The Student Room Group

Hay fever tablets help

Im currently on desloratadine and i am about to finish my last pack. I can no longer afford to get this on prescription my hc2 certicate has been refused for a renewal :mad:. Im looking for cheaper alternatives which dont require a presciption and are none drowsy. They have to be tablets since beconase and opticrom no longer are effective.


If anyone else has been on desloratadine(neoclartyin) and are not now what do they take instead.

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Reply 1
I haven't been on what you have but I get Loratadine free on prescription. I've found they've been better than loads of the prescription only medication I've tried - they're just Clarityn if you want to buy them in the shops.

Cxx
Reply 2
Zirtek worked fine for me. (Cetirizine hydrocholoride). They are non-drowsy. Dont know much more about them, but they aren't cheap.

www.zirtek.co.uk
Reply 3
lessthanthree
why's it been refused?



Apparently the governement says low income people can live off 44 pound a week. I get about £55 cos of my student loans and therefore am over the limit and not entitled to anything other than a hc3 certifcate. Even though i dont have alot in savings and will have to pay the loan back. Its just a stupid ass system.

Which wont cover me for my precriptions and since ive been to the denist and my teeth are great(paid 15 pound which they wont refund either), i dont need wigs, my eyes are great so i dont need glasses or a test and i dont need travel help since im not under a consultant.
Reply 4
I agree I don't get assistance although I'm reapplying and atm I'm on four types of meds at £6.50 or whatever it is a time its bloody pricey.
Reply 5
Viviki a word of warning, when i asked why i got one for my first year. They said its cos we cant tell if you got your place or not. When i applied for one for my second year, they kept dragging their feet wanting last years finance sheet as well as this.

If your loan is over £2800 per year whether you take it or not, they wont help you pay for them. I am looking at about 8 pound a month for my hayfever tabs and nots including the occasion when i have eye drops also.

The only option i have is to have a prepayment card or find a non prescription option which is cheaper. If i stay on my current percription im gonna be paying 70 pound plus a year just so i can function and see what i am doing. My eyes get really bad, blurred vision and blocked tear ducts.

On the plus, i got my new finance assessment from the loans lot for my degree, its identical to my hnd one apart from my course :biggrin:
Reply 6
Glory
Viviki a word of warning, when i asked why i got one for my first year. They said its cos we cant tell if you got your place or not. When i applied for one for my second year, they kept dragging their feet wanting last years finance sheet as well as this.

If your loan is over £2800 per year whether you take it or not, they wont help you pay for them. I am looking at about 8 pound a month for my hayfever tabs and nots including the occasion when i have eye drops also.

The only option i have is to have a prepayment card or find a non prescription option which is cheaper. If i stay on my current percription im gonna be paying 70 pound plus a year just so i can function and see what i am doing. My eyes get really bad, blurred vision and blocked tear ducts.

On the plus, i got my new finance assessment from the loans lot for my degree, its identical to my hnd one apart from my course :biggrin:


well I am a post grad so spent my loan long ago but they still wouldn't give me one last year just because my tuition fees were paid because I had "savings" even though they aren't savings they are the things that are paying my accommodation and living expenses for goodness sake.

When my asthma was bad last year I was paying £20 a month in prescriptions because i had anti biotics a few times too. I also need new glasses but can't afford them and have had to fork out for dental treatment recently grrr.
Glory
Im currently on desloratadine and i am about to finish my last pack. I can no longer afford to get this on prescription my hc2 certicate has been refused for a renewal :mad:. Im looking for cheaper alternatives which dont require a presciption and are none drowsy. They have to be tablets since beconase and opticrom no longer are effective.


If anyone else has been on desloratadine(neoclartyin) and are not now what do they take instead.

Sainsbury's own brand non drowsy one a day allergy tablets are loratadine based - about 99p for 7 tablets (so much cheaper than claratyns £2+ for 7 tablets). The benedryl stuff cerit-something or other does nothing for my hayfever.

Go to your local supermarkets and read the packet - they have to say what's in them. Or ask your pharmacist which are the cheapest loratadine based tablets
Oh and Galpharm also do cheap loratadine tablets - I think they're stocked in Boots
Reply 9
PQ im planning a trip to the pharamcy on monday and taking my pill packet with me to find out what they think would be best. Im on the verge of trying a different make every month to find which works best. You never know i might find something better than what im on now, i still have bad days which i need eye drops for.
Reply 10
Do loratadine based tabs work the same way. There that many different kinds i dont know which is best its very confusing, why my doctor couldnt of put me on something i could get over the counter is beyond me.
Looking at http://www.diseasesdatabase.com/result.asp?glngUserChoice=32154&bytRel=26&blnBW=True&strBB=LR&blnClassSort=False loratadine and desloratadine are two different names for the same thing. (note - this might not be true - they could be oversimplifying)

Over the counter loratadine tends to come in 10mg tablets...it's possible your prescribed tablets are a higher dose, in which case it's up to you to decide whether to continue with prescribed or to take above the recommended dose of the over the counter versions...

