English Transcript
Allergist Maureen Petersen, MD: Patients often ask what the best over-the-counter medicine is, and they think I’m going to say Benadryl or diphenhydramine. But that antihistamine crosses the blood-brain barrier which makes people sleepy, confused or even possibly agitated.
So I often tell folks use cetirizine or Zyrtec. It doesn’t cross the blood-brain barrier so that you don’t have those side effects and it won’t knock you out, but it works just as fast. If somebody is having seasonal allergy symptoms, a non-sedating antihistamine or an intranasal steroid can be very helpful for mild allergic reactions. Cetirizine or Zyrtec can be very helpful.
But just keep in mind if it’s a severe allergic reaction, a form of epinephrine needs to be used and emergency care needs to be sought after. Epinephrine is not available over the counter. So, it is important to follow up with an allergist if you find yourself needing a medication like this.
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Resource Type: Video | Allergy, Asthma, Seasonal Allergies
