Allergy Medicines a Big Help.

The first allergy medicine that I used for these mites was Benadryl. I used it only to fall asleep and it seemed to help with itching. Then, I've also used Claritin which is non-drowsy. I thought it didn't help as much as I would have hoped and didn't use it much as I thought it might be a waste of money. Then, I started to take Claritin as I am allergic to cats. There has been very little itching, but my bites can be rather large.

At one point, I found a bed bug infestation in the apartment I live in. I got alarmed that perhaps I did not have mites after all, but I had just suffered from bed bugs for many months. The PCO came and did his thing three times and I haven't seen any signs of bed bugs, but the itchiness and bites persist. I went to a clinic where they looked at my bites and told me that they are not from bed bugs. They were certain that they were from "small spiders."

Fancy that, mites are arachnids and so they are small spiders. They told me that I needed to put a 1% Cortisone cream on my bites to put down swelling and to take Zyrtec once a day. They told me that I should use Zyrtec rather than Claritin as for some reason Zyrtec is more effective on skin allergic reactions.

Since I started taking Zyrtec, I've noticed drowsiness, but particularly if I use Melatonin to fall asleep. I haven't slept so well in a long time. Studies showed that 14% of those given Zyrtec experienced drowsiness with a 6% drowsiness in the placebo group. This means that the medicine is more likely to cause drowsiness in perhaps around 8% of people. None of the candidates stopped taking the medicine due to drowsiness.

It doesn't seem to help as much with the cats that I am allergic to. I find that I have a stuffy nose and my eyes water. I am also not convinced that Zyrtec affects me as long as the 24 hour promise. They told me at the clinic that everyone's body is different and that if Zyrtec doesn't help with the cats, I can go back to Claritin.

Now, I am planning on using up the remainder of my Zyrtec and then moving back to the Claritin and using it up before I buy anything more. I figure if both cover only one of my problems, why should I waste my money buying more of one to not treat the other. They told me not to use both at the same time.

To be honest, I try to buy generic medicines whenever possible and I don't use brand name medicines if I can at all help it. The reason I use the names of brands is that it is easier to understand what I am talking about. Claritin's scientific name is Loratadine and Zyrtec is Cetirizine. Both are over the counter now. Any pharmacy or big box department store will carry these as generics.

I hope to make a post soon comparing the prices that I found for Cetirizine at various big box stores and pharmacies to help you know where you might want to go if you want to get some to relieve swelling and itchiness.

Always use medicines as directed on the package and inform your health care provider if you start a new medicine. Make sure you are aware of any effects it may have on other medicines or health conditions. Be aware of side effects. If you have questions or problems with medications, direct them to your health care provider.

Concerning other medicines and supplements I have taken in the past: I want to give my liver and kidneys a rest, so I've stopped taking Ivermectin and all supplements except a multivitamin tablet along with my allergy medicine.