Allegra for Allergic Rhinitis User Reviews

• Reg...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 2, 2020

"It took me 5 years to realize Allegra was making my life a living nightmare. I have bad allergies and take it year-round. Prior to starting Allegra, I had never experienced anxiety. Overnight, I started having panic attacks. My ears started ringing all the time, and I started getting this tingling/numbing in my left arm. I also started waking up with swollen hands, feet, and face. I saw many doctors for these symptoms, I was in my mid-20s. Nobody could figure it out. I recently had been talking to a new allergist about all the issues and realized the correlation between days I take the med and waking up swollen, so I Googled the side effects. I was horrified to see the reviews!! One lady even wrote an entire article about the tingling issue. I stopped the medication immediately and am starting to feel like my old self again. I'm angry that I've been dealing with this for so long and could've stopped it had I known....."

• Lat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2020

"I went to a clinic because I couldn't breathe very well. I thought I had COVID-19, even though they gave me a COVID test. The doctor looked into my nose with a flashlight and said that my nose was blocked. He prescribed me with Allegra... when I tell you! It worked almost right away! No side effects, and it shrunk all my nose glands and helped me breathe better! This is so exciting!"

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2020

"I'm a 20-year-old female. I started taking Allegra because other allergy meds were too strong for me or didn't work, and I wanted to avoid lactose. Well... I've been taking Allegra 60 mg for like three weeks for my food/seasonal/pet allergies, and these past couple of days my stomach is a mess!!! I feel like pure trash, and I'm having major panic attacks out of nowhere. Dehydration, dry mouth, chapped and painful lips, this weird scalp rash, and just feeling generally unwell. I might just switch back to Zyrtec because I'm out of options."

• Jca...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2019

"I have taken Allegra the past few years during ragweed season, which I am allergic to. I take it at night, so I do not have drowsiness during the day. I find it effective but have one major problem, which is a side effect that has caused me to stop taking it - joint pain and weakness, especially in my ankles. It became unbearable. As soon as I stopped taking it, it went away. I noticed the correlation last year but thought it was a coincidence. Now I know it's not. Pharmacists and Drs, please pay attention to this very real and perhaps more common than thought side effect."

• Sku...
• February 23, 2021

"I’m a 25-year-old female whose allergies have recently decided to screw me over. I’ve been on Claritin for a couple of months now, and it works “okay.” Three days ago, I broke out with hives and went to the hospital and got prescribed Allegra. The first day I took it, it worked great! Now I’m on the second day of it, and I’m having panic attacks, anxiety, diarrhea, and dehydration. It is a shame because it does so well in treating my allergies, but I don’t think these side effects are worth it."

• MSA...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 12, 2022

"Took for about a year for allergic asthma allergies before I realized when I ran out and started something else that I no longer need a walker to walk, and I regained all the strength in my legs!!! The whole time I was told no one knew why I slowly lost my ability to walk or function, and even my allergist never suspected the Allegra, but once I stopped the drug, my weakness went away… horrible, horrible."

• Ale...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 12, 2020

"So, my body has a very high natural histamine level, which means that I will break out in hives with feet and hand swelling almost every day. There’s no cause, my histamine levels tend to just be high. A long time ago, my sister used to use this medicine for the same condition. Therefore, when I started breaking out, my mom recommended this to me. As soon as I started taking it, it was truly a miracle. It works so quickly and efficiently to relieve my hives and remove the swelling to allow me to be able to walk on my feet properly. I have zero side effects. It’s just a medicine that does its job: no drowsiness, no nausea. I accidentally double-dosed once, and not a single problem happened. It’s an incredible medicine. I’m thankful for Allegra/fexofenadine."

• Jul...
• December 20, 2009

"I suffer from chronic sinusitis caused by allergies. I also had a bad case of bronchitis a year and a half ago and three respiratory infections since. I have tried a bunch of antibiotics, Claritin D, Zyrtec, Benadryl, Mucinex, Singulair, cough syrups, and other OTC decongestants, herbal supplements, steroids, and the Neti Pot. Only the Neti Pot helped me feel better for an hour or so and washed away a lot of the allergens, but the sinus inflammation and bronchial irritation due to post-nasal drip returned fast. I just started using Allegra three days ago, and the difference is remarkable. I can breathe again! I also sleep better and I don't feel tired all the time. I have not experienced any side effects so far."

