OTC kid antihistamines?

[nicolewi]

DS is 10. I think he is starting to have seasonal allergies. He just played outside and came in with super itchy eyes. I think maybe it is box elder...they are one of the only trees looking yellow-y green right now and I see that they are among the most allergenic trees.

What OTC allergy med is best for kids with pollen allergies? I want to get something right away and see if it helps over the weekend and into next week.

[lessel]

We’ve seen some good improvements with children’s Claritin liquid. If DS’s allergies seem to be getting worse we do children’s Flonase for a week or so. I can’t remember if the doc recommended we do it at night or what, but we do it before bed and it seems to help with post-nasal drip so he’s not super stuffy in the morning.

[orval]

Xyzal is the only allergy medicine I use. Only one that works for me. For kids, you can use half a tablet.
It also looks like they have a kid version now.
www.cvs.com/shop/xyzal-childrens-allergy-24hr-5-oz-prodid-1320003

[thebreakfastclub]

Kids xyzal seems to work best for my son.

[expectantsteelerfan]

We use zyrtec (all of us in my family, kids have been taking 1 adult strength pill since age 6 I think?) and ds and I both use flonase nasal spray as well.

[Patsy Baloney]

We like Claritin and Flonase.

[pooh8402]

I'm a fan of zyrtec and flonase

[AdaraMarie]

My kid takes generic zyrtec daily, as recommended by her allergist. Claritin was prescribed by the pedi at one point for my other kid and I asked her doctor if it mattered which she took and they said they didn't recommend one over the other but that it can be trial and error to determine which works best for you.

[dcn]

We use Zyrtec

[lindyanne]

On top of an oral mediation, pataday is an otc eye drop approved for kids 2+ and is amazing for itchy eyes.

[acr]

Zyrtec plus Flonase plus otc allergy eye drops when the eyes get itchy.

[arehopsveggies]

Several pediatricians have told us to do zyrtec

My six year old has taken it since he was 2

My 3 year old seems like he needs to start - spring allergies have been bothering him

[Deleted]

My 8yo takes children’s Claritin daily, as directed by his pedi and allergist. Lifesaver! Get it at Costco... it’s a lot cheaper.

[CloudBee]

Zyrtec is good for all day coverage, and/or daily use through "pollen season".

Benadryl is good for one-off reactions. It's not long-lasting but we find it works a lot quicker for acute reactions. Some allergists will even let you take a Benadryl on top of Zyrtec in specific circumstances if you are really struggling.

[savan]

I use Allegra, both for myself and the kids. It was recommended for me to use Zyrtec but it was worse than benadryl as far as drowsiness. I couldn't function for 24 hours after taking it. If you are going to try it out, I'd recommend testing it on a weekend without anything going on.

[cosmowife]

Apr 17, 2021 8:49:08 GMT -5 savan said:

I use Allegra, both for myself and the kids. It was recommended for me to use Zyrtec but it was worse than benadryl as far as drowsiness. I couldn't function for 24 hours after taking it. If you are going to try it out, I'd recommend testing it on a weekend without anything going on.

Zyrtec makes me drowsy as well - I take a 1/4 of a pill - any more and I am drowsy the next day. I give 1/2 a pill to my son because he has trouble falling asleep but it doesn’t seem to have the same drowsy effect on him. It also doesn’t seem to be doing much for his allergies right now.

[dreamcrisp1]

My 1.5 year old has environmental allergies and we use cetirizine (generic Zyrtec) as prescribed by his allergist.

[court26]

DS took xyzal for years for seasonal allergies and always knew the morning- affects everyone differently. DD takes Claritin when she has allergy eye for any reason. I can’t even remember how they ended up taking 2 different ones!

[pooh8402]

Apr 17, 2021 8:49:08 GMT -5 savan said:

I use Allegra, both for myself and the kids. It was recommended for me to use Zyrtec but it was worse than benadryl as far as drowsiness. I couldn't function for 24 hours after taking it. If you are going to try it out, I'd recommend testing it on a weekend without anything going on.

I feel like the odd one out. Zyrtec has never made me sleepy. Doesn't make my kids sleepy either. I take it in the morning, as do my kids. All of the other sedating antihistamines do make us sleepy though.

[DarcyLongfellow]

My 11 year old has horrible allergies. She takes an adult dose of zyrtec twice a day, plus Flonase (and 2 or 3 prescription ones).

[mrsGreeko]

I preferred Claritin for my allergic kid. Well I actually preferred zaditor eye drops because her allergies were all in her eyes to the point she rub them to swelling shut. I preferred the eye drops because they were not systemic. But, she hated the eye drops, so Claritin it was. Ultimately we did allergy shots because I didn’t like giving her Claritin every day. After 4 years of shots she barely has any allergy symptoms (only when she gets really cozy with a cat for a long time) anymore. And now she prefers the eye drops because they help immediately and since it really only affects her eyes she realizes that makes the most sense.

[abs]

DD takes Claritin and Flonase daily along with a prescription one (Singulair). Sometimes she also needs Benadryl on top of that or Dimetapp.

Zyrtec is a bit stronger but it made her legit crazy. I stay away from that now.