Top Law Schools

Looking for something to stop the sneezing/runny nose/congestion. Since this is for the morning of the LSAT (or the night before), I am obviously looking for something non-drowsy.

BUT, if I get something 24 hours (like zyrtec suppose) that is NOT non-drowsy and take it at night, will it still make me drowsy the next morning?

I've tried non-drowsy claritin and it isn't too effective PLUS it gives me horrible dry mouth/thirst. Also, even though it doesn't get me drowsy I do feel a little fatigue.

any recommendations? also, what are thoughts/anecdotes on how antihistamines affect cognition? i'm considering just hoping for the best and going the non-med route because i do feel like it fuzzies up the brain maybe...

thanks so much!

MissLucky wrote:Looking for something to stop the sneezing/runny nose/congestion. Since this is for the morning of the LSAT (or the night before), I am obviously looking for something non-drowsy.

BUT, if I get something 24 hours (like zyrtec suppose) that is NOT non-drowsy and take it at night, will it still make me drowsy the next morning?

I've tried non-drowsy claritin and it isn't too effective PLUS it gives me horrible dry mouth/thirst. Also, even though it doesn't get me drowsy I do feel a little fatigue.

any recommendations? also, what are thoughts/anecdotes on how antihistamines affect cognition? i'm considering just hoping for the best and going the non-med route because i do feel like it fuzzies up the brain maybe...

thanks so much!

Life long allergy sufferer here. If you're just looking to stop the nasal symptoms, then try a nasal spray like Afrin, that'll open you wide up and minimizes drip w/o any worries about drowsiness. Of course you're only supposed to use Afrin for 2-3 days. I like zyrtec, but find it does make me drowsy the first few days I use it so you'd want to take it for a week or so straight before the test. Also, any cold medicine can stop nasal symptoms for a little while w/o much drowsiness.

homestyle28 wrote:
Life long allergy sufferer here. If you're just looking to stop the nasal symptoms, then try a nasal spray like Afrin, that'll open you wide up and minimizes drip w/o any worries about drowsiness. Of course you're only supposed to use Afrin for 2-3 days. I like zyrtec, but find it does make me drowsy the first few days I use it so you'd want to take it for a week or so straight before the test. Also, any cold medicine can stop nasal symptoms for a little while w/o much drowsiness.

Thank you! Okay, so I have Veramyst nasal spray and just started using it today - do you have any experience with that spray? If it doesn't work within a couple days (so far it hasn't done much...i'm actually sneezing a little more), i'm definitely going to check out Afrin (well I guess not until like 2 days before the test). I saw from your info that you've already taken the LSAT (and did amazing to boot!) what did you take the night before/day of (if anything)? also, continually taking zyrtec for a week or so before the test won't diminish it's efficacy, will it?

just plug your nose with kleenex before the test.

Zyrtec is money.

mistergoft wrote:Zyrtec is money.

any experiences with drowsiness or affecting cognitive function?

Do not use Afrin unless you have comfortably used it before. Do not take any allergy medication that makes you drowsy, even the night before. Alavert is a non-drowsy medication that may be worth a try.

MissLucky wrote:

mistergoft wrote:Zyrtec is money.

any experiences with drowsiness or affecting cognitive function?

I've never experienced either of these symptoms. I'd definitely recommend trying it before you go out and spend 25 dollars on it, though.

Non-drowsy allergy meds just don't work for me. I think I've been on every Rx and the only thing that helps my symptoms is Benadryl and that's obviously not non-drowsy. A neti pot can work wonders. Totally disgusting, but worth it. I also find that simply sticking my head over a steaming pot of water helps a lot with congestion. Just pot a towel over your head to trap the steam.

Good luck! Allergies are the worst. Glad I only have issues in the spring.

Get the cheapest pill that has Loratadine as the active ingredient.
If you look at the label, half of them are literally the exact same pill just branded differently to get you to pay more for certain ones.

I have pretty bad allergies too.

I am an asthama/allergy sufferer. I live off of Nasonex, and Allegra. I used to take claritin, but started having side effects.

Allegra, and a nasal spray.

Talk to your doctor. They know best.

STAY AWAY FROM BENDERYL ON TEST DAY. Makes you drousy.

Allegra does not effect my cognitive functions, somewhere online you can find a list of "Modern Anti-histamines" that don't make you drowsy. If you exceed the dosage of Allegra you will be very drowsy.

Also do not take singular. It can have some major psychological side effects. Made me have vivid dreams, and not sleep well.

jarofsoup wrote:
STAY AWAY FROM BENDERYL ON TEST DAY. Makes you drousy.

I second this. Don't want to confuse my reference to Benadryl as a suggestion to take it on test day. It seriously knocks you out.

Allegra is by prescription only, but it works well. Nasonex should not be taken for an extended period of time as it becomes less effective and it may become addictive.

CanadianWolf wrote:Allegra is by prescription only, but it works well. Nasonex should not be taken for an extended period of time as it becomes less effective and it may become addictive.

Yeah I would say that if you have time talk to your doctor. Nasonex works well for me. I take a very low dose though.

Zyrtec makes me drowsy. YMMV

mb87 wrote:

jarofsoup wrote:
STAY AWAY FROM BENDERYL ON TEST DAY. Makes you drousy.

I second this. Don't want to confuse my reference to Benadryl as a suggestion to take it on test day. It seriously knocks you out.

Ehh, I think your red alert warning against it is too strong for general advice for everybody. Some people barely feel a thing in terms of drowsiness from Benedryl. It's a world apart from Ambien, Ativan, Klonopin, etc.

