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Medications commonly used for seasonal allergies

Medications commonly used for seasonal allergies
Category Medications and sample US brand name(s) Prescription required or available over-the-counter (OTC) in the US?
Nasal steroid sprays
  • Beclomethasone (Beconase AQ, Qnasl)
  • Budesonide (generic)
  • Ciclesonide (Omnaris, Zetonna)
  • Flunisolide (generic)
  • Fluticasone furoate (Flonase Sensimist)
  • Fluticasone propionate (Flonase Allergy Relief)
  • Mometasone (Nasonex 24 HR Allergy)
  • Triamcinolone (GoodSense Nasal Allergy, Nasacort Allergy 24 hour)
 Some prescription, some OTC
Less-sedating oral antihistamine pills
  • Cetirizine (ZyrTEC, others)
  • Desloratadine (Clarinex)
  • Fexofenadine (Allegra, others)
  • Levocetirizine (Xyzal)
  • Loratadine (Claritin, Alavert, others)
 Some prescription, some OTC
Sedating oral antihistamine pills*
  • Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton)
  • Clemastine (Tavist)
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
 OTC
Nasal antihistamine sprays*
  • Azelastine (Astelin, Astepro)
  • Olopatadine (Patanase)
 Some prescription, some OTC
Nasal steroid/antihistamine combination spray
  • Fluticasone and azelastine (Dymista, Ticalast)
 Prescription
Oral decongestant/antihistamine combination pills
  • Brompheniramine-pseudoephedrine (Brotapp, Rynex PSE)
  • Cetirizine-pseudoephedrine (ZyrTEC-D Allergy & Congestion)
  • Chlorpheniramine-pseudoephedrine (SudoGest)
  • Fexofenadine-pseudoephedrine (Allegra-D)
  • Loratadine-pseudoephedrine (Claritin-D, Alavert Allergy and Sinus)
 OTC
Nasal cromolyn spray
  • Cromolyn (Nasalcrom)
 OTC
  • This table includes medications commonly used for treating symptoms of allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies), including some sample brand names.
  • "Over-the-counter" (OTC) describes a medication you can buy without a doctor's prescription. These can be sold under many different brand names and store brands. Always read the generic names on the label of your OTC medicines to be sure you are not taking more than one product containing the same medicine, as this can be harmful. If you are also taking other medicines or have health problems, check with your doctor to be sure OTC medicines are safe for you to use. Many medicines that used to be available by prescription only are becoming available OTC.

* These medications often cause sedation and should not be used before driving or operating machinery. The less-sedating oral antihistamines are often a better choice since they don't cause impairment.

¶ Pseudoephedrine should not be used in children, older adults, or people with certain medical problems (such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, or trouble urinating due to an enlarged prostate). Talk to your doctor before using pseudoephedrine.
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