Allergy Medicine

I use Xlear, a nasal spray that you can purchase at Market Street or Health Collection. It coats the inside of your noise with fruit extract so that the 90% of the allergens that come in your nose will not stick. You can use this on infants even. I also use Benadryl and Musinex for allergy relief. I used to take a prescription but the Xlear helps me a lot, and when I start to feel pressure, the musinex does great (an ENT put me on that when I had repeat infections....now it is over the counter and I don't get infections anymore). I use Benadryl when things need a good kick. I just take one. Very rarely now do I have to take my Allegra. I have it, but never really need it.

Benadryl is the most effective, but it makes many people drowsy (often VERY drowsy...more like ASLEEP than drowsy in my case), and it only lasts 4-6 hours. The active ingredient in benadryl is Diphenhydramine hydrochloride. You will likely see that in the "active ingredients" list on many allergy/sinus medicines. There are many products that contain a combination of that with nasal decongestants, cough suppressants, expectorants, etc. So, the thing that works best for you really depends on your symptoms. I get really bad sinus congestion with my allergies, so I usually take something that also has a nasal decongestant. My son gets really thick secretions, so I usually give him a combo of an antihstamine like benadryl (or a prescription antihistamine like Zyrtec) with an expectorant, which thins the mucous.
Also, nasal saline is a good idea for sinus congestion.
The idea is to keep the secretions moving -- thinning them with medication or nasal saline will help with that.
We try as much non-drug stuff as we can -- avoid dairy, use local honey, drink lots of water, etc.

Claritin works well for my youngest son but not for my older... it just depends on who it's for I guess. If you can't find one over the counter I would ask the doctor. My older son is now on Singulair and it works wonders for him!

the Alavert is good stuff for you I have been using it for weeks now.
And Clartin redi tabs are great for your baby boy. They are Chewable.

If it is for you, I think Claritin D is the best. For my son I give him benadryl at night and childrens Claritin during the day.