Comments on: Which allergy meds have gone generic or OTC since last year?

Question: Which allergy meds have gone generic or OTC since last year?

mediareport — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 22:33:04 -0800

Seasonal allergy relief: I've read a bunch of the previous questions, but was wondering about allergy medicines that have gone prescription to over-the-counter or brand-name to generic since last spring. I know there's a generic Zyrtec now, but was wondering if there are any others that might be more affordable/available than they were last spring.

By: anadem

anadem — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:12:03 -0800

Costco sell their generic Claritin as 'Allerclear' (or did not long back) for about $15 per 300 tabs, which is a pretty good deal for me.

By: neckro23

neckro23 — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:13:52 -0800

Nothing other than Zyrtec. Claritin (loratadine) went OTC a couple years ago, and nowadays is pretty dirt cheap (in generic, at least).

By: pieoverdone

pieoverdone — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 04:15:15 -0800

Just FYI - there's a new drug called Xyzal. It is nothing more than Zyrtec slightly changed enough to squeeze more money out of a patent.

Loratadine is dirt cheap.

By: misanthropicsarah

misanthropicsarah — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:33:26 -0800

Nope, nothing new. If you have insurance, you're probably better off getting a script for a generic allergy med than paying OTC prices. But I guess that depends on the quality of your insurance...

By: gjc

gjc — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:59:35 -0800

Straight generic Claritin is also fairly dirt cheap at Target and works fine. (Don't get the kind with any pseudoephedrine in it, it's more expensive and not worth it.)

I use Zyrtec occasionally, but I don't care for the side effects. It makes me a very weird type of tired where I can't sleep.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 07:25:54 -0800

Actually, gjc, straight generic Claritin doesn't work at all for me; the more expensive kind is noticeably better but not great. These things are so variable from person to person, you know? I'm just looking to see if anything has changed in the marketplace since last spring.