Chlorpheniramine and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Zop...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2021

For Allergic Rhinitis "I stumbled upon this at the pharmacy, and the pharmacist said it was similar to Benadryl. Figured nothing to lose trying it. Cheap bet. It is very effective for my recalcitrant vasomotor sinusitis - using in combination with generic cetirizine liquid for children at 7.5 mg. 10 mg cetirizine knocks me out, but it is the only OTC antihistamine that worked for me, until now. Instant relief of seasonal allergy-induced sinusitis. Zero sedation for me. Don't mind taking it regularly. So old an Rx, many younger doctors are not familiar, and no company making big dollars off old generic antihistamines, so it's not marketed. A diamond in the rough."

• Anonymous
• August 20, 2009

Chlorpheniramine for Allergic Reactions "I can't use Zyrtec or Claritin because they make my ADHD symptoms worse and counteract my Ritalin medication. This is the only antihistamine that works for me and does not make me drowsy (4-hour version). However, the 12-hour one has made me drowsy."

• cst...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 2, 2012

For Allergic Reactions "Chlorpheniramine right before bedtime does 2 great things for me: (1) reduces allergic buildup during sleep (if my hay fever is bad one day or my asthma increasing, often I think back and realize I forgot to take it the night before) and (2) helps me feel drowsy (a normally unwanted side effect that becomes an advantage at night). I take the 12 mg extended-release tablet and really suffer if I run out. GREAT!"

• Anonymous
• August 26, 2008

Chlorpheniramine for Allergic Rhinitis "While it makes me drowsy, gives me dry mouth, and can make my scalp tingle/itch, it is the only antihistamine that works for my severe hay fever. The 4-hour pills work most of the time, and when my symptoms are really bad, the 8- or 12-hour ones make my life normal."

• Anonymous
• September 8, 2008

Chlorpheniramine for Allergic Rhinitis "I have had severe hay fever since childhood, and this is one of the few antihistamines that work for all of my symptoms without making me overly drowsy. I'm just sad that they only sell 4-hour pills OTC now. I'll have to switch to something else."

• Kei...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 11, 2019

For Allergic Rhinitis "Taken in the evening is best. This medicine is sedating, just like Benadryl, but not as sedating. Does not have near the sedating hangover the next day that Benadryl does. A better and effective antihistamine than most. I take the combo tablet that includes this med plus decongestant. This combo, along with Advil, helps with sinus headache, too."

• Dan...
• January 27, 2010

For Allergic Rhinitis "I have used this medicine since grade school for allergy and hay fever (dust, mold, pollen, etc.) and find it is really big on effect, and its side effect, drowsiness, doesn't seem to bother me. This said, others that I have recommended it to say it's like a tranquilizer. For taming allergic conditions, this is great - second only to diphenhydramine in effectiveness for an OTC. Diphenhydramine, however, has a much stronger drowsiness side effect for me. The best news is that this is cheap! Around $4 for 100 4mg tab doses."

• Nor...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• August 26, 2022

For Allergic Rhinitis "The most effective medication (also the cheapest) for my allergies/rhinitis. I have tried virtually all of the alternative allergy medications and found them to be inferior for one reason or another. The alternatives (Claritin, Zyrtec, etc.) have all caused drowsiness for me, despite the manufacturers' claims to the contrary. I do not experience drowsiness with chlorpheniramine. The only downside is it seems to have become harder to find in pharmacies these days, having been largely replaced with newer (less effective!) alternatives. If unavailable, I would choose Telfast 180/Fexofenadine as an alternative, as it is the only other antihistamine that doesn't make me feel drowsy/impaired, however, I find it to be less effective compared to chlorpheniramine."

• Cec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 11, 2022

For Allergic Reactions "I used Piriton... or at least that’s what the pharmacist told me. (Pharmacies in my country usually repackage drugs in unlabelled packets and sell them as whatever drug is famous for what that particular medicine is for.) Anyway, my hay fever got really bad, and I took one pill. Knocked me out within minutes. I woke up after 6 hours with my sinuses clear and my head less cloudy. I’m not sure how many mg of chlorpheniramine is in one tablet though."

• AZJ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 1, 2022

For Allergic Rhinitis "I'm glad this works for so many... but for me... it gave me bad heart palpitations and overall malaise. I took this for both seasonal allergies and the potential to act as an antidepressant, which I could use. I took 4 mg an hour before bed, then another 4 mg when I woke up around 2-4 am. I did find it to cause drowsiness, which is not a bad thing."

• Dwa...
• July 13, 2008

Chlorpheniramine for Urticaria "24 hours after taking Chlor-Trimeton, 90% of my hives have disappeared. This is the first OTC drug I have taken that has had an effect. I experienced some drowsiness but functioned quite well."