MissLucky wrote:

homestyle28 wrote:
Life long allergy sufferer here. If you're just looking to stop the nasal symptoms, then try a nasal spray like Afrin, that'll open you wide up and minimizes drip w/o any worries about drowsiness. Of course you're only supposed to use Afrin for 2-3 days. I like zyrtec, but find it does make me drowsy the first few days I use it so you'd want to take it for a week or so straight before the test. Also, any cold medicine can stop nasal symptoms for a little while w/o much drowsiness.

Thank you! Okay, so I have Veramyst nasal spray and just started using it today - do you have any experience with that spray? If it doesn't work within a couple days (so far it hasn't done much...i'm actually sneezing a little more), i'm definitely going to check out Afrin (well I guess not until like 2 days before the test). I saw from your info that you've already taken the LSAT (and did amazing to boot!) what did you take the night before/day of (if anything)? also, continually taking zyrtec for a week or so before the test won't diminish it's efficacy, will it?

I suffer from chronic allergies, and I consider Veramyst to be God's gift. It takes about a week to kick in, but it does wonders for me. This is coming from someone who has experimented with over five or six nasal sprays.

CurbYourEnthusiasm wrote:

MissLucky wrote:

homestyle28 wrote:
Life long allergy sufferer here. If you're just looking to stop the nasal symptoms, then try a nasal spray like Afrin, that'll open you wide up and minimizes drip w/o any worries about drowsiness. Of course you're only supposed to use Afrin for 2-3 days. I like zyrtec, but find it does make me drowsy the first few days I use it so you'd want to take it for a week or so straight before the test. Also, any cold medicine can stop nasal symptoms for a little while w/o much drowsiness.

Thank you! Okay, so I have Veramyst nasal spray and just started using it today - do you have any experience with that spray? If it doesn't work within a couple days (so far it hasn't done much...i'm actually sneezing a little more), i'm definitely going to check out Afrin (well I guess not until like 2 days before the test). I saw from your info that you've already taken the LSAT (and did amazing to boot!) what did you take the night before/day of (if anything)? also, continually taking zyrtec for a week or so before the test won't diminish it's efficacy, will it?

I suffer from chronic allergies, and I consider Veramyst to be God's gift. It takes about a week to kick in, but it does wonders for me. This is coming from someone who has experimented with over five or six nasal sprays.

ooo this makes me feel SO much better! THANK YOU. i'm sure i'll get an additional placebo effect from hearing this now
btw, do you take it twice a day?

MissLucky wrote:Looking for something to stop the sneezing/runny nose/congestion. Since this is for the morning of the LSAT (or the night before), I am obviously looking for something non-drowsy.

BUT, if I get something 24 hours (like zyrtec suppose) that is NOT non-drowsy and take it at night, will it still make me drowsy the next morning?

I've tried non-drowsy claritin and it isn't too effective PLUS it gives me horrible dry mouth/thirst. Also, even though it doesn't get me drowsy I do feel a little fatigue.

any recommendations? also, what are thoughts/anecdotes on how antihistamines affect cognition? i'm considering just hoping for the best and going the non-med route because i do feel like it fuzzies up the brain maybe...

thanks so much!

Buy a new pillow.

Zyrtec or anything that lists cetirizine as active ingredient is best way to go imo.

Yes, it has potential of making you drowsy but nothing too dramatic like diphenhydramine (Benadryl).

In terms of effectivness in relieving allergies, Benadryl > Zyrtec > Claritin.

Unfortunately, in terms of causing drowsiness, it's the same order but more like Benadryl >>> Zyrtec > Claritin.

Some people do use Zyrtec-D (which is a combo of Zyrtec and Sudafed) since the pseudoephedrine content sort of negates the drowsiness that Zyrtec causes.

RX nasal sprays that were mentioned here work very well too but corticosteroid nasal sprays don't work instantly if you just started to use them but once it kicks in, you are all set. Not having a rebound effect like Afrin is also a huge plus.

Just for your reference in the future, grab a nasal spray called Nasalcrom (cromolyn is the ingredient) and start using them few weeks before expected allergy season if your primary symptoms are nasal related. This product reduces the amount of histamine(this is what's causing all the symptoms you are having and that's why allergy meds are called antihistamines) released in your body when you are exposed to allergen (by blocking the receptors on mast cells that releases histamine when its in contact with allergens) thus preventing or at least reducing allergic symptoms.

These are my 2 cents on the issue as a PharmD.

I have good results with loratadine.

Zytrec messes up my eyes. Weird burning sensation behind my eyes. Seriously. Try it out before test day.

yeah i took a practice test today and took zyrtec last night but i started having flu-like symptoms yesterday and this morning felt REALLY dizzy, continued sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. and then i just went back to sleep for an hour because i was so dizzy/drowsy and felt like crap.

i thought maybe the zyrtec caused that - but obviously it's probably just that i have the cold or flu and also maybe that i woke up a little extra early.

anyways, the experience this morning has scarred me and im really strongly considering not taking anything the night before (at most maybe a cold medication to minimize nose irritation) because i'm convinced these pills just mess with me and the way my brain works (although i only got a couple wrong total on the PT i took today but i took the same test last yr).

but once i get over this cold/flu, i'll try one test with nothing taken the night before, one test with a cold syrup taken the night before, and one with zyrtec again - let's hope I find my miracle mix amongst one of these! ay yuh yuy.

Clear liquid & hot chicken soup for cold & flu like symptoms.

MissLucky wrote:yeah i took a practice test today and took zyrtec last night but i started having flu-like symptoms yesterday and this morning felt REALLY dizzy, continued sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. and then i just went back to sleep for an hour because i was so dizzy/drowsy and felt like crap.
.

The best thing I have found for serious congestion/coughing issues is Mucinex DM. Clears it up in about 4 days no matter how bad. Doesn't make me drowsy at all.