Allergies sufferers rejoice! I’ve found a solution through painstaking personal practice. I call it “Antihistamine Cycling”.  Sounds like something Lance Armstrong does to “win” the Tour de France, eh? Not quite as sexy, but it can help you breathe easy nonetheless!

If you’re one of the millions suffering from seasonal allergies, I have a Rx Confidential. Switch it up! I find using any one antihistamine for extended periods of time yields diminished returns. The solution is simple, start to cycle. Try taking any one antihistamine ie) Zyrtec (Cetirizine) for 2 weeks, then switching to another ie) Allegra (Fexofenadine) or Claritin (Loratadine) for the next two weeks. Rinse, lather, and repeat…. each time the end of the cycle comes, I find the new antihistamine to be more effective than the last. I continue cycling through the entire allergy season as needed.

I prefer combination antihistamine products containing pseudophedrine, the one’s that have a D in the name (Allegra D, Zyrtec D etc), but either way its the antihistamine that needs to be swapped out. FWIW- Personally, I’ve never found Claritin to be as effective as the others, but it is the preferred antihistamine for pregnant moms… So its got that goin’ for it, which is nice.

Side note: Its still a prescription only antihistamine, but I definitely heart Xyzal (levocetirizine).  If you can get your doc to write the Rx, give it a shot.