Another antihistamine you may see in over-the-counter allergy medicines is diphenhydramine. Diphenhydramine isn’t just for allergies; it is also used for a variety of other problems like insect bites and bee stings, poison ivy and sunburns, motion sickness, sleeplessness, and Parkinson’s disease. Because it has so many different possible uses, read the directions carefully and be sure to follow them! Before taking an over-the-counter allergy medicine that contains diphenhydramine, you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Be sure to talk about what other medicines you are currently taking — prescription and nonprescription. Diphenhydramine can be a problem if you … Continue reading →

If you decide to go with an over-the-counter allergy medicine, you may be wondering which one to pick. I can’t tell you which product will be best for you, but I can tell you what the different ingredients are and what they do! Loratadine is an antihistamine — a drug that blocks substances (may be called allergens or histamines) in the body that cause allergic symptoms. Like most allergy relief medicine, it relives sneezing, runny noses, itchy and watery eyes, and other allergy/hay fever symptoms. Some name brands that use loratadine as the main ingredient? Claritin and Alavert. The name … Continue reading →