For all the Sinus/Allergy sufferers
 

The maker of Claritin has lost its patent, therefore, the price will be reduced and it will be sold over the counter.

Now, I just heard from ABC news that the makers are putting Clarinex on the market as a "copycat" form of Claritin, if you will. The thing is, to get Clarinex you will need a 'scription, but it's the same thing as CLARITIN, supposedly.

Well, I still need the Claritin, Claritin-D, Allegra, Nasicort (which ever pump that is :rolleyes: ), and something other nex...lmao


This is FYI for the sinus peeps.

Re: For all the Sinus/Allergy sufferers
 

Drug companies kill me. :rolleyes: I understand the need to make money, but direct-to-consumer advertising does play a role in healthcare cost inflation.

I was just looking at TheStreet.com, and they had an article about Clarinex saying there was "little or no difference between the drugs' efficacy." Other accounts, however, say that Clarinex lasts some 12 hours longer than Claritin.

No thanks. I would rather pay OTC than get a prescription. I'm responsible enough to take my own drugs. These days, I'm on Allegra. My doc switched me because of nerve-related hives.

I am strugglin out here. So many headaches and pressure, I can barely go to class. Glad I got my allegra scription...but medication is so expensive. I'm asthmatic and was put ona new inhaler('haler), the damn thing was $25 with health insurance....now for a poor college student, dat haler is spensive

ACk! I hear ya kitten, my albuterol inhaler is $25 w insurance too-- I almost fell over--last year was only $5!

And I've been sneezing so much and so violently--don't laugh--I threw my lower back out w a sneeze on Saturday! OUCH!

amycat, I certainly would not laugh at you. I pulled a muscle sneezing around this time last year. I went to the emergency room and everything.

LOL

Glad I'm not the only one with damaging sneezes! And glad I have a great chiropractor!
:D Oh I can't wait for allergy season to be over--or, at least HIGH season to be over as its always something with asthma in a smog-laden city. Grrrr.

Symptoms?
 

Ok, yall, help a sista out. What are the symptoms of allergy or sinus? I've had a really bad headache since 4/15, and I don't even really know what to say about it. Doctor prescribed Imitrex (migraine med), and that didn't work. I've never had allergies (that I know of) or sinus problems. Yes, I've been coughing up a storm, too. No sneezing, no runny nose. I finally gave in and took some sinus medicine (otc), and my headache did go away temporarily. So it does relieve the headache, but the pressure (my head feels full and heavy) is still there. I'm not congested in my nose (at least I don't think so), but it sounds like I am in my chest. The doctor is scheduling a catscan, and if I can avoid that, I will at all costs. What yall think?

You know it's bad when you come to GC for a diagnosis, LOL!

I'll Take A Stab at It...
 

Ideal,

It may still be your sinuses anyway. Sometimes that will happen to me, when my head hurts (pressure and that "I can't pick my head up because it's so heavy" feeling) and I can still breathe. The sounds in your chest, that may actually be drainage from your sinus areas (your nose) that's going down there and causing you to be congested and stuff. You can get an RX for that instead of OTC products, which I've found cause you to get either sleepy or spacey.

I think you should go to an allergist and have them help you. You don't need a CT-scan. I went it was the best thing I ever did. I am a much happier person taking Allegra every day :D

Always in Service...

Benadryl Sucks!
 

Sensativ,

I'd dump that benadryl! I bet that is what is making you so sleepy. It will put you out of the game for a while. Try the Claritin by itself and see if you notice any changes. I find it to be wayyy too strong. I want to be able to breathe, not sleep!!

Again, I think you may be having some drainage too like Ideal-and you're congested. You may need something to break all that up. Try going to an allergist too if just using the Claritin doesn't work. You may need to try something new.

Always in Service...

My poor daughter's eyes have been red & weepy for the past month now. She's asthmatic and is on Serevent, Flovent, & Singulair daily. Plus, with all of this crap in the air, she's on Zyrtec and has to take an Albuterol pump if her asthma flairs up. Also, her eczema is acting up. :rolleyes: :( Now my son has been put on Allegra and Flonase. I dish out $60.00 + in meds between the two of them with insurance.

If I start coughing I usually get fisherman's friend. It doesn't taste all that good but it stopped my cough in its tracks.

WOW Allergies, I feel like a professional on this subject. I have suffered from allergies/asthma for all of my life. Also, last summer I had an intership with Schering Corporation in pharmaceutical sales. I was a representative for Nasonex and Claritin.

With that said, let me tell you this. Clarinex is kin to Claritin, but there is a difference in the receptor. This may or may not lead to greater efficacy, but Clarinex should at least be as good Claritin. I have not been trained on Clarinex so I don't really know, but seeing as how it is approved by the FDA I am sure it works.

Now, on to Claritin now being over the counter. Let me say this, if you have medical insurance Claritin going over the counter is not going to help you. Claritin as a prescription drug costs like $70.00 for a bottle, with a good health insurance plan you probably pay like %20, or aroun 14.00 and your insurance picks up the rest. I know first hand that as an over the counter drug the costs will drop, probablyto around $50.00 a bottle, but since it is no longer a prescription IT WILL NO LONGER BE ON INSURANCE COMPANIES' FORMULARIES (the list of drugs they pay for) AND THE ENTIRE $50.00 WILL BE UP TO THE CONSUMER TO PAY.

WOW Allergies, I feel like a professional on this subject. I have suffered from allergies/asthma for all of my life. Also, last summer I had an intership with Schering Corporation in pharmaceutical sales. I was a representative for Nasonex and Claritin.

With that said, let me tell you this. Clarinex is kin to Claritin, but there is a difference in the receptor. This may or may not lead to greater efficacy, but Clarinex should at least be as good Claritin. I have not been trained on Clarinex so I don't really know, but seeing as how it is approved by the FDA I am sure it works.

Now, on to Claritin now being over the counter. Let me say this, if you have medical insurance Claritin going over the counter is not going to help you. Claritin, as a prescription drug, costs like $70.00 for a bottle, with a good health insurance plan you probably pay like %20, or around 14.00 and your insurance picks up the rest. I know first hand that as an over the counter drug the Claritin's cost will drop, probably to around $50.00 a bottle, but since it is no longer a prescription drug IT WILL NO LONGER BE ON INSURANCE COMPANIES' FORMULARIES (the list of drugs they pay for) AND THE ENTIRE $50.00 WILL BE UP TO THE CONSUMER TO PAY. With that said, if you have health insurance it will actually save you (the consumer) money to switch to Clarinex. You can pay $14.00 and make the insurance folks you pay anyway pay the rest of the money, or you can come out of pocket for $50. Don't be mad at Schering for bringing out Clarinex; be mad at the OTHER drug companies who want to profit off of Schering's invention and are pusing for non-renewal of Schering's Clarinex patent. Every other drug company now stands to make $50.00/person (and without dealing with an insurance company) by making their own imitation-Clariting generic drug and selling them all at a similar non-competitive prices (around $50.00).

Understand, generic does not mean that the price goes down to the cost of Actifed or Benadryl. It basically means that insurance companies are no longer involved. This is why insurance companeis were the main institutions lobbying for the non-renewal of the Claritin patent...insurance companies and OTHER drug companies. Now the insurance companies no longer have to pay %80 of the cost of one of the most popluar and effective drugs in America. They Win! Claritin is a 2nd generation antihistamine (i.e. non-drowsy), Actifed, Benadryl and all the rest aren't. Therefore, Claritin and its superior quality as a drug will set is market price WELL above what you pay for those!

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Thanx for that Info!
 

Thanx, Exquisite 5 and AKA2D for the info! I see I'm not the only sufferer on here! :o I take Claritin only when my allergies are really bad (read I can't see b/c I look like I'm crying and it's hard for me to breathe)...Hah!!! I guess I will be switching to Clarinex, cuz my still-in-undergrad-rarely-going-to-work-broke-behind ain't got no $50 to be apying for some medicine!!!! Oh HECK NAW! :mad: And what's sad about that is $50 is cheap!!! :eek: I have medicine that cost $30 for 5 tablets!!!

*Disclaimer: Sorry ya'll, $$$ issues bring out my ethnicity, if you will...

I get the watery & itchy eyes (of which I use prescription eyedrops for), the runny or congested nose, the sneezing (only around dust or the outdoors), etc. My allergies are mostly outdoors (I'm happy I'm not allergic to my cat! :D)...My friends never understood (and I didn't either) what I was talking about when I said that grass makes me itch--EVEN if I don't touch it...Now I know it's in the air!