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Top Allergy Medications for 2025!
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Every year millions of people are affected by season allergies!
According to the CDC more thank 80 million people were affected by season allergies in 2021, which is about 1 in 4 adults and 1 and 5 children. The severity of allergies can range from general nasal congestion and sneezing to complete debilitation. Navigating the wide range of products can be a daunting, we’ll cover the the top over the counter options available. Always consult your primary care physician for specific questions. Your local pharmacist can also answer questions about conflicts with medications you’re already taking. “When in doubt, ask a Pharmacist”.
Nasal Sprays
Let’s start with the most common and best known over the counter nasal sprays!
- Flonase – 24 Hour Non Drowsy Formula, a Corticosteroid that helps block substances that cause allergies. The most popular and our top rated suggestion for this seasons allergy relief!
- Zicam – Best known for cold relief, Zicam makes a fantastic Nasal Relief Spray
- Afrin – Probably one of the fastest working Nasal Sprays with almost immediate results. However, it should not be used for more than 3 days in a row as it may cause rebound in symptoms.
- Nasacort – A nasal steroid in your nose that decreases inflammation. Nasacort does treat itchy, runny, sneezing, and stuffy noses.
- Astepro – Astepro blocks histamine which relieves symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, and nasal congestion.
Final Thoughts: The main difference between all of these brands is whether they are are steroid, antihistamine, or decongestant based. Flonase and Nasacort are steroids, Astepro and Zicam is a decongestant, and Afrin and Astepro are antihistamine. We’ll have more information of the differences below.
O.T.C. (Over The Counter) Allergy Antihistamine Pills
Single handedly the most commonly used allergy medication is in pill form. Nasal Sprays can work wonders, but statistically people don’t like to spray things up their already stuffy noses. Let’s dive in and go over the top Antihistamines for 2025!
- Zyrtec – Active Ingredient = Cetirizine Hydrochloride. Starts working one hour after ingestion, Zyrtec is always a solid choice for those seeking fast acting allergy relief.
- Claritin – Active Ingredient = Loratadine. For mild allergy symptoms with minimal side effects, Claritin is going to be your “Go To” choice!
- Allegra – Active Ingredient = fexofenadine hydrochloride. By far the best allergy medicine if you’re concerned about drowsiness. Allegra beats out both Zyrtec and Claritin when it comes to being non-drowsy
- Aller-Tec – Active Ingredient = Cetirizine Hydrochloride. A generic brand of Zyrtec by Kirkland Signature (Costco) brand found predominantly at Costco stores or online. In comparison to the other brands listed, Aller-Tec has a 10 out of 10 rating from Drugs.Com (read more).
Final Thoughts: When it comes to the brands listed above, our recommendation is go with the generic brand Aller-Tec. Each of the other brands have user ratings below 8 out of 10, whereas Aller-Tec has a 10/10 rating. Generally speaking the cost of Aller-Tec is also less expensive, making is our overall choice for an O.T.C. allergy medication.
Decongestant & Expectorant
Most allergy decongestants are not stored out on the shelf at your local stores. Generally speaking you will need to go up to your pharmacy counter and show an I.D. to purchase an allergy decongestant. This is because most decongestants use pseudoephedrine, a drug that can be used in methamphetamines. With that being said, we do have a few allergy decongestants that we recommend, let’s take a look!
- Sudafed – Active Ingredient = Phenylephrine. Known for helping to reduce nasal swelling and inflammation, Sudafed is a wonderful choice to help relief heavier allergy symptoms.
- Benadryl Allergy Plus – Active Ingredients = Diphenhydramine & Phenylephrine. Although this product will serve you well as a decongestant that comes with an antihistamine, it may cause drowsiness
- Mucinex – Active Ingredient = Guaifenesin. A maximum strength expectorant helps break up mucus in your lungs, making it easier to cough it up and get rid of it.
Final Thoughts: These 2 medications are fantastic when used together with other allergy medications. It is always recommended that you consult your local pharmacist or doctor, and always follow the directions closely. For drug interactions with medications you are already taking, again please consult your local pharmacist or doctor.
What I think overall...
We’ve covered the mostly commonly used over the counter allergy products, arguably the most advertised as well. The brands mentioned have long standing data and statistics to help them determine the overall best use of their products. I recommend however, that there is no, “we’re the best”, brand out there. Each person has unique allergies and allergy reactions, responding differently to each medication. It may take a season or two to finally figure out what works best for you. Remember to always consult your primary care physician or pharmacist when taking allergy medications with existing prescription medication as some medications have drug interactions. I hope this article has been helpful, please leave a comment below or reach out to me directly with any questions you may have. Thanks for visiting!
Disclaimer & Acknowledgements
*The images used on this page are courtesy of Freepik.com , certain drug information gathered from Drugs.com*
If you have concerns about interactions between your existing medication(s) and new allergy medications please consult your primary care physician or pharmacist. Allergy medications react to individual physiology differently, that being said, individual results may vary. Recommendations of allergy medications are based on experience and highest available user data.
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Disclaimer
The information on this site is for information purposes only. Please consult your primary care physician or pharmacist with questions or concerns. InsightPharmacist does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment on an individual basis.
