Quote:
Originally posted by notcasesensitive
What OTC stuff do you people take for allergies? And have you found any that won't keep a person awake at night? I take Zyrtek every day, but occasionally still have crazy sneeze-until-you-feel-as-though-you-might-never-stop attacks that result in crazy congestion, watery eyes and headache. Needless to say that the supplemental medicine I took last night (non-drowsy Sudafed - the only thing in the house) was initially effective and then resulted in the wide-awake and jittery thing at 5:15 this morning.
Fuck me.
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Sudafed daytime allergy contains pseudophedrine, a stimulant - we used to take large doses of pseudophedrine in college to pull all nighters. I found that it made me much less jittery than caffine or other alternatives. Obviously, it gives you the jitters. Pseudophedrine is a decongestant rather than an antihistimine. One of the other ingredients in Sudafed daytime is the antihistime, but I don't know off-hand what it has in it.
Chlorphedramine (Chlor-Trimeton) (generally a yellow pill) is pretty effective. To the extent it has an effect on sleep, it tends to make one drowsy, not awake (it doesn't really have an effect on me at all). Chlorphedramine is only an antihistimine, not a decongestent.
Diphenhydramine (Benedryl) (generally a pink pill) is a very effective antihistimine, and puts most people out like a light. You do not want to take this during the day unless desperate and willing to go down for a nap. Indeed, Diphenhydramine is often marketed as a sleep aid (Sominex).
Clemastine (Tavist) My mother loves this stuff; I find it does nothing for me. Again, an antihistimine. Tavist-D adds Phenylpropanolamine, a decongestant. Apparently, Phenylpropanolamine is bad. I just checked WebMD to see what else was in Tavist-D and this is what it said:
- Phenylpropanolamine, an ingredient in this product, has been associated with an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into the brain or into tissue surrounding the brain) in women. Men may also be at risk. Although the risk of hemorrhagic stroke is low, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that consumers not use any products that contain phenylpropanolamine.