• cle...
• May 23, 2013

"Allegra stops the drainage and the annoying need to clear my throat (post nasal drainage). But I'm dizzy these last couple of weeks since I've started it. I have a mild sore throat and headache, which I experienced previously when trying Allegra. I feel tired, nauseous, and have had a strange tingling in my legs occur twice this week. I'm thinking Allegra is not a good choice for me, despite its effectiveness."

• Nik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2013

"I had been suffering from the worst hay fever for 3 months. I'd been to 5 different doctors and have been on umpteen different meds. Finally, the last doctor suggested I try Allegra. Within the first few hours, I was feeling wonderful! Allegra is a fast-acting, powerful medicine! So thankful for a doctor who knew his stuff! This will definitely be bought every allergy season!"

• Seb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2013

"God bless the one who invented Allegra! I had been snoring all the time, even during summer, and I felt my nose was wet and tickled me all the time. I tried everything to stop that instant snoring problem. When I took only one pill, it just stopped. I didn't snore or sniff a whole day, and before that, a day without sniffing would be a miracle. I didn't even have to wait one hour, it just worked directly!"

• Ith...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2012

"Allegra 24-hour helps my hay fever symptoms. But this medication dries out my lung tissue too much and makes me cough. I have been off Allegra for a week, and I am still coughing and have LOTS of non-infectious mucus coming out of my lungs. My lungs hurt from coughing. I am a 62-year-old female with mild asthma."

• Dac...
• December 2, 2014

"After about 4 years of terrible hay fever, lasting from about September to May, I have finally found my cure! I have tried countless allergy medications, including Zyrtec. None of them seemed to work until my doctor finally told me to try Allegra 180 mg. I have not experienced any side effects, except I did have a sore throat about a week after starting Allegra. I definitely recommend this product."

• Ric...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 7, 2021

"I have bad allergies to a lot of things: food, dust, animals, pollen. The list goes on. While at the doctor's office, he gave me a 5 mg Xyzal. It cleared up my nose within the hour, and I could breathe the rest of the day. The doctor suggested taking Allegra 12 hour. So I bought some and planned on taking it the next day. That night I was really tired before bed. Went to sleep. I woke up about 7 a.m. and stayed in bed almost the entire day. I was completely drained of energy. At 3 p.m. I took the Allegra. The package says 'non-drowsy'. By 4 p.m. I was so weak I felt like I was getting anesthesia. I had to be at work by 5 p.m. I drank some tea, hoping the caffeine would help. For the next few hours I struggled hard. I was completely drained of energy and my head felt foggy. It was horrible. At the 6-hour mark, I was less tired. Woke up today and decided not to take another one. What a nightmare that was. So much for 'non-drowsy'."

• Nau...
• September 22, 2016

"I took two 180-mg doses of Allegra for hay fever on two consecutive nights. The day after the first dose, I experienced mild, intermittent nausea and reduced appetite. The morning after the second dose, I was bedridden for 3 days with severe nausea, intermittent sweats and chills, aberrant thoughts and dreams, and a headache. I did not vomit or have diarrhea, nor did I have an abnormal temperature. As I write this on the fourth day, I am just getting up and eating a little. This was like no stomach flu I've ever had -- I feel as though I have been poisoned. I firmly believe that my illness is a side effect from the Allegra."

• JLW...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2012

"I have had bad allergies my entire life and was given many different medicines to try. This is the first medicine that actually worked for me. I took one 24-hour dose yesterday at 4 PM, and today at 10 AM my nose is still clear. The only problem I had was that my blood pressure spiked up to 146/93 from a normal range of 120/70. During that time, I had a terrible headache and felt extremely dizzy. I went to bed and woke up to recheck my blood pressure. It was still elevated at 127/86, and I still have a slight headache, but I can breathe."

