While cetirizine hydrochloride is effective in treating your allergy symptoms, there are some downsides to the ingredient. For example, medications containing cetirizine hydrochloride are more likely to cause drowsiness than ones with loratadine.
It has also been indicated in a study of the treatment of allergic rhinitis , that more patients will experience dry mouth after taking medications with cetirizine hydrochloride. Loratadine is also found in second-generation antihistamines.
It is effective in treating upper respiratory allergies while causing less drowsiness. Claritin is a common medication containing loratadine. Many individuals report Claritin as being useful as a decongestant.
While patients have reported that cetirizine hydrochloride works faster, loratadine lasts longer. For long-lasting relief, medications with loratadine may be the better option. However, Loratadine is likely to interact with other drugs causing more risks for side effects. However, the authors noted that there was no evidence linking cetirizine or loratidine to birth defects. A study published in noted that 10—15 percent of women use antihistamines during pregnancy.
Most appear to be safe, but some may have adverse effects. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC urge people to ask a doctor before using an antihistamine or any other drug during pregnancy. Claritin and Zyrtec are popular over-the-counter antihistamines.
Doctors consider them safe and effective treatments for minor allergies. Both are second-generation antihistamines. These cause less drowsiness than first-generation antihistamines. No research has concluded that Zyrtec or Claritin is more effective, but some people report better responses with one or the other.
The slight differences between the two may make one drug more appropriate for some people. People can purchase Zyrtec, Claritin, and other popular brands without a prescription from supermarkets, pharmacies, and online stores.
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Find tips here for…. An allergy develops when the immune system becomes hypersensitive to a food or other substance. Learn how to identify and manage allergies here. Zyrtec vs. Claritin for treating allergies. Medically reviewed by Dena Westphalen, Pharm. Claritin Comparisons How do they work? Warnings Precautions Outlook We include products we think are useful for our readers.
Share on Pinterest People can purchase Zyrtec and Claritin without prescription. List of Partners vendors. It's common for people with hives urticaria or hay fever allergic rhinitis to wonder which over-the-counter antihistamine they should take: Claritin loratadine , Zyrtec cetirizine , or Allegra fexofenadine. All of these antihistamines have been available OTC without a prescription for a number of years.
But if you're thinking these antihistamines are the same, they're actually not. Depending on the allergic condition being treated, the age of the person, as well as other underlying issues such as pregnancy , the best choice of antihistamine might be different.
When you've been exposed to a substance you're allergic to such as pet dander, dust mite, ragweed, or peanuts , your body produces histamine , which is a chemical messenger released by cells in the immune system to alert and activate other cells and proteins of the immune system.
Histamine causes the typical allergy symptoms of sneezing, stuffy and runny nose, watery and itchy eyes, and an itchy throat that you associate with exposure to whichever allergens you are sensitive to. Antihistamines reduce the amount of histamine circulating in your system, thereby reducing symptoms. Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra are all considered newer generation antihistamines.
First-generation antihistamines, such as Benadryl diphenhydramine and Atarax hydroxyzine , can be helpful for allergies and hives as well, but their use is limited due to side effects such as fatigue and sedation sleepiness. So while Claritin, Zyrtec, and Allegra are all newer generation antihistamines that can treat hay fever or hives, there may be some advantages for each of these over the others.
Claritin and Zyrtec have been shown to have a good safety profile in studies of pregnant animals, but there are no human studies available. During pregnancy, they are preferred over Allegra, which has shown adverse fetal effects in animal studies. Allegra is considered to be safer for breastfeeding mothers compared to Zyrtec and Claritin. However, all three are deemed to be safe during lactation. All three antihistamines may cause side effects such as:. That said, the side effect profile may vary slightly among them.
For instance, Allegra is completely non-sedating doesn't make people sleepy , while Claritin is minimally sedating makes only a small number of people sleepy. Zyrtec, on the other hand, causes sedation in approximately one in six people who take the medication. While you should consult your healthcare provider about the best way to take any medication, there are widely accepted dosing recommendations for all three of these antihistamines.
First and foremost, each works best when taken daily rather than intermittently. All of these antihistamines are indicated for adults and children 2 years of age and older, with Zyrtec and Claritin dosed once a day for all ages.
Allegra is dosed twice a day for children age 2 to 11, and once a day for adults and children age 12 years and older. Finally, since Allegra can be used in children as young as 6 months of age, it's sometimes the ideal choice for young children. Besides dosing, there are some slight differences in how quickly or well the drugs work. For example, while Claritin is effective for treating hay fever and hives, other antihistamines, such as Zyrtec and Allegra, work better and faster and last longer.
Zyrtec and Allegra work quickly for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and hives, typically within less than an hour. On the other hand, studies show that Claritin takes many hours to start working.
Studies show that Allegra is nearly as good as Zyrtec at treating hayfever. However, Zyrtec and its isomer Xyzal levocetirizine appear to be better medicines for the treatment of hives. There are also some unexpected nuances associated with each of the antihistamines. For example, if you're taking Allegra, it's important to avoid drinking fruit juice for one to two hours before you take the medication and one to two hours after.
Juices such as orange juice or grapefruit juice can decrease the absorption of Allegra by nearly half. The best antihistamine choice for any one person is based on the degree of symptom relief desired and the degree of side effects you're willing to tolerate.
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