Everything You Know About The Best OTC Antihistamines

Many, many men need antihistamines. Yes, they're your best defense for allergies! You'll find so many OTC antihistamines, even as part of other, larger meds! Men, you'll often take the oral tablets. But guess what? These meds come as eye drops, liquids, and nasal sprays too! Obviously, you know to follow the directions on the package. Everyone does! That's how you get the best results. And yes, only use them for a short time. The stuff that just won't go away? You need your doc for that!

Antihistamines are powerful, so powerful. They're a great seasonal allergies treatment. So great! The best, even! Men, you're going to want an antihistamine for hives. And since you're busy? Get a non-drowsy antihistamine to keep your day going with no trouble! Hold up, though. You've got specific needs. Get to know the best OTC antihistamines so you fix everything you can!

Diphenhydramine

It's an old one, diphenhydramine. Men, this one's a first-gen antihistamine! You know what that means, obviously. This med's one of the drowsy ones! Of course, it's still very, very useful. So useful! It's really good for hay fever, allergies, and common cold symptoms. Yes! Men, when you're older, this one even works on some Parkinson's symptoms. Many, many men will even use it for motion sickness! It has so many uses. And yes, you guessed it, men. This antihistamine appears in sleep aids! But there are major side effects. Drowsiness is there, yes. Others are coordination problems, headaches, dry mouth, heart palpitations, and dizziness!

Men, you've got to take precautions. Obviously, everyone knows that! Everyone knows. You'll have to be careful driving when you take it. Many, many men even avoid driving entirely! And men? Stop drinking alcohol too. That'll only make side effects worse! When you've got health conditions, you'll need to talk to your doc first. Ones that are of concern? Heart disease, kidney problems, glaucoma, and low blood pressure. Obviously, though, there are many others! Tell your doc about everything.

Cetirizine

Cetirizine is a strong antihistamine. So strong! This one's second-gen, so it's not going to trigger the same drowsiness. Win! This med's great for dealing with hay fever and allergies to mold and animal dander. It'll even work on allergies to dust mites! Men, when you've got hives, this med's going to tackle your itchy, red skin until it's gone. You'll take it as a tablet or liquid. And those tablets? You've got 3 options: regular, chewable, and extended-release!

But men, hold your horses. Side effects exist on this one too! Expect dry mouth, diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting, among others. These will go away most of the time. Call your doc if they're really bad or stick around. Make an immediate call, men, if you're dealing with swallowing or breathing problems. Don't hesitate! Talk to your doc before taking this med when you've got kidney or liver disease. And when you have allergies to other meds? Ask them too! Med interactions happen with cetirizine. That's why you've got to go over your med list first! Watch for seizure meds, sleep aids, and anxiety meds. All of them interact with this one. But you knew that!

Fexofenadine

Fexofenadine is great, so great. This antihistamine tackles seasonal allergies to the ground! Yes, what a win! Men, it'll even get rid of hives and itchy skin! But wait, it's even better when your hives are chronic! Hold your horses, though. It also has some side effects! The most common? Obviously, you've got to expect headaches, stuffy nose, sinus pain, sore throat, and back pain. The ones that you need to call you doc right away about? They're chills, fever, fatigue, or a new or worsening cough! Men, you know this one's only good to take with water. Nothing else! You'll need to have an empty stomach when you've got the dissolvable tablets.

Keep your guard up too. Ask your doc about this med first when you're older than 65 or have kidney disease. Watch your other meds too! This one interacts with antacids, so take them 2 hours apart or more. Yes, or more! Review your meds with your doc too. They'll know everything you've got to avoid, like sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and anticonvulsants!

Loratadine

Loratadine is very, very common. You know this one, men! This antihistamine is so strong and gets rid of allergies and the common cold so fast. So fast! Your symptoms are gone before you know it! Yes, it'll make watery eyes, sneezing, and runny noses go away. It'll do it for itchy skin and hives too! That said, it still has side effects. Everyone knows them, men. Your eyes need to watch for stomach pain, dry mouth, headaches, and vomiting, among others. The serious ones? You've got to tell your doc right away about a fast or irregular heartbeat, lightheadedness, and huge, huge headaches.

Obviously, when you've got asthma, liver problems, or a kidney condition, you need to ask your doc about this med first. Do it when you've got phenylketonuria too. Men, you know why! The chewable tablets with this med have phenylalanine in them a lot of the time. And when you're allergic to other meds like this one? Make sure your doc knows! They'll get you something safe.

Clemastine

Here's another oldie, men. Clemastine is a first-gen antihistamine. Remember the other one? It's going to trigger drowsiness a lot too! This one appeared in the 60s. It gets rid of lots and lots of allergy symptoms! Yes. They don't stand a chance against this power! That said, keep your guard up! Side effects mean dizziness, stomach pain, and you remember: drowsiness! Men, when you're older than 65, you've got to pay more attention here. You're at a much higher risk of side effects on this med. So much higher! And you knew this was coming. No alcohol while you're taking this med!

Men, you know your med list. Share it with your doc! You're not going to be able to mix certain meds with this antihistamine. This means things like methylene blue and linezolid. You'll have to wait about 2 weeks after many, many meds to take clemastine. Parkinson's meds and depression meds are huge, huge interactions here. They'll force dangerous jumps in your blood pressure with this antihistamine!