Seasonal Allergy Help

Zyrtec is one level past Claritin. We have never had any sleepiness with any of my kids. Also all allergy meds take a few days to a week before they become effective. Saline spray also helps to wash out their noses. I tell them it is going to tickle and they are very willing to use it.

My husband is an adult med doc, and he was helping my SIL with her allergies this week. She was complaining that the Claritin wasn't working for her, and he basically told her that there have been some studies to show that a sugar pill (placebo) was more effective than Claritin!! He prescribed Allegra D for her (not sure if kids can use it.) He said that what they are seeing this year is the worst allergy season in years. I'd go ahead and take your kids to the doc for a possibly prescription, as this season many of the OTC (over the counter) drugs do not seem to be helping.

I have three kids 6 and under all who have a ton of allergies. Claritin did absolutely nothing to help them. Zyrtec does help some. We have found that Singulair (gotten through prescription) works GREAT!!! Their doctor has them on Singulair, Zyrtec, and Nasonex (nasal spray) daily and that seems to be controlling things well for them. We didn't have any trouble with Zyrtec making them drowsy at all.

My now 6 year old son has terrible allergies since he was 3. We tried all the different meds and Zyrtec worked the best by far. We now do Zyrtec, Singular and Nasonex every night. And I give him the meds at night because they do tend to make him sleepy. If I happen to forget to give it to him, then I will give him 1/2 teaspoon in the morning - whereas I normally give him 1 teaspoon in the evening.

My vote is with Zyrtec - hands down!

C.

I have terrible allergies too. Claritin never worked for me. Zyrtec is amazing! Its instant relief and doesn't make me drowsy at all. Hope that helps!

I find that Zyrtec works better. I give it to my son at night before he goes to bed and haven't noticed any issues during the day. You could also ask your pediatrician about Nasonex(nasal spray).

I had better success with Zyrtec with my 7 yo son. I just gave it to him at night to avoid initial drowsiness. We never had trouble during the day with drowsiness.

Those allergies can be miserable. My daughter takes Claritin every morning and usually that works well but there are times when it is not enough. We did try switching to Zyrtec at one time but it really didn't seem to work any better. The pediatrician had suggested giving that to her at night since it may cause drowsiness but it did just the opposite. At 11:00PM she was still wide awake. The pediatrician than suggested to continue with the Claritin in the morning but give her a half dose of Benadryl before bed also. This has helped a lot. The Benadryl does make her tired though so you might want to make sure you are definitely ready to have them winding down for the night when you give it. Good Luck & I hope your little ones feel better soon!

My daughter was hit hard too. The Zyrtec has really helped my younger daughter and although there was some dripping not nearly as much as I was seeing before. Her allergies after being on this for the past two weeks have appeared to clear up.

L.

Claritin din't work for my Daughter, She now takes Zyrtec it definately works better, however she also has a nose spray (rhinacort). Good Luck it is a nightmare.

My husband has seasonal allergies and we have found essential oils to work amazingly well, plus they are not drugs - so no side affects. Lavender oil works really well. Also, Young Living has a few oil blends that work as well...RC and Raven. If you want more information, please feel free to contact me. Therapeutic-grade essential oils (Young Living) are 100% pure, no chemicals, no additives. They are safe for young childern (I would recommend diluting the essential oil in a carrier oil like olive oil to start).
Good luck!
-J.

Go with the zyrtec! I'm on the adult version and have been for years - no drowsiness. My little girl takes it as needed and she's never shown any drowsiness either. When both drugs were prescription only, my allergist had me on Claritin until Zyrtec came out. He claimed Z was a much better medication.

My son has a bad mold allergy (diagnosed at age 4 - he's 6 now) and gets the worst reactions after it rains, constant runny nose which turns into a cough and persists for a couple of weeks. We tried claritin and it didn't really work for him. Next we tried flonase, which helped a little. We were scheduled to see an allergist when my mom recommended no dairy (she says dairy, wheat, and yeast will all make allergic reactions worse). We only stopped liquid dairy (yogurt and milk) and the difference was night and day! He has only had one reaction so far this year (after the first big snow melt) whereas last year he was having them weekly and starting to miss school. He still enjoys cheese, a fav we weren't willing to cut from his diet, and drinks rice or almond milk now. The Dr. was amazed at how much better he looked when we went for our last visit. If he happens to drink some dairy milk he will get a bit of a runny nose for a day or two but still feels pretty good.

The zyrtec is not big help either for my kids... And didn't make them drowsy either, but each kid is different... Your kids are too small for what proved to be effective for my son: the neilmed sinus wash. He use to have a constant running nose and since he started "washing" once a day (before dinner) he is doing much better. It has helped with sinus infection and allergies.

I am in the same situation with my son. He is 5 and his allergies started when he was 3. He takes zyrtec at night. However, he also takes singulair and verymyst. He takes the prescription med only for about a month when his allergies peak.... Which is now. We tried claritan, however both my son and I get nausea and worse from claritan . As far as the drowsiness of zyrtec after about 5 days it didn't bother my son. However maybe giving zyrtec at night would be better for you? Just a thought. Best of luck J.. Hopefully allergy season will not be as bad as they say....