Claritin (Loratidine) is a medication in the class of anti-histamines. Histamine is a chemical in our cells that is released during an allergy attack. Histamine causes all the symptoms of allergies: sneezing, nasal congestion, itching, hives, etc. Being an anti-histamine, Claritin blocks the action of histamine in the body.

This version of Claritin is marketed for its ability to dissolve on or under the tongue, making it easier to swallow than a capsule of pill.

Claritin replaced Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) as the #1 doctor prescribed allergy medication, the reason being that Claritin does not have any drowsiness as a side-effect like Benadryl has. Benadryl has very significant sleepiness as a side-effect, and this limited its use in people who needed to operate cars, machinery, or needed to have full-attention in their jobs. The sleepiness of Benadryl was so marked, that manufacturers marketed it as a sleeping aid! (Diphenhydramine is the component in Tylenol PM or Excedrine PM, it is also in all the sleeping pill formulations). Fortunately for allergy sufferers, Claritin has no sleepiness as a side-effect, in fact, Claritin has virtually NO side effects, which makes it an excellent medication to take if you are taking other medications as well. Plus, Claritin WORKS to counter allergy symptoms. I developed a form of full-body hives that persisted for over a year, and Claritin was a God-send for me. Without Claritin, my life would have been miserable.

Up until a few years ago, Claritin was a prescription medication and was the mainstay for doctors to prescribe for allergies. Once its potential for abuse was determined to be nil, and its safety factor proven, it was released on the market as an over-the-counter allergy medication.

Claritin still is expensive, as the medication is still "owned" by a major drug company. Until its lease expires and it can be marketed as the generic Loratidine, consumers will have to ante up the money if they want the best over-the-counter allergy medication available. If you can't or won't afford Claritin, then the cheaper alternative is Benedryl (Diphenhydramine), and you put up with the drowsiness.

Hope this helps.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

As a long time allergy-sufferer, I maintain a stock of anti-allergy medications to help me get through every allergy season. I recently decided to try Claritin, and was very pleased with its ability to stop the very irritating feeling of itchy eyes, but it's active ingredient, Loratadine (10 mg), did nothing to stop my runny nose and frequent sneezing by itself. However, I have also tried the 24-hour Claritin-D, which not includes the Loratadine (10 mg), but also contains pseudoephedrine sulfate (240 mg). With the addition of the pseudoephedrine sulfate, Claritin-D relieved my itchy eyes, runny nose and frequent sneezing.

Therefore, if you purchase the regular Claritin that only contains the Loratadine (10 mg), but you also suffer from runny nose and sneezing during allergy season, I would highly recommend supplementing it with an addition anti-allergy medication that contains pseudoephedrine sulfate. Otherwise, purchase the Claritin-D to have both in single pill.

Before I started to take Claritin/Claritin-D for allergy relief, I had a very difficult time finding a non-drowsy, over-the-counter, anti-allergy medication that would relieve itchy eyes. Claritin's active ingredient of Loratadine (10 mg) has not caused me to feel drowsy after taking it, nor has the Claritin-D that also includes pseudoephedrine sulfate (240 mg). Therefore, if you want to have allergy relief and not be put to sleep by it, I highly recommend Claritin or Claritin-D. Overall, I rate Claritin (without pseudoephedrine sulfate) with 4 out of 5 stars, but I rate Claritin-D with 5 out of 5 stars.