Kellie came into my pharmacy late one Thursday night nearly 8 years ago now, but I still remember it clearly. Her roommate Connie needed something for allergies, and Kellie wanted to ask us what we could recommend. Connie had started sniffling and sneezing and after 2 months of misery Kellie bullied her into going to the doctor to find out why. Connie had received terrible news: she was allergic to cats. Connie had 2 cats, Jessie and Sophie who were like her kids and even slept with her every night, up by her head. She wouldn’t hear of kicking Jessie and Sophie out of bed, let alone getting rid of them. As Kellie explained to me, “She even dresses them up for Halloween and Christmas! Is there anything she can take to help her stuffy nose and sneezing? She’s refused to go back to that doctor.” My 3 Scotties are envious of those cats – my husband is a very light sleeper and our dogs sleep in our mudroom so that everyone gets their shut-eye.
I knew a pharmacist who graduated from veterinary school and then developed a serious allergy to both cats and dogs within his first year of practice. He decided to leave the world of animal medicine entirely and became a pharmacist instead, graduating just a couple of years after me.
What did I have back then to recommend for Connie? Just a couple of antihistamine pills and a couple of nose sprays. Thankfully, today is a different story. Not only do we have Zyrtec® and Allegra® now available without a prescription, the FDA just approved a nose spray that is VERY effective against allergies. Hooray!
Today Connie would have a choice of 4 or 5 antihistamine pills: Benadryl® (diphenhydramine) is powerful but causes drowsiness and has to be taken 3-4 times daily; Chlor-Trimeton®, (chlorpheniramine) is another older antihistamine which also causes drowsiness. One of my favorites has always been Actifed®, but now you should only buy it behind the counter because it contains the decongestant pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®).
Connie would have newer antihistamines to try: Claritin® (loratadine), Zyrtec® (cetirizine) and Allegra® (fexofenadine) all have had great success as prescription antihistamines, are taken only once daily and are all available now over the counter.
In addition, now there’s a real game-changer for Connie’s allergies: Nasacort AQ 24 Hr nose spray. Nasacort AQ® has triamcinolone in it, which is related to hydrocortisone and prednisone. It’s the first cortisone-containing nose spray to become available without a prescription, and one of the most effective ways ever to treat allergic symptoms that involve the nose, like Connie’s sneezing, sniffling and stuffiness.
Up until now, the only nose sprays for allergies that were non-prescription were not really very helpful. Afrin® (naphazoline) and Neo-Synephrine® (phenylephrine) sprays work by causing the blood vessels in your nose to shrink, relieving the stuffiness that an allergy can trigger. Trouble is, your relief is short lasting. Some people can use these intermittently for months as a time and manage to avoid getting rebound stuffiness, while others find their nose spray stops working for them after only 3 days. If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, you should avoid these nose sprays entirely, as they can increase your blood pressure.
Nasalcrom®, another nose spray available for allergies, contains cromolyn sodium which blocks allergic symptoms but only if it is used BEFORE you get exposed to whatever you’re allergic to. Nasalcrom® also needs to be used 3-4 times daily. Unlike Afrin® or Neo-Synephrine®, Nasalcrom® can be used safely in children and can be used for years without losing its effectiveness.
Nasacort AQ® 24 Hr contains a cortisone called triamcinolone which works a lot like prednisone to quell allergic symptoms like nasal congestion, runny nose and sneezing. It lasts for 24 hours and just one or two sprays a day can control allergy symptoms safely for years and it’s safe to use in children. Kids as young as 2 years old can safely use Nasacort AQ 24 Hr.
You can also combine Nasacort AQ®24 Hr with any oral antihistamine pill for even more relief. With 2 sprays of Nasacort AQ® 24 Hr once a day plus Zyrtec® or another daily allergy pill, today Connie could control her symptoms and keep her cats, too, even letting them continue sleeping with her. My Scotties would be SO jealous!