Definitely speak to your pharmacist though - if you take along your current presciption they'll know exactly what the best over the counter alternatives are (and it's not in their interests to rip you off)
Reply 12
Very often it is more effective to treat the upper airway with cortison spray. Actually it is state of the art in treating hayfever to apply cortison locally, i.e. taking a nosespray with Mometason-17-(2-furoat) 1H2O 50 µg/per Spray (called "Nasonex" in Germany). This will help with your nose, eyes and sometimes with breathing. Then you can top it up with the occaisional loratadin/ceterizin or whatever pill. Eyes and nose are good with the expensive but long lasting (up to 8 hrs) Levocabastin-HCl 0,54 mg (called "Livocab" in Germany)

If you get asthma taking Budesonid 0,5 mg as a spray is good. (Rinse mouth after spraying!)
If your hayfever is really bad you could consider getting "desensibilized".

I have had really bad hayfever for many years and used to take pills only. When they did not help anymore I started the above decribed regime and am much better.
Reply 13
Leisure17
Very often it is more effective to treat the upper airway with cortison spray. Actually it is state of the art in treating hayfever to apply cortison locally, i.e. taking a nosespray with Mometason-17-(2-furoat) 1H2O 50 µg/per Spray (called "Nasonex" in Germany). This will help with your nose, eyes and sometimes with breathing. Then you can top it up with the occaisional loratadin/ceterizin or whatever pill. Eyes and nose are good with the expensive but long lasting (up to 8 hrs) Levocabastin-HCl 0,54 mg (called "Livocab" in Germany)


im not familer with cortison spray and i cant find anything in english about its, its all in german so im guessing the english name for it is something else. As i said in my early posts nasual sprays dont work. I started on those and they became less and less effective, so i got put onto the tablets.
Glory
im not familer with cortison spray and i cant find anything in english about its, its all in german so im guessing the english name for it is something else. As i said in my early posts nasual sprays dont work. I started on those and they became less and less effective, so i got put onto the tablets.



I use a nose spray, eye drops AND tablets!!!

I take cetirizine but I get it on prescription because I can't afford to buy it as it's so expensive in shops. Packets are cheaper, but they are much much smaller...on prescription I get 60 odd tablets for £6.50 which is much better value than anything I've ever found.

Maybe have a word with your doctor and they could increase the quantity of your prescription? Mine is very sympathetic like that! She lets me have the pill for free even though I'm not taking it for contraceptive purposes so should really pay! :biggrin:

Reply 15
Leisure17
Very often it is more effective to treat the upper airway with cortison spray. Actually it is state of the art in treating hayfever to apply cortison locally, i.e. taking a nosespray with Mometason-17-(2-furoat) 1H2O 50 µg/per Spray (called "Nasonex" in Germany). This will help with your nose, eyes and sometimes with breathing. Then you can top it up with the occaisional loratadin/ceterizin or whatever pill. Eyes and nose are good with the expensive but long lasting (up to 8 hrs) Levocabastin-HCl 0,54 mg (called "Livocab" in Germany)

If you get asthma taking Budesonid 0,5 mg as a spray is good. (Rinse mouth after spraying!)
If your hayfever is really bad you could consider getting "desensibilized".

I have had really bad hayfever for many years and used to take pills only. When they did not help anymore I started the above decribed regime and am much better.



I take nasonex that is prescription only and there is no similar non presc version. Beconaise doesn't work for me :frown:
Reply 16
*starbuck*

I use a nose spray, eye drops AND tablets!!!

I take cetirizine but I get it on prescription because I can't afford to buy it as it's so expensive in shops. Packets are cheaper, but they are much much smaller...on prescription I get 60 odd tablets for £6.50 which is much better value than anything I've ever found.

Maybe have a word with your doctor and they could increase the quantity of your prescription? Mine is very sympathetic like that! She lets me have the pill for free even though I'm not taking it for contraceptive purposes so should really pay! :biggrin:



They wont give me a repeat prescription ive tried talking to them about getting more before now. This was while i was still getting free prescriptions. Apparently it costs the practice money to make repeat prescriptions on certain things heyfever happens to be one. So i had to go in every month with a hand written paper to ask for more, i only was only ever given one pack fof 30.

And re the pill, i went on it for medical reasons not cos i wanted contrecaption they cant prove why you need it so you will always get the pill free. They cant turn around and say your not using it for contraception because they dont know and it isnt their business.
Glory
Apparently the governement says low income people can live off 44 pound a week. I get about £55 cos of my student loans and therefore am over the limit and not entitled to anything other than a hc3 certifcate. Even though i dont have alot in savings and will have to pay the loan back. Its just a stupid ass system.

Which wont cover me for my precriptions and since ive been to the denist and my teeth are great(paid 15 pound which they wont refund either), i dont need wigs, my eyes are great so i dont need glasses or a test and i dont need travel help since im not under a consultant.

funny, i've just been givena hc2, and am student.
albeit a poorer student than most.
Reply 18
Some students do get them. I'm hoping I'll be eligible this time but prob not cos of my P-T job :frown:
Reply 19
Jamie
funny, i've just been givena hc2, and am student.
albeit a poorer student than most.


im living at home with my parents that was her if i had been living in a student house i might of been allowed it. She didnt even take a reference number off me so im a bit sus about it all. I kinda knew i would have to change to cheaper pills sooner or later anyway.

Just abit annoyed about how they kept asking for info when they had no intent to give me a hc2 form. I have no use for a hc3 form atm, my major medical costs are my prescriptions. Seems unfair that people who need medicine to be able to carry on as normal have to pay when they have no proper income coming in other than a loan which is gaining interest at a great rate :frown:.