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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Best non drowsy hayfever tablets?

17 replies

C1239 · 13/05/2023 07:40

Recommendations? Or any other hayfever remedies?

OP posts:
supermamio · 13/05/2023 07:50

Fexofenadine can be bought over the counter now, i take it for hives but my partner also takes it for hayfever and says it helps massively. Its also non drowsy.

Frogggie · 13/05/2023 07:51

As a chronic allergy and asthma sufferer I can genuinely say fexofenadine changed my life!

AliceMay55 · 13/05/2023 08:52

Loratadine. I used it for years.

RavenclawDiadem · 13/05/2023 08:56

I suffer badly with hayfever. Cetirizine and Loratadine work OK on days when it's not so bad, but for severe days Fexofenadine is better, but the thing that works best for me is Piriton. I don't find it makes me drowsy.

I think as with many things, it's a case of finding what works best for you. Cheap antihistamines are easy to get in the supermarkets.

EnterFunnyNameHere · 13/05/2023 08:58

Depends how you're effected. Mine is relatively minor all things considered, but would gave my nose running like a tap 6 months of the year. Best thing I've found is to use a nasal spray (I use becanose) not a tablet.

I find it more effective both short and long term as it's a direct hit where I need it! I've got 2-3 family members also using it when they weren't finding tablets effective, but obviously different things work for different people.

ToddlerMum2 · 13/05/2023 08:58

Agree with the others 😊 Fexofenadine is a game changer!
I have severe hay fever with grass pollen being my worst trigger and it’s horrendous. Fexofenadine helps me a lot 😊

TheFlis12345 · 13/05/2023 08:58

AliceMay55 · 13/05/2023 08:52

Loratadine. I used it for years.

Same here, it’s the only thing that doesn’t make me fall asleep. Plus she an added bonus, places like Wilko do own brand versions so it’s much cheaper than most other hayfever tablets.

FatOaf · 13/05/2023 09:02

Ant supermarket own-brand loratadine or cetirizine works for me, as long as I take it every day to keep the plasma concentration steady. My hay fever isn't very severe, though.

The main thing to note is that a brand name doesn't magically make a drug more effective. It just magically takes more money out of your bank account.

JuneOsborne · 13/05/2023 09:03

Fexofenadine, sold OTC as allevia.

They come in 120mg but I take (on the advice of my doctor) 2 of those on the worst days.

Total game changer. It's like what hay fever?

Spendonsend · 13/05/2023 09:05

I find putting a bit of vaseline just inside my nose helps a lot.

I take loratidine as its the least drowsy for me. Its not as effective as others but cetirizine makes me very drowsy.

gymwars · 13/05/2023 09:20

Benadryl acrivastine (they also do cetrizine under their brand)

C1239 · 17/05/2023 11:32

Are loratadine ones normally non drowsy?

OP posts:
Kyse23 · 17/05/2023 11:34

I take cetrizine, but on 4 a day (consultant advice) for hives

Best prices here
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/cheap-hayfever-remedies/

NoNotHimTheOtherOne · 17/05/2023 11:53

Are loratadine ones normally non drowsy?

Second-generation antihistamines (acrivastine, cetirizine, desloratadine, fexofenadine, levocetirizine, loratadine) don't cross the blood-brain barrier to the same extent as first-generation ones (chlorphenamine, cyclizine, promethazine, etc.), so they are much less likely to cause drowsiness.

Antihistamines cause drowsiness by blocking histamine receptors in a set of brain centres that form the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS), which is involved in maintaining wakefulness. In the brain, histamine is a neurotransmitter released from nerves arising from a centre in the hypothalamus (the brain region where all of the coordination of body functions goes on). When these receptors are blocked, the activity of nerves promoting wakefulness is reduced, so we become drowsy.* Consequently, antihistamines that reach the brain in appreciable quantities cause drowsiness, while those that can't get into the brain don't.

*Interesting fact (if you're interested in this kind of thing)... The ARAS receives stimulatory signals via activation of histamine receptors and inhibitory signals via activation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors: the balance between histamine & GABA levels determines whether we are alert or sleepy. One of the actions of alcohol is to increase the activation of GABA receptors, so if you mix sedating antihistamines and alcohol you become very disoriented and sleepy and are likely to have accidents.

Jules912 · 17/05/2023 11:58

You want fexofenadine. Loratadine doesn't work for me at all and all the others, including cetirizine make me drowsy.

NoNotHimTheOtherOne · 17/05/2023 12:32

Fexofenadine is expensive, though. It's worth trying cetirizine and loratadine first. If you take one a day, fexofenadine will cost at least £7 a month, while the others will cost from £2.75.

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