispersible tablets, and syrup. Some common side effects include drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, and stomach pain.
Do not consume alcohol while taking Zyrtec. It will increase your drowsiness level. If you are pregnant, have liver or kidney disease, or have asthma, discuss with your doctor the risks involved in using Zyrtec.
2. Claritin:
Claritin has Loratadine as the key active ingredient (3). It helps relieve runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, nose or throat itching from hay fever, and upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Loratadine is a non-sedating antihistamine that works to treat and prevent allergic reactions. It's both long-lasting and selective—its effects are limited to H1 receptors in the respiratory system, vascular endothelial cells, and gastrointestinal tract. Loratadine is also an FDA-approved medication for the treatment of skin conditions like hives and rashes.
Some common side effects include drowsiness, headache, rash, and itching. You should consult your doctor before using Claritin if you are pregnant, have liver or kidney disease, or have asthma. Claritin may increase your risk of side effects.
3. Allegra:
Allegra has fexofenadine as its active ingredient (4). It helps relieve runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, nose or throat itching from hay fever, and URTI. Allegra can also be used to treat hives. Allegra comes in tablets, dispersible tablets, gel-coated capsules, and syrup. Some common side effects include dizziness, headache, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Talk to your doctor if you –
- Take antifungal ketoconazole, erythromycin or rifampin, or any antacids. Interaction of these drugs with Allegra may increase your risk of side effects or decrease the effectiveness of Allegra.
- Avoid drinking fruit juice while taking Allegra. This can make the drug less effective.
- Talk to your doctor if you have kidney disease or are pregnant before using Allegra, as this can lead to an increased risk of side effects.
4. Xyzal:
Levocetirizine dihydrochloride is the active ingredient of Xyzal (5). It is used to treat the symptoms of runny nose, sneezing, itchy and watery eyes, allergic rhinitis, and chronic urticaria. Xyzal comes in tablets, dispersible tablets, gel-coated capsules, and syrup. Some of the most common side effects of Xyzal include headache, muscle aches, sleeping, and sore throat.
Avoid consuming alcohol with Xyzal because it can increase drowsiness. Talk to your doctor before taking Xyzal if you are pregnant, planning to conceive, or have kidney or liver disease, as it can increase your risk of side effects. Do not take Xyzal if you are breastfeeding.
Nasal Corticosteroid:
Nasal corticosteroids reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms of hay fever (6). They come in sprays and inhalers. The most common nasal sprays are Flonase, Nasacort, and Rhinocort. You may encounter some side effects like nasal irritation, nose bleeding, cough, and headache while using nasal corticosteroids.
Decongestants:
Decongestants work by cutting down the fluid in your nose lining and help relieve congestion within the nose and sinuses. They come in pills and nasal sprays. They include Afrin nasal spray (Oxymetazoline), Neo-Synephrine nasal spray (phenylephrine), and Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine) (7).
Decongestants can increase heart rate and blood pressure, cause headaches, trouble sleeping, and irritability. You may become addicted to nasal decongestants if used for more than five days. It is always better to consult your doctor before using them.
Eye Drops:
These medications come in tear substitutes, and decongestant eye drops. Artificial tears can temporarily wash away allergens from the eye and keep the eyes moist. Decongestant eye drops reduce the redness (8) by narrowing the blood vessels in the eye. Decongestant with OTC antihistamine eye drops is used to relieve the redness and itchiness of the eyes.
While tear substitute eye drops are safe (9) and can be used as often as needed, the OTC decongestant eye drops cannot be used for more than two to three days because prolonged use can create a rebound effect.
Which Works Better for Spring Allergy: Allegra, Xyzal, Zyrtec, or Claritin?
Since every person is different, the choice of the best OTC medication can vary depending upon the degree of relief you want and also their side effects. For mild to moderate symptoms, Allegra or Claritin work better because they are non-sedating and do not make you drowsy. For severe symptoms, Xyzal or Zyrtec may be more effective.
Besides treating allergy symptoms, Allegra, Claritin, and Xyzal can be equally effective in treating allergic rhinitis and allergic skin rashes. On the other hand, for the treatment of hives, Xyzal and Zyrtec are considered to be more effective.
While Allegra has no sedative effect even at high doses, Claritin and Xyzal have no sedative effect at recommended doses but have a low sedative effect at higher doses. Zyrtec has a low sedative effect at recommended doses and a moderate sedative effect at higher doses.
Conclusion:
There are many options available to treat spring allergy symptoms. But before taking them, work with your doctor to choose the most effective allergy medication to avoid any kind of risks. Even over-the-counter allergy medications have side effects, and some medications can react when combined with other medications. So it is important to know which allergy medicine will be the most beneficial and will be compatible with any health conditions that you have or any other medication you are taking. You must always keep track of your symptoms and when and how much medications you use. This will help your doctor to figure out what works best and have the least bothersome side effects for you.