{"id":533662,"date":"2026-04-16T07:06:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/533662\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T07:06:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T07:06:20","slug":"over-the-counter-allergy-medications-explained-from-zyrtec-to-allegra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/533662\/","title":{"rendered":"Over-the-Counter Allergy Medications Explained: From Zyrtec to Allegra"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhen Xyzal came out, we thought it was going to be this great medication because it\u2019s basically this purified form of Zyrtec,\u201d Dr. Brooks says. He elaborates that while the hope was to harness the benefits of Zyrtec with fewer side effects, he finds the two fairly interchangeable. In general, he usually recommends Zyrtec or Claritin first, since they tend to be more affordable. However, some patients report more symptom improvement from Xyzal\u2014meaning it\u2019s a worthwhile switch if you\u2019re not experiencing relief.<\/p>\n

Benadryl (diphenhydramine)<\/p>\n

\"Benadryl<\/a><\/p>\n

Benadryl Ultratabs Antihistamine Allergy Relief Medicine<\/p>\n

While it can be helpful for unexpected allergy attacks, most experts advise against using Benadryl as a daily seasonal allergy defense. \u201cSide effects are more pronounced with older antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl),\u201d Dr. Malchuck says. \u201cIn general, I tell folks to avoid diphenhydramine altogether and reserve it for severe allergy attacks (such as hives).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a first-generation antihistamine, which means it\u2019s older, it crosses the blood-brain barrier a lot more, and there are more side effects associated with Benadryl,\u201d Dr. Otsu says. She also notes that this medication stays active for about four to six hours. \u201cIt\u2019s not a 24-hour medication, but it\u2019s highly sedating and it can cause impaired motor skills, cognitive dysfunction like brain fog, dry mouth, dry eyes, all sorts of things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Brooks says there\u2019s a common misconception that experiencing side effects means your daily allergy medication is working better\u2014one reason why he suspects patients are \u201cso attached\u201d to Benadryl. \u201cBut generally I would rather someone have tried Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra, or Xyzal first,\u201d he says. Dr. Brooks also notes that some research shows that when people take Benadryl before bed, it reduces their sleep quality in the same way that alcohol does.<\/p>\n

Nasal Sprays<\/p>\n

Both Dr. Otsu and Dr. Brooks actually recommend intranasal allergy sprays over oral pills as a first line of defense for nose and eye symptoms (also known as allergic rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis). But not all sprays are created equal. Ahead, the experts break down the difference between two common types of nasal spray.<\/p>\n

Flonase, Nasacort, Nasonex, and Rhinocort are all common steroid nasal sprays. These medications are applied directly to the inner nasal passageways and work to reduce both inflammation and mucus in order to make breathing easier. Dr. Brooks notes that steroid sprays need to be used consistently\u2014at least a week or two at a time\u2014in order to be effective.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWhen Xyzal came out, we thought it was going to be this great medication because it\u2019s basically this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533663,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[184579,102,6591,56,54,55,7268],"class_list":{"0":"post-533662","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-allergy-relief","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-medication","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom","14":"tag-wellness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533662","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533662\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/533663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}