• NCR...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 19, 2016

"It seemed to me the reviews here were overly negative for Allegra. For me, Allegra has the fewest side effects. I've never had any drowsiness issues with Allegra. I have noticed that it takes about two hours to get the maximum benefit, although it starts to work in 20 minutes. It does lose potency after 7-8 hours. I sometimes cut the pills in half so I can extend the effect a little longer. It does provide excellent relief. For extreme pollen levels, I think Zyrtec or Xyzal are a little stronger. But I would try this because it seems to have fewer side effects if you have not been a regular antihistamine user."

• Msc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 16, 2012

"I have been taking Allegra for over a decade when it was only available on prescription. Over the years, my insurance company forced me to try all the allergy medicines that went OTC in hopes that they wouldn't have to continue to pay for Allegra by prescription. However, nothing ever worked for me like Allegra. The other drugs caused side effects that I could not tolerate. I have no side effects from Allegra whatsoever. It has been a miracle medication for me and my year-round allergies."

• bda...
• March 29, 2011

"Recently, I have been having very bad allergies and went to the doctor. She said that I should try Allegra (not Allegra-D) and that it is available over the counter. I went to the store but could not find any adult 12-hour Allegra. This disappointed me because I knew the 24-hour pills usually don't work. I went ahead and bought the smallest package of pills I could get (5) of the 180 mg dosage. I took one, and it cleared up my symptoms and made me feel better, but that night I woke up after about 4 hours of sleep and could not get back to sleep. I didn't take one the next day as I wanted to get a good night's rest. Yesterday, I took another, and the same thing happened again. I just want to sleep!"

• Dow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2017

"Don’t buy the worthless medicine at all, it doesn’t work. I wasn’t having a good day, all day I couldn’t breathe, and it was bugging me. So I bought Allegra. And I could tell you, it didn’t work at all. It was like I never even took medicine. It didn’t help or nothing, I couldn’t breathe all night, and it was frustrating. Don’t buy!"

• nur...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 25, 2017

"I take allergy preparations year-round, Claritin in fall and winter, and Allegra in spring and summer. Both claim to be effective immediately (within hours), however, my experience is that it takes a week for them to work, so for a week in spring and a week in the fall, I take both, otherwise, I am miserable with a runny nose, itchy eyes, sore throat, etc. Both claim to be non-drowsy, but for me, this is not the case, so I take them at night. I give Allegra a middle-of-the-road 5 as a rating because it's better than nothing!"

• P T...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 2, 2016

"I have been an allergy sufferer for a long time. When I started taking Allegra 24 hrs., it worked just fine. But, the problem is that this medication works as intended, it works for 24 hrs. straight, and it keeps you awake for 24 hrs. too. So, if I take a pill of Allegra at night, it keeps me awake. In other words, I stay awake for most of the night and get no sleep at all. This is the reason why I don’t recommend Allegra because it will keep me awake and I get no sleep at all. I need to find another way to fight my allergies."

• Mis...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 10, 2022

"I have had a lot of trouble finding a newer antihistamine that works well for me. I have tried all the 24-hour ones, and Allegra seemed to be the right fit, but I had to stop taking it when I noticed yucky side effects. I realized that it was causing GI issues, such as abdominal cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. I was also getting dizzy spells out of the blue. When I don't take the Allegra, I'm fine. It's a catch-22 because it does seem to help with my post-nasal drip, but it's not worth having GI issues over."

• all...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2015

"I took Allegra 24 hours recently for the past two days. It works fast and relieves every symptom, but has only lasted for me for up to 8 hours. I then end up having to supplement with Benadryl, but it makes me drowsy."

• Ros...
• February 1, 2017

"Day two... I have taken 2 gel caps, and it has not helped. Itchy roof of mouth. Unable to breathe through my nose, it is completely stopped up. Symptoms are worse than yesterday. Eyes are red, itchy, and teary. I cannot sleep. I do not recommend."