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With Seldane and Hismanal off the market, how can I treat my allergies?

The oral prescription antihistamines terfenadine (brand name Seldane) and astemizole (Hismanal) were breakthroughs in allergy treatment because they relieved symptoms while rarely causing side effects such as drowsiness. But these medicines are no longer sold in the United States—discontinued mainly because of their potentially serious interactions with other drugs.

Fortunately, consumers can now obtain three prescription antihistamines that are similar to Seldane and Hismanal and pose a much lower risk for interactions. They are fexofenadine (Allegra), loratadine (Claritin), and cetirizine (>Zyrtec). Studies suggest that these three drugs work equally well at relieving allergy symptoms, although some people find that they respond better to one over another. As with Seldane and Hismanal, these drugs rarely cause side effects (although some people may still experience drowsiness when taking them).

If you have a stuffy nose, Allegra, Zyrtec, Clarinex, and Claritin are also available in combination with a decongestant. The combinations are called >Allegra-D , Zyrtec-D, Clarinex-D, and Claritin-D.

Sources:
Drug Facts and Comparisons. Facts & Comparisons, 2006.
Micromedex® Healthcare Series. Thomson Micromedex, 2006.

This answer prepared 8/29/2000.
This information updated 12/5/2006.