A non-drowsy antihistamine that really is non-drowsy?

[PurpleNailVarnish]

I've started having hay fever, it began this time last year. I think it's probably tree pollen.

It's dry and warmer here today so I'm really suffering.
This morning before work I took an own-brand, non-drowsy antihistamine for the first time.
It's just as well I'd booked a half day at work anyway because I came home and promptly fell asleep for 3 hours!

Can anyone recommend a non-drowsy antihistamine that's genuinely non-drowsy please?

Which one did you use? I find loratadine (Clarytin) fine and cetirizine (Benadryl) also good (DD uses this for hay fever) or go to your GP and ask for a prescription of fexofenadine.

What was the drug? Loratidine is proper non-drowsy, and cetirizine is as well but less so than loratidine.

It depends how you react as well - I don’t find any anti-histamines make me drowsy whereas all anti-histamines make my DM drowsy, whether they claim to be or not!

Definitely depends how you react, I take 4 cetirizine a day and am fine

Fexofenadine, from the GP

Our ten year old uses zirtek no drowsiness.

I take loratidine atm and no drowsiness....I do not get on with Piriton . I am sure walking past them in tesco makes me exhausted! ;)

I will say though, that so far this year the loratidine seems not to be working, and was looking for something else, was going to try Cetirizine instead.

I exist on piriton it does nothing for my insomnia very much depends on the person!

Thank you for all your speedy replies everyone.

This particular sleep maker is Tesco's own, it's cetirizine.

I only took one tablet!
I'd taken a half day so I could get all the chores done at home and have a relaxing bank holiday weekend.
Hah.

I'll try the other OTC types of antihistamine, maybe the best thing to do is to buy medicine rather than tablets and take a lower dose.
Do you think that could work?

Take it before bed

Definitely give loratidine a go then OP :)

I got Fexonfenadine from GP and it's the only one that doesn't make me groggy

Ok. I'll try Clarityn.
If that doesn't work I'll make an appointment when the GP opens again next week.

Cetrizine is the one that works on my hay fever, Loratadine doesn't. None of them make me the least bit drowsy. I take them before bed anyway, so would be good if they did!

Good job as I have to take them all year round.

Fexofenadine everytime!

Loratidine here too. Always take before bed just in case.

I find Clarityn to be non-drowsy. Whereas I've had a doctor (outside the UK) prescribe me Piriton when I was having sleeping problems!

Although some anti-histamine are sold as none-drowsy the truth is they are less likely to cause drowsiness. It's a matter of experimenting if you find they make you drowsy, I can't take any as I find I could happily sleep 16 hours a day when taking them!

Oddly enough diazepam etc don't have much of an effect on me.

I use loratadine, it doesn’t make me drowsy at all, unlike citerazine which does.

Chlorphenamine (Piriton) has a similar effect on me to that of a tranquilliser dart on a rhino.

They all make me drowsy. It’s a right pain. Zirtec, Claritin do even though they’re not supposed to. piriton is the worst.

Benadryl acrivastine is not too bad at mo.

I’ve not heard of Fexofenadine so might see if I can get that prescribed.

Funny you should say that Iwant, the diazepams have very little effect on me either.

glitter thank you for the Benadryl tip, I'll try that too.
If that makes me drowsy too then at least I can take them if I ever need something to knock me out at night

If all else fails I will get to the GP though it's difficult to fit appointments in around work, but that's another thread entirely...

I used to take loratadine and then one year it made me sleepy, when it had been fine for about a decade before. Now I have a prescription anti-histamine called Drynol, active ingredient bilastine, which works well and doesn't make me sleepy at all. I do find that the hay-fever itself makes me quite sleepy though, especially when the birch pollen is around.

Fexofenadine (telfast) is OTC in Australia and it makes me drowsy at 180mg, but is fine at 60mg. Cetirizine (zyrtec) slightly less so. Loratidine (claratyne) doesn't work for my food allergy, but it doesn't make me drowsy.

Oh and I got neoclaritin (desloratidine) prescribed once. That could also be worth an ask.

LorTidine is fine. Cetirizine knocks me out!