I just rescued 2 beautiful cats from a shelter and I LOVE them, would NEVER part. I need to know what a good temp over the counter allergy releif medicine is..
My symptons arent AWFUL, but they get pretty bad when I snuggle with them too much and they sleep in my bed.
HELP!
2006-08-09 17:04:45 · 11 answers · asked by aMansRuin 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Allergies
Claritin is a great OTC antihistamine (used to be by prescription only). It lasts all day, so you only need one tablet per day and causes little to no drowsiness. If the problem is mostly caused at night, you could skip that and try just taking 2 benadryl tablets before bedtime (these will most likely make you sleepy, so it's best to only use them at bedtime). Benadryl only lasts in your system for about 4-6 hours, so it's possible that you'll still wake up with allergy symptoms.
2006-08-09 17:10:22 · answer #1 · answered by kansas8099 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I take claritin. I have 3 cats of my own and foster little kittens for a local shelter (which means I have over a dozen cats/kittens in my house at any time during the summer) I currently have 10 foster kittens.
The meds didn't help as much as batheing the cats/kittens at least once a month has. It's not very easy to do with adults unless you've raised them to tolerate it, but it is possible. I found that I wasn't allergic to dander as much as to the cat's saliva. So, when the cats groom themselves, they spread that all over and become little allergens to me.
If I can't give them a full bath, I've made the allergies a little better by wiping down the cats with a damp washcloth. I rinse it often while wiping them down and the cats tolerate it pretty well.
2006-08-09 20:11:40 · answer #2 · answered by taxchicky 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I found that my allergies lessen with exposure to my cats, but i sometimes use chlor-trimeton for fast releif and claritin for the long term relief. My Dr. also prescribed flonase which I think you can now get OTC. Honestly, none of them helped a lot.
For the first day or two after bringing in a new animal, I sometimes get skin welts and itch. For that, you need to take Benadryl. That works but makes you sleepy.
I also highly recommend bathing your cats once a week. And when you bathe them, also change your and their bedding. That helped me more than anything!
2006-08-09 17:13:31 · answer #3 · answered by pknutson_sws 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everyone reacts to medications differently. I use the otc claritin (loratadine) and if you've really got congestion problems than you can buy the claritin D...has sudafed in it to help a little more.
That doesnt mean that it will work for you though...its a trial and error really.Everyones different...the cheapo benadryl thats been around forever may do wonders for someone when the most expensive prescription allergy med doesnt do anything for them.
2006-08-09 17:13:23 · answer #4 · answered by hotmama 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My docs have a paper with all otc meds on it. Claritin and Zyrtec are both OTC and fine. Just follow the directions. Benadryl is ok too, but it will make you even sleepier than you might be already! :)
2016-03-27 06:07:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Over the counter I prefer Claritin. You mentioned temporary relief is fine. Claritin tends to wear off (as do all OTCs for me). Also, run a damp wash cloth over your cats each day...mine love it and it helps get rid of their "dander" ...the stuff most of us are allergic to.
2006-08-10 15:59:17 · answer #6 · answered by Baby #1 born August 2009 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd like to know myself. I adopted a cat 4-5 months ago and my bf has mild reactions to her. My friend said that you can get shots to help the allergies, but I'm not sure.
2006-08-09 17:09:04 · answer #7 · answered by PlasticTrees 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to say that I just leave cats alone being allergic to them myself. That's the best solution to allergy symptoms in my opinion.
2006-08-09 17:11:27 · answer #8 · answered by royal_fryer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
most of them work for me... the best one they dont make anymore...lol but now I use benadryl. make sure to wash your hands when possible after petting them... that helps me with my 2 cats
2006-08-09 17:11:11 · answer #9 · answered by Jessica 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Zyrtec is a great med. i take it and I'm allergic to cats to and i have one so it works good
2006-08-09 17:14:16 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