Cheap Hayfever Tablets Quickly slash the cost of hayfever remedies

Hayfever is not to be sneezed at - dust and pollen allergies can be hard on the pocket as well as the nose.

You can legally get exactly the same allergy relief for less than half the normal price. Find dirt-cheap generic equivalents of your hayfever medication, then cut the cost further with online deals.

Quick tips to reduce hayfever symptoms

Antihistamines can help reduce the symptoms of hayfever, but before taking the medicinal route there are a few practical measures to try when the pollen count is high (thanks to Asthma UK for some of these).

• Check the pollen forecast. Be aware of when the pollen count is likely to be high so you can step up your defences. The Met Office has a handy searchable pollen forecast online map.
  
  Every hayfever season (roughly March to September), allergy drug company Zirtek offers a free downloadable pollen calendar to help you prepare.

• Vacuum and damp dust. Use a damp cloth to dust and remove any lingering pollen spores.

• Keep windows and doors closed. This helps keep the pollen out.

• Smear Vaseline inside your nose. This helps stop the pollen from settling on the lining of your nose.

• Bring washing in early. Avoid drying clothes outside if you can. But if not, because air cools and pollen descends in the evening, bring in any washing from outside before this to save it getting covered. Give it a good shake before bringing it in. If possible, try to dry bed linen indoors to save it irritating you at night.

Is it cheaper to get a prescription?

How cost effective a prescription is depends on where you live:

Live in Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland?

For those living in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, prescriptions are free.

So if you live here, simply visit your GP to get your hayfever or allergy medication by prescription and you won't pay a penny. Try to get the longest appropriate supply you can.

Live in England?

Here, there's a delicate balance. For those who don't pay for prescriptions or have pre-pay certificates (see the 20+ Medicine Savings guide), getting a prescription works out to be cheapest.

If you do pay, prescriptions cost £7.85, so it's often far more cost-effective to buy drugs over the counter or online.

One exception is if your doctor's willing to prescribe three months of drugs on one prescription. Depending which medication you need, this may work out less than the cheapest online meds, so check before you buy.

Find the right hayfever tablets for your needs

Different hayfever drugs work in different ways and have different active ingredients. In theory, they all have similar results, but what works for some may not work for others. Generally, when you've found success with one type, it's best to stick with it. Most regular sufferers know what works best for them already.

Here are the four major brands and their active ingredients (the important bit), plus a little bit of info about each from the National Prescribing Centre or NPC (now part of Nice, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). This is just a guide; always check the packet of the remedy you commonly use to find the active ingredient, as these can vary.

Cutting hayfever remedy costs
It's all about finding the active ingredient

When a company develops a drug, it's given unique rights to sell it for a number of years. Once that term ends any company can make it, providing they meet the regulations. Therefore most over-the-counter drugs have identical medical properties, regardless of brand. So avoiding big names means the cost is slashed.

The key thing is to find out what the 'active' ingredient of your usual remedy is. It's always listed on the back of the packet.

Once you've done that, simply buy the cheapest generic product, ie, unbranded or own brand, that has the same active ingredient but costs much less. Protections and quality control apply equally to all branded and generic products.

For more on this, read the 20+ Medicine Savings guide.

What to watch out for

Having noted down the correct active ingredient, you're ready to sniff out a bargain. The next section lists the current best buys for each of the different active ingredients (with the exception of Benadryl, as there are no generic versions available).

Three important things to check

Before taking any replacement tablets...

1. Ensure they've got the right active ingredient
   Manufacturers can change the active ingredient, so ensure you always check the packet before taking a pill to make sure you've got the correct type.

2. Be careful if you've food or drug allergies
   While the active ingredient will be the same, if you have other allergies always check the other non-active ingredients too. Don't automatically assume they're the same in a generic product as a branded one.

3. Check the use-by date
   As with most things you eat, be sure to check the use-by date on the packet before you buy. Normally, the tablets have a life span of a few years, so this is rarely a problem. But if you're buying in bulk, it's worth considering whether you'll use them in time.

BEST BUYS: The cheapest hayfever tablets

Having surveyed the major high street chains and online chemists, the following are generally the cheapest suppliers (read the safety note first if you've never ordered medicine online). Also check at your local pharmacy - it may compete on price.

Online deals:

• Loratadine (Clarityn equivalent)
  30 tablets for 69p + £2.95 del (90 tablets for £5.02 all-in)
  
  Online pharmacy Chemist-4-U* offers boxes of 30 loratadine tablets for 69p each. You'll need to factor in its £2.95 delivery charge, for example making it £5.02 for 90 tablets (three boxes) including delivery. Chemist-4-U has told us these are taken once per day, so three boxes should last about three months, and are non-drowsy.

  Pack price: 69p/30 tablets Delivery price: £2.95 (free over £20) Pack expiry date: Dec 2013 or beyond Min order: None Max order: 12 packs

• Cetirizine (Zirtek equivalent)
  30 tablets for 69p + £2.95 del (90 tablets for £5.02 all-in)
  
  Again, Chemist-4-U* is offering cetirizine hydrochloride tablets for 69p for a pack of 30, with £2.95 delivery charge. As an example, this means it'd be £5.02 for 90 tablets (three boxes) including delivery. Chemist-4-U has told us these are taken once a day, so three boxes should last about three months, and are non-drowsy.

  Pack price: 69p/30 tablets Delivery price: £2.95 (free over £20) Pack expiry date: Dec 2013 or beyond Min order: None Max order: 12 packs

• Chlorphenamine (Piriton equiv)
  28 tablets for 69p + £2.95 del (84 tablets for £5.02 all-in)
  
  If you're after chlorphenamine, Chemist-4-U* is offering boxes of 28 tablets at 69p each. Delivery's £2.95, so for example, it'd work out at £6.40 for 140 tablets (five boxes) delivered. Chemist-4-U says the maximum dosage is up to six per day, so how long a pack will last will depend on how many you take. They may cause drowsiness.

  Pack price: 69p/28 tablets Delivery price: £2.95 (free over £20) Pack expiry date: Dec 2013 or beyond Min order: None Max order: 50 packs

In-store hayfever tablets deals:

If you're already sniffling and need some fast relief, or you only want a single pack or two, here are the top deals on the high street.

The cheapest hayfever tