Zyrtec. just. stopped. working. ARGH!!!!

[Imzadi]

Anyone else have this problem where your allergy medicine just stops working? Claritin never did anything for me. My pharmacist said people's body chemistry are all different and different drugs work on different people. He said to try Zrytec. I loved it when I first started using it a few years ago. It got rid of my itchy eyes that I didn't even know could be affected by drugs.

A couple months ago, I used it for some congestion and noticed it wasn't working well. I thought the pills may be old, so I bought a new bottle. Didn't seem to do much better.

Now, full blown allergy season has hit. Zyrtec barely works at all. I tried Allegra last night and it acts like I didn't take anything.

(And no, I didn't take it with fruit juice.) What a waste of $20. I'm drowning & suffocating at the same time!

Anyone else's "body chemistry" stopped working with Zyrtec? What works for you now?

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

Anyone else have this problem where your allergy medicine just stops working? Claritin never did anything for me. My pharmacist said people's body chemistry are all different and different drugs work on different people. He said to try Zrytec. I loved it when I first started using it a few years ago. It got rid of my itchy eyes that I didn't even know could be affected by drugs.

A couple months ago, I used it for some congestion and noticed it wasn't working well. I thought the pills may be old, so I bought a new bottle. Didn't seem to do much better.

Now, full blown allergy season has hit. Zyrtec barely works at all. I tried Allegra last night and it acts like I didn't take anything.

(And no, I didn't take it with fruit juice.) What a waste of $20. I'm drowning & suffocating at the same time!

Anyone else's "body chemistry" stopped working with Zyrtec? What works for you now?

I have had that issue, but with Allegra. The doctor gave me an RX for Flonase to use in conjunction with it.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Neither of those meds take effect immediately. You need to have several days of use before you get relief.

 

[Imzadi]

Neither of those meds take effect immediately. You need to have several days of use before you get relief.

I think I will have drowned or suffocated before then. Or scratched the roof off my mouth.

Are you sure that isn't just a conspiracy with the Kleenex company to buy more tissues?

I wonder if stocks for tissue companies goes up at this time of year?

 

[DLgal]

Take some sudafed for congestion. Try Allegra-D.

 

[dislaney]

I currently take Zyrtec D. I switch around ever so often though.

 

[Imzadi]

Take some sudafed for congestion. Try Allegra-D.

D?? I didn't even know there was more than one Allegra. Ugh!

 

[mom2rtk]

Not sure how it is in the northeast, but here in the Midwest the allergies seem very bad this year. I failed on both Clariten and Allegra. Zyrtec works a bit but not great.

My most effective treatment has been a neti pot. I always get out of the habit of using it, but then this time of year hits and reminds me it's time again.

 

[cybrkitn]

I've had that happen to me as well with Zyrtec. I think it only worked twice on my hay fever. The only thing Zyrtec works for with me is an itch that I get. My allergist still can't find what's causing my skin to break out in itchiness. Just that Zyrtec is the only thing that works to stop it.

 

[cybrkitn]

D?? I didn't even know there was more than one Allegra. Ugh!

Any allergy medication that has a "D" in the name, means that it has a Decongestant in it.

 

[mom2rtk]

Don't take anything with a D in it if you have any heart issues though. Those things make my heart race.

 

[Imzadi]

Don't take anything with a D in it if you have any heart issues though. Those things make my heart race.

Ah, it turns out the D formulas aren't good for people with thyroid conditions, which is what I have. So even though I bought regular Allegra, which doesn't seem to be working at the moment, at least I bought the right one for me.

 

[PollyannaMom]

DS has been complaining of the same thing with Allegra. It was working fine, but in the last few days, it's as if he wasn't even taking it. I wonder if it's that a different thing bloomed, and maybe it works better on some allergies than others?

 

[Robbi]

OP, my husband has year round allergies and he has to rotate meds every few months because they are effective. I believe he takes 3. The good thing is that each one becomes effective again after he has been off of it for a few months.

 

[720L]

Neither of those meds take effect immediately. You need to have several days of use before you get relief.

Allegra works within an hour...my allergist just told me last week. The others take a few days. I love Allegra!

 

[LuvinLucifer]

Don't take anything with a D in it if you have any heart issues though.

Or Anxiety... My doctor tells his patients not to take those because they raise blood pressure. Steroids are safer.

 

[DeaverTex]

You need to switch out your allergy medication occasionally, because you will eventually (well, usually) experience "rebound", in which the medication becomes progressively less effective. It's the same thing as you see with shampoo, which is why the higher end brands now subtly change their formulation on a regular basis -- so that the shampoo still gets your hair clean. And no, I have NO idea why shampoo acts this way!

My favorite was always Tavist D, which I could take for 4-6 months before it started rebounding. Then a few weeks on something else, and I could go back to Tavist D. Guess what you can't buy any more?

Stay on an alternate medication for at least a couple of weeks, then try your favorite again.

 

[KimR]

I've had that happen to me as well with Zyrtec. I think it only worked twice on my hay fever. The only thing Zyrtec works for with me is an itch that I get. My allergist still can't find what's causing my skin to break out in itchiness. Just that Zyrtec is the only thing that works to stop it.

OMG, I've been dealing with that for about a year now. There are so many things that can cause itchiness and breakouts - and not just the typical food allergens like wheat, soy, and milk, either. And what makes it tricky to diagnose is that many times it's not an allergy per se, but rather a food sensitivity which cannot be diagnosed by traditional allergy testing. The only way to figure it out is by process of elimination, which isn't easy because it's not as simple as just eliminating say, dairy or wheat. I think I've finally figured out my trigger (tannin), so it's much better now, but it's been driving me crazy this past year.

Oh, and also, be careful with zyrtec. Your body can become physically dependent upon it and when you try to stop, the itching is worse than before.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Imzadi - so sorry to read this.

I've ended up getting an air purifier for my bedroom. When the allergies get so bad, I just lock myself in the room. At the very least, there is somewhere to get a little relief.

 

[fall08CP]

OMG, I've been dealing with that for about a year now. There are so many things that can cause itchiness and breakouts - and not just the typical food allergens like wheat, soy, and milk, either. And what makes it tricky to diagnose is that many times it's not an allergy per se, but rather a food sensitivity which cannot be diagnosed by traditional allergy testing. The only way to figure it out is by process of elimination, which isn't easy because it's not as simple as just eliminating say, dairy or wheat. I think I've finally figured out my trigger (tannin), so it's much better now, but it's been driving me crazy this past year.

Oh, and also, be careful with zyrtec. Your body can become physically dependent upon it and when you try to stop, the itching is worse than before.

I have this too! Ugh it's so terrible! I cut out dairy 100% 2 years ago so I know that's not the culprit. I'm wondering if I should try wheat/gluten too. Zyrtec helps with itch but does nothing for eyes/nose for me. Allegra is like taking sugar pills. Just can't win! All tests come up negative (except for peanut which I've never reacted to??)