Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Claritin is a great Medication for Allergies, September 2, 2005
Claritin (Loratidine) is a medication in the class of anti-histamines. Histamine is a chemical in our cells that is released during an allergy attack. Histamine causes all the symptoms of allergies: sneezing, nasal congestion, itching, hives, etc. Being an anti-histamine, Claritin blocks the action of histamine in the body.
Claritin replaced Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) as the #1 doctor prescribed allergy medication, the reason being that Claritin does not have any drowsiness as a side-effect like Benadryl has. Benadryl has very significant sleepiness as a side-effect, and this limited its use in people who needed to operate cars, machinery, or needed to have full-attention in their jobs. The sleepiness of Benadryl was so marked, that manufacturers marketed it as a sleeping aid! (Diphenhydramine is the component in Tylenol PM or Excedrine PM, it is also in all the sleeping pill formulations). Fortunately for allergy sufferers, Claritin has no sleepiness as a side-effect, in fact, Claritin has virtually NO side effects, which makes it an excellent medication to take if you are taking other medications as well. Plus, Claritin WORKS to counter allergy symptoms. I developed a form of full-body hives that persisted for over a year, and Claritin was a God-send for me. Without Claritin, my life would have been miserable.
Up until a few years ago, Claritin was a prescription medication and was the mainstay for doctors to prescribe for allergies. Once its potential for abuse was determined to be nil, and its safety factor proven, it was released on the market as an over-the-counter allergy medication.
Claritin still is expensive, as the medication is still "owned" by a major drug company. Until its lease expires and it can be marketed as the generic Loratidine, consumers will have to ante up the money if they want the best over-the-counter allergy medication available. If you can't or won't afford Claritin, then the cheaper alternative is Benedryl (Diphenhydramine), and you put up with the drowsiness.
Hope this helps.
Jim "Konedog" Koenig
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!, February 1, 2005
I guess it might depend somewhat on the person, and/or various placebo effects, but my allergies have always been solved by Claritin. I have tried cheaper generic allergy medications and a cheaper brand call Nuprin, but they just didn't cut it for me. I'd have to take several in order for them to be effective. Claritin has always worked!
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Avoid, unless you have established success with it., April 6, 2004
It will help control allergies, but sinus sufferers looking to decongest-dry out must seek the Claritin-D formulation instead. This is effective, but pricey. Generics are almost equal, but a word about generics: they use the basic drug formula, but are free to use any delivery additives they wish. Those additives do change how it reacts in your body, for some people. I would recommend Claritin and not a knockoff for precisely that reason. Fred
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