Question:
Has anyone been able to compare using Claritin to using Allegra? I
tried Claritin once and it worked very well for me. Allegra is made by
the same company as Claritin, but I haven't tried it out. Claritin is
Loratadine, Allegra is fenofexadine (sp?)....are there cheaper
alternatives to Claritin or Allegra that have the same active
ingredients? I've always had allergies, and to my dismay my HMO (Group Health in WA)
refuses to cover Claritin. I asked why and they said they are satisfied
prescribing Bendadryl, but Benadryl doesn't work very well. Claritin
costs about $60 for a month's supply here, is that unreasonably high or
is that average? All opinions appreciated.
Answer:
The 3 nonsedating antihistmines considered safe are Claritin (loratadine),
Allegra (fenofexadine), and Zyrtec (cetirizine). Allegra is the
replacement for Seldane, now withdrawn from the market at the request
of the FDA. I'm not aware of generic replacements. Benedryl is a sedating antihistamine and therefore not a replacement
for a nonsedating antihistamine where the nonsedating property is
needed. Ask your doctor to write a justification for a nonsedating
antihistamine like Claritin and FAX to your HMO. Normally this type
of request is honored by most HMOs tho they may substitute another
nonsedating antihistamine. The justification has to be written by
your doctor, not you or the nurse. Also there are appeal processes
if the doctor's justification is denied.
Links:
http://www.claritin.com/ Claritin (Schering)
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/lorat.htm Claritin $58/30 da
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/fexofen.htm Allegra
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/cetiriz.htm Zyrtec $144/100
Well, I have been on Claritin, Seldane, Zyrtec and Claritin D. DO NOT ACCEPT
Benadryl as a substitute, as it make most folks turn into zombies due to its
sedating effects. Sure, your allergies might feel better a little, but you are
to out of it to know it. Claritin does run very high in the price dept. The quote you gave sounds about
right, as my pharmacy would charge I think about 65 dollars a month. Lucky, my
prescription plan covers it for $5.
I would recommend trying to get onto Claritin-D 24 hour. I have been on that
recently and have seen some improvements. The regular Claritin has no
decongetant, so they usualy have to couple it with Guaifednesin of some sort,
which is generic, but still why spend more if you don't have to?
I would like to know about Allegra as well, but none of my doctors seem to
want to use it. I don't know if they are waiting until it is a little older,
or what..
I called my doctor and she said that she would
not write a justification because she knew the HMO would not support it
because Claritin is too expensive! When pressed, she said I could write a
letter to the HMO's pharmaceutical committee (the people who decide which
drugs are covered) if I wanted, but she didn't think it would do anything.
Apparently, my HMO (Group Health) does not cover ANY kind of non-sedating
antihistamine. My doctor suggested I use a nasal spray! Do you have any
further advice on what steps I might take given this reaction? Two reasons to stay with regular Claritin instead of the -D version.
1. The -D version contains pseudoephedrine, a decongestant, which has
some bad side effects including jitteriness. Its often better to take
pseudoephedrine as the OTC drug Sudafed, but only when really needed.
2. The 2nd reason is Claritin-D 24 is a large pill which can get stuck
in the throat of some people--the FDA has a warning out on this. In some
cases the stuck pill had to be extracted manually. There is a smaller
12 hour -D version (but not of regular Claritin).
