Antihistamines are the first line of defense against allergies. Prescription antihistamines include:

• Fexofenadine (Allegra and Allegra-D^®)
• Loratadine (Claritin and Claritin-D^®)
• Cetirizine (Zyrtec^®)

Prescription antihistamines tend to cause less drowsiness than over-the-counter antihistamines.

There are many antihistamines on the market, including name brand, generic and store brand. The leading name brand over-the-counter antihistamines include:

• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl^®)
• Chlorpheniramine maleate and pseudoephedrine HCl (containing an antihistamine and nasal decongestant) (Sudafed^®)

Nasal corticosteroids can also be prescribed to reduce inflammation caused by allergic rhinitis. Popular prescription nasal sprays include:

• Beclomethasone (Beconase^®, Beconase AQ^®, Vancenase^®, and Vancenase AQ^®). 
• Bbudesonide (Rhinocort^®)
• Flunisolide (Nasalide^®)
• Fluticasone (Flonase^®)
• Triamcinolone (Nasacort or Nasacort AQ^®).
• Ipratropium (Atrovent^®)

Allergy injections can be administered over several months to desensitize your immune system to specific allergens. Injections are administered in a doctor's office and should be closely medically supervised.

Additional Information about Allergies

1. Allergies Overview
2. Common symptoms of allergies
3. Common causes of allergies
4. Help me choose a natural and alternative treatment for allergies
5. Dietary and lifestyle recommendations that may help in the treatment of allergies
6. Cited Sources and Additional Reading for allergies

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