I believe that there is no difference between the generic and brand name drugs. I myself am on generics because it's more cost effective on my insurance plan. In fact, one of the generics I am on was prescribed by my doctor so I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference.

As far as a difference goes, I don't think there are any other than the generic being cheaper. You could possibly try Claritin (i can't spell) for kids I believe they make a non-drowsy type.

However, for seasonal allergies I would honestly get some local honey and just take a spoon of it once a month, after moving to FL and having done that myself when all of our allergies went nuts, it cleared them up. As far as the cat allergies sadly she will most likely have to take something until her system gets used to cats. I have been around them so long now that only unless I get hair in my mouth or eyes I am normally fine.

I hope ya'll get it figured out, even as a kid allergies blow.

I too suffer from seasonal allergies, though not as bad as some people.

I've only taken the prescription Zyrtec (it was before they had OTC) so I don't know about the generic, but I must say, I was indeed a complete zombie. I probably could have wet the bed myself if I had taken it for a week. I'm not sure what all the indoor/outdoor hype is with that. I mean, I'm no med professional, but an antihistamine is an antihistamine. You just gotta find one that works for what you need it for and need mine not to knock me the eff out.

I prefer claritin or actually, the generic of claritin because it works just as well (for me) and you can get like a million of them at Sam's Club for like 10 bucks instead of a dollar a pill.

It helps if she takes them everyday, but it's not a requirement. Does her mom have a cat also? They should still work after she takes them. I don't take mine every day. I prefer not to take to many meds so I don't take anything everyday. Some days I sneeze, some days I don't. On the days I sneeze I take a pill - an hour later, I'm better.

Just my 2 cents.

DS used to take prescription Zyrtec (for spring outdoor allergies) and yes we had to be very careful when we gave it to him lol. There should be no difference between name-brand and generic drugs (according to the FDA there is not supposed to be). But Zyrtec could cause the bedwetting. DS has since stopped taking anything. The doctor told us he must have grown out of his allergies.

2 of my skids have extreme seasonal and pet allergies as well as asthma(prolly from the 2nd hand smoke and zoo they grew up in), but i digress, and last allergy season (spring) was so bad for them, the Dr. switched them from Claritan to Zyrtec, and boy it worked wonders for them!..when they first switched over, it would knock them out, so I could totally see where yur SD could wet the bed, specially if she is not on it every nite...I doubt the generic would be any weaker, but I think it is more the consistency of taking the meds every nite rather than name brand v generic. I sumpathize completely with yur buying the meds for both houses, but the liklihood that BM will ensure that she takes it rests with the type of BM u have...mine threw them in the trash, solely because DH and I bought them ...My Dr. wants skids to take zyrtec and singulair(asthma) nightly and this has worked wonders for them...but they are extreme cases...hope this helps u in some way !!

A mother is not defined by the "b" or the "s" in front of her name, she is defined by how her children react when they see her cry.....

DH and I went to Costco and bought a bottle of generic Zyrtec for $16......365 pills.

The ingredients in generic versions of medication (OTC or RX) has the same active ingredients as the name brands. However, the fillers can be different. The only generics I cannot use are with birth control pills. Every time I've tried generic with BCP's, I've ended up sliding into a horrible depression and don't get me started on the weight gain, migraines, back pain, gas and bloating.

Outside of birth control pills, all other generic brands have been less expensive and work just as well.

Do you think the bed wetting is a sign of stress?

“Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath.”
Michael Caine

Now you have me wondering about the bedwetting. My dd is 8 and I get her up before I go to bed and sometimes she still wets in the night. I finally had to break down and buy pull-ups again because I was changing her sheets everyday. Is there anything I can do besides waiting for her to outgrow it? Its not just when she takes allergy meds its every night. *Life is full of hard things its not always fair but we do have a choice to make things better instead of worse*

And we just had to wait until they outgrew it. Their Dad was a bedwetter also. My grandson never did even in the beginning of potty training. If you have ruled out all obvious causes, it is probably just a genetic thing and they have to outgrow it.

between the name and generic brands....... at least for me.

I have been on Zyrtec daily for more than 5yrs and when my insurance formulary changed from Zyrtec to Cetirizine Hydrochloride I switched and did not miss a beat.

Saying that Zyrtec will cause you to pee your bed while Cetirizine will not is like saying that Bayer Aspirin will make you crap your drawers while generic Aspirin won't.

Sounds like BM's medical filing abilities are starting to go to her head.

IMHO of course.

Best regards,

Success is rarely final. Failure is rarely fatal. It is character, courage and consistency of effort that count. Vince Lombardi (with some minor Rags modifications) To each according to their performance, screw Karl Marx. (Rags)