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Second-Generation Antihistamines

Also called non-drowsy antihistamines, allergy tablets

Antihistamines block the H1 receptor that histamine uses to produce the sneezing, itching, runny nose and hives of an allergic reaction. The second-generation drugs were designed not to cross into the brain, which is why they are far less sedating than older options such as diphenhydramine — though they are not all equally non-drowsy, and that is the main thing that separates them.

Reviewed by Sreepriya Prasannan
MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany HSE Spark Ignite 2026 — Top 14 finalist
Compiled from official FDA data · Last verified · Editorial standards
What this class is used for
Hay fever, allergic rhinitis, chronic hives (urticaria), allergic skin reactions

3 Antihistamines in this directory

Zyrtec
Cetirizine
An oral daily allergy medication used to relieve hay fever and hive symptoms.
Claritin
Loratadine
An oral daily allergy medication used to treat runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing.
Allegra
Fexofenadine
An oral daily allergy medication used to relieve sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes.

Compare Antihistamines side by side

Zyrtec VS Claritin Zyrtec VS Allegra Claritin VS Allegra

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How this page is built

The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.

Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 11 Oct 2026. How every register is built: methodology · fixes we have made: corrections log.

Please verify before you rely on this. This page is general information for life-science and pharmaceutical professionals. It is not medical advice, and it has not been reviewed by a clinician — our editorial team holds life-science qualifications, not clinical ones. It is not exhaustive and may not reflect the most recent label change. Always check the official prescribing information (US Prescribing Information or EU SmPC) and speak to your doctor or pharmacist before acting on anything here. Drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable, and approvals, brand names and indications differ between the US, the EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions. Spotted an error? Tell us — we correct promptly and log it.