A wide range of antihistamines is available to treat your allergies. Tablets and nasal sprays are some of the most common forms of antihistamine treatment, but what's the difference between them, and which would be right for you?
Antihistamine Tablets
There are a few different kinds of antihistamine tablets (such as Neoclarityn, Cetirizine and Fexofenadine). Some of them require a prescription, while others that are less powerful will not. No matter what strength of antihistamine you are using, however, these pills won't be enough to ease your congestion. They can help take care of the runny nose, sneezing and itchiness, though.
If you've used these tablets in the past, you probably already know that they can make you a bit drowsy. It may have turned you off from them and forced you to go looking for an alternative, but you should know that most modern antihistamine tablets do not cause drowsiness. If that's going to be a concern for you, ask your doctor to recommend one that won't make you drowsy.
Since these tablets won't clear up congestion, your doctor may recommend that you pair it with a decongestant or some form of nasal spray. The tablets can be convenient, but they won't get rid of every symptom, so they may not be enough on their own. It just depends on the severity of your symptoms.
Nasal Spray
The great thing about nasal sprays is that there are rarely any side effects. The tablets can cause drowsiness, but you don't have that problem when you use a spray. You may have to deal with an unpleasant taste in your mouth, or your nose might get irritated from all the spraying, but those are simply part of using a nasal spray to treat allergy symptoms.
Nasal sprays come in tons of varieties (such as Rhinolast, Dymista and Avamys), so it shouldn't be a problem for your doctor to find one that treats your precise symptoms. You can unclog your nose with a decongestant spray or a saline spray, so if that's all you need to do, then those will be perfect for you. Just be careful not to use a decongestant spray for more than a few days, as it can increase how stuffy your nose becomes.
Antihistamine sprays work just like antihistamine tablets. They won't get rid of your decongestion, but they can handle all the itching, sneezing and runny nose symptoms.
Steroid sprays tackle every allergy symptom you may experience, but they don't always work right away. In some cases, it can take as long as two weeks to get effective results from them.
Your doctor will recommend whatever allergy treatment he believes is best for you, but you should feel free to ask questions and bring up any concerns you have about the medication.