Hello,
This is the first year I started to have severe seasonal allergy symptoms, before it lasted just few weeks, but at the moment I’m in the second month of my nose running constantly and my eyes being itchy all the time. So I went to the local pharmacy and bought Claritin - this medication was recommended by pharmacist. So far it does help a little, but the symptoms are still there when I go outside.
The pharmacist did tell me to see my physician if the symptoms don’t change and that is just what I did only to end up with prescription for Clarinex. I haven’t yet filled my prescription, but I’m wondering what is the difference between Clarinex and Claritin? Can I expect Clarinex to be more effective?
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Hello Peter,
well, the first obvious difference is that Claritin is over the counter sold medication, while you can get Clarinex with prescription which would make Clarinex much less expensive if you have insurance.
Besides the price, active ingredient in Claritin is pretty similar to the one in Clarinex, but as far as nasal irritation is concerned, some people feel that Clarinex helps to relieve the symptoms much more efficiently. If you're going to see your doctor again, you also might want discuss different allergy medications such as Allegra, if it turns out that Clarinex isn't helping you either.
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Hi Peter,
you can also try Claritin D or Clarinex D - they have pseudoephedrine added to them, so they work much better in treating nasal congestion. However, pseudoephedrine might cause you to be sleepy or drowsy, unlike the variants of medication without the 'D'. But like the previous poster said, some people react better to Clarinex, while others get relief from Claritin.
It's just important that you discuss pros and cons with your physician, even when it comes to price of prescription medications, because some co-pays are definitely much higher than others.
Wish you all the best,
Nicole
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Hello,
thanks for your replies! I finally filled my prescription for Clarinex and it definitely does work better for me than Claritin did. Maybe it's just that the allergy season is ending, but either way, I finally got some relief from constant runny nose and itchy eyes.
I'm glad I didn't get Clarinex D, though, even just Clarinex makes me a bit sleepy now that I'm taking it for almost a week. I imagine that would only be worse if I took the one with pseudoephedrine,
Cheers,
Peter
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