Health & Wellness

Prescription strength allergy medicine

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  • May 24th, 2017 1:19 pm
Sr. Member
Mar 17, 2006
740 posts
505 upvotes

Prescription strength allergy medicine

Allergy season is about to rear it's ugly head. I have always resorted to over the counter stuff (Claritin, Reactine, Allegra, Aerius) You name it, I took it. The last couple of years they seem to be losing their effectiveness. There are some days that I have to take 3 or 4 a day of a pill that should last 24 hours. Can anyone recommend a prescription medicine they find really effective for seasonal allergies?
7 replies
Deal Addict
Jun 20, 2011
2095 posts
1083 upvotes
VANCOUVER
ur_too_crazy wrote: Allergy season is about to rear it's ugly head. I have always resorted to over the counter stuff (Claritin, Reactine, Allegra, Aerius) You name it, I took it. The last couple of years they seem to be losing their effectiveness. There are some days that I have to take 3 or 4 a day of a pill that should last 24 hours. Can anyone recommend a prescription medicine they find really effective for seasonal allergies?
Cetirizine 20mg
Sr. Member
Mar 17, 2006
740 posts
505 upvotes
Stupid question...... would taking 2 x 10 mg cetirizine at once have the same effect as a prescription 20 mg cetirizine (just making sure). I get the OTC ceterizine in the states pretty cheap, so no point getting a prescription if it's the same.
Deal Addict
Jun 20, 2011
2095 posts
1083 upvotes
VANCOUVER
ur_too_crazy wrote: Stupid question...... would taking 2 x 10 mg cetirizine at once have the same effect as a prescription 20 mg cetirizine (just making sure). I get the OTC ceterizine in the states pretty cheap, so no point getting a prescription if it's the same.
You really should not be popping 2x 10mg to make a 20mg dose. There is a reason why it's prescription only. You should always take the dose the doctor recommends or what it states on the OTC box. To answer your question, technically yes it would be 20mg.

One of the main reasons to get 20mg is to have your extended health care plan cover the costs. Most plans will cover 70% to 100% so if you have a plan through work I would suggest seeing if it's covered.
Sr. Member
Apr 1, 2004
533 posts
406 upvotes
Blexten 20mg

new in canada, prescription only

nothing too special vs other 2nd gen antihistamines, just another to try if you want to ask your doctor
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 1, 2011
6337 posts
1505 upvotes
ur_too_crazy wrote: Stupid question...... would taking 2 x 10 mg cetirizine at once have the same effect as a prescription 20 mg cetirizine (just making sure). I get the OTC ceterizine in the states pretty cheap, so no point getting a prescription if it's the same.
Not a stupid question. I do that. I get the Equate (Walmart) brand of cetirizine 10mg from the States and take 1-2 tablets a day when needed.

To be honest, I looked it up before and I don't recall any major safety hazards for 20mg per day long term, except that SOME people may get drowsy on cetirizine, and so starting on 20mg would make them more drowsy than 10mg and can be hazardous if they need to be alert, e.g. if operating heavy machinery. If you're taking it regularly during allergy season, though, most people get "used" to it and don't notice the drowsiness as much anymore after a few days.

If allergies are still bad at 20mg cetirizine/day, you may perhaps add, say, Benadryl at night (if symptoms are worse at night). Because at the least, one is still within the safe dosing guidelines for each chemical. Don't take more than 20mg/day of cetirizine, and note that Benadryl is generally considered more effective in spite of its drowsy and anticholinergic side effects.

The main advantage of prescription-only cetirizine 20mg would be for private insurance coverage.
Member
User avatar
Nov 24, 2014
384 posts
298 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Aerius is only available in the USA with a prescription. (Clarinex)
but is available here in Canada OTC and as a generic. (desloratadine)
It used to be the only 2nd gen antihistamine that would work for me, but I have developed a tolerance for it and it stopped working.
Old school Benadryl works great but it totally makes me drowsy.
This year I started getting the shots (desensitization ones) and my seasonal allergies are much much better. (on bad days where my allergies used to rate a 12 out of 10, they only reach a 1 or 2 and can be controlled with one reactine for a week)
whatever you find that works good luck!

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