Ever since moving from the humid hot climate of Arkansas to the humid cold climate of Michigan, some eight years ago, I’ve suddenly become over-run with serious allergy problems that previously never existed. The first time I stepped out of the car into a Michigan september, I was overcome with a sneezing attack, my eyes watered up, and it was almost so severe that I couldn’t breathe. Since my husband and I were both unemployed upon moving here, it was several months before we had medical insurance, and I had to make due with whatever over-the-counter medications I could find to help alleviate the allergy symptoms.

I actually found Cetirizine Hydrochloride 5mg Tablets - 100 Count (Generic Zyrtec) online for only $7.00 for the bottle, and figured that was a BIG improvement over the OTC Zyrtc, Claritin or Allegra that cost almost $20 for an 18 pill supply. I’m extremely prone to having medication not work for me, and I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s definitely been a frustrating problem over the years. Even the actual Zyrtec didn’t work well. Claritin would work, but only for a few hours and certainly not for the 24 hours it claimed to work. Even prescription Allegra doesn’t do much for me, when following the one-pill-a-day directions. Perhaps my body processes medication more quickly than the average person, but it’s definitely made it difficult to find something affordable that works well and for long periods of time.

This medication, for the price, certainly wasn’t bad. I was a little nervous to buy it online which, as far as I know, is the only way to get it unless you live in Canada, because I believe it’s a Canadian medication, but I did some research on the manufacturer and when I was assured it was a legitimate medication, I gave it a shot. You can actually buy the 10mg pills, 100 per bottle, for only $4.50, but I didn’t know this when I purchase the 5mg at $7, so be sure to shop around first before purchasing, because you can always cut the 10mg pill in half for a lower dosage, and get twice the number of pills that way. I was taking the 5mg pill every five hours, and it was actually (and surprisingly) very effective. When I tried taking two at once, I felt groggy. Not sleepy, exactly, but certainly not all together “there”. It felt like taking night time cough medicine and waking up ten hours later feeling completely exhausted, uncoordinated and completely “out of it”. I’m not a big fan
of that kind of feeling. At night, it’s fine, but during the day, I just couldn’t function, so I went back down to taking one pill at a time, and that kept it all manageable. The allergies, because mine are so severe, were still present, but the itchy eyes and nose were minimalized, and the sneezing was pretty much non-existent, and anyone who has sneezing attacks knows how exhausting they can be, so that was probably the biggest benefit from this medication. I recommend it to anyone with mild allergy problems. It’s the same cost as OTC allergy medications such as Benadryl, but you get FAR more pills. Keep it at the lower dose, and you wont feel sleepy, and it will help keep the allergy symptoms as minimal as possible. It’s not a cure, but it’s an affordable treatment.

Rating: 7