What is the best thing to do and/or take for allergic reactions that cause stuffy nose & sneezing?

Answer 1

You have to find what is best for you by trial and error - everyone reacts a little differently to medication. Benedryl is generally one of the most effective antihistamines, but it usually causes extreme drowsiness and it dries up mucus secretions which can make your nose even more clogged. Chlor-trimeton works well with a little less drowsiness than Benedryl. Claritin (or ALavert) often doesn't work quite as well as Benedryl, but it usually does not cause drowsiness.

Along with antihistamines, nasal decongestants also help significantly. Sudafed (or a generic substitute) is generally the most effective decongestant. You can get Claritin-D which includes sudafed. Products containing sudafed are not located on store shelves in the US (you need to get them from a cashier or the pharmacy counter) , and require signing a form. I recommend Claritin-D as a first choice.

Answer 2

I'll speak only of Over The Counter (OTC) medications here, due to the ease of obtaining treatment.

Diphenhydramine (one brand name is Benadryl) is a good antihistamine which will help with itchy eyes, watery eyes, itchy nose, runny nose, and sneezing.

Pseudoephedrine (one brand name is Sudafed) is the best decongestant (for the stuffiness) that I've ever used, but it's now being controlled. You have to present your ID and sign for it, which is really nothing more than a bit of a hassle, but well worth it in quality of OTC treatment. A good alternative to pseudoephedrine is phenylephrine, if you want to bypass presenting ID and whatnot.

See if you can find something that has both, and that should fix you right up.

Answer 3

Benadryl, two capsules

Answer 4

Get some benadryl.

Answer 5

take an anti-histamine, and try to avoid dry/dusty places