I'm an animal!

robbieh · Post by **robbieh** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:18 pm

I have horrible nasal allergies that affects my cpap therapy so I went on a hunt to find new treatments I could try myself. If they don't work, I will call my doc and ask for an ENT consultation. I found a new antihistamine pill that is OTC and it seems to really work well for me. It is called Tavist. The generic name is Clemastine Fumarate. I found the generic at my local pharmacy but it cost $5 for 8 pills. I found it online at a mail order pharmacy charging $8.50 + s/h for 16 pills. They last 12 hours. I only take it at night. I kept looking for a better deal and finally found 100 tablets for $15. It is the exact same drug, same dose, same manufacturer! What is the catch? It is an antihistamine for animals. God I hope I don't wake up barking...

WearyOne · Post by **WearyOne** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:25 pm

Did you use just regular of the generic Tavist or Tavist-D?

Pam

Stefernie · Post by **Stefernie** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 7:59 pm

Oh I *SO* stopped buying allergy and antacid meds via RX.

I buy Claritin OTC and Prilosec OTC. *SO* much cheaper and Insurance companies aren't wanting to pay for them anymore cuz they're OTC anyway.

Meh, animals, schanimals.....We used to give our Pekingese regular Triaminic. He stumbled around drunk for 10 minutes, but it worked.

Vader · Post by **Vader** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:46 pm

robbieh wrote: It is an antihistamine for animals. God I hope I don't wake up barking...

My Vet told me it was developed for people, but it works great for dogs.
My dog has been taking it for several years, due to skin allergies. Wallyworld used to have a great price on the generic, but recently stopped carrying it.
They wouldn't give me a reason as to why.
Rite-Aid drugs wants $9.99 for 16 tabs of the generic brand!

The next time we need it, I'll be looking on the internet for a better price.

robbieh · Post by **robbieh** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:21 pm

In answer to Wearyone... it was just plain Tavist without the decongestant.

to stefarnie... i already take Claritin but it doesn't work. Sudafed works for me but it is too hard to get now because of the meth problem

If anyone wants the link to where i got the meds it is here:
http://www.allivet.com/Clemastine-1-34m ... hgodZk85gg

sleepyWI · Post by **sleepyWI** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:55 am

Stephanie..you mentioned Prilosec OTC. Check with your insurance company. Mine actually covers it with a 5$ copay....much cheaper than buying it OTC! They would rather cover that than cover Nexium...much cheaper.

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:27 pm

I do take a generic Actifed from Walmart, but if I have a really bad day, I use Astelin. Someone here on the forum recommended it. It's a prescription nasal spray (and tastes horrible), but it sure works. I find that I only need it about once a month.

Stefernie · Post by **Stefernie** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 5:52 pm

robbieh wrote:to stefarnie... i already take Claritin but it doesn't work. Sudafed works for me but it is too hard to get now because of the meth problem

Isn't it a pain in the butt? And that Phenylprine CRAP they put in Dayquil and Nyquil now SUCKS.

roster · Post by **roster** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:20 pm

robbieh wrote:.... Sudafed works for me but it is too hard to get now

.....

Are you sure? In GA and NC you just go to the pharmacist (Walgreen's and WalMart in my case) and show your state-approved ID. They have it behind the counter and make a record of how much you purchase. You can get generic brands much cheaper than the actual Sudafed brand. Just ask the pharmacist.

People also need to know the difference between antihistamines (such as Tavist) and decongestants (such as Sudafed). They are used to treat different problems. Information can be found on many sites including webmd.com.

Saline nasal rinses are a great nonpharmacological aid to treating allergies and congestion. You can find many posts on cpaptalk.com. The one I use regularly is http://www.sinucleanse.com/.

robbieh · Post by **robbieh** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:52 pm

I don't have sinus problems, never get sinus infections or headaches. I have nasal allergies which respond best to antihistamines. Sudafed helps my problem because it works on the nasal congestion. Here is some info from ePocrates.com:

Metabolism: liver partially; CYP450: unknown; Info: active metabolite
Excretion: urine (70-90% unchanged); Half-life: 9-16h; Info: decr. excretion in alkaline urine
Class: Decongestants
Mechanism Of Action: stimulates smooth muscle alpha-adrenergic receptors, producing vasoconstriction and reducing nasal congestion (sympathomimetic)

It also does not cause drowsiness. In order to purchase it here, I have to show ID and fill out a form after standing in line at the pharmacy. Then they check it online which takes another 10 mins. It is easier purchasing prescriptions or other OTC meds.

I've tried saline irrigation but again, my problem is not sinus, its nasal so that does nothing for me.

Gerald · Post by **Gerald** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:15 pm

Robbieh.....Is your machine equipped with a coarse, foam filter....and....an additional "pollen" filter?

Mine has both.....and I wake up in the morning with very clear nasal passages.

I've always been mildly allergic to house dust.....and the highly filtered air that comes out of my "M" really clears me up.

If you're not using the "pollen" type filter in addition to the standard foam, you might give it a try.

andyomega · Post by **andyomega** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:39 pm

I too have horrible nosal allergies and stuffiness. The best thing that works for me is NOT DRUGS but BREATH RIGHT strips.

I use them almost every night and when I don;t I sure feel worse in the morning.

Ive take every drug and nasal spray known to man and they work for a week or two and then loose effectivness OR i suffer terrible side effects.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 7:37 am

Becanase for me twice a day. If I am really having a problem I just use a saline nasal rinse. The thing about the nasal rinses is that you need to blow it up one nostril until it starts coming out of the other one.

christinequilts · Post by **christinequilts** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:51 pm

andyomega wrote:I too have horrible nosal allergies and stuffiness. The best thing that works for me is NOT DRUGS but BREATH RIGHT strips.

Looks like robbieh's vet med site even has those, but only for horses:

FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips
I bet if they came up with a Breath Right to help with dogs snoring, lots of people would buy them

On the cost of OTC meds, particularly generics, I've found the little pharmacy attached to a local hospital has the best prices of anyone. It happens to be in the professional building where my Mom's doctor's offices is, so I make it a point to pick up as much of my standard OTC meds from them when I take her for her monthly blood work. They have 100 25mg generic Benadryl for $3.20, 30 10mg generic Claritin for $2.22, and so on with all major OTC meds. Both of those in particular are much cheaper then at the Vet Med Site, even when you factor in the generic Benadryl they offered was 50mg instead of 25mg, though ironically its the same name brand generic-lol. Since I live a ways away from them, I can give them a call a day or two ahead of time and they will order the OTC meds I need if its something they might run out of. It sure pays to shop around sometimes & look at often overlooked places. The pharmacy at another local hospital's professional building has okay prices compared to most chain drug stores, but their prices are about twice that of the other hospitals pharmacy that I use.

lawdognellie · Post by **lawdognellie** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 11:49 pm

Tavist is approved for humans. However, many animals (like my lab) use it as well. Usually there are 2 grades of the drugs: animal grade and human grade. You can buy human grade at stores (obviously) and can get the animal grade from the vet or from online pet stores. I'd strongly recommend NOT using the animal grade. It doesn't have the same quality control regulations that human grade drugs do.

Sarah

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