Zyrtec goes OTC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally approved the nonprescription use of Zyrtec-D. It will be available over-the-counter soon. It has been available by prescription since 2001.

This is a great allergy medicine and in my opinion has always worked better than Claritin (alavert). The approval for nonprescription use will enable people to have access to another effective treatment for their allergy symptoms without necessarily seeing their physician.

Zyrtec-D is a combination drug with an antihistamine and decongestant. The FDA approval means the drug can now be purchased without a prescription.

Most common side effects of Zyrtec-D include drowsiness, fatigue and dry mouth but it is typically very well tolerated.

Since the decongestant contains pseudoephedrine, it will hold the same restrictions as other drugs and will be kept behind the pharmacy counter. The illegal production of methamphetamine caused this change to occur a couple of years ago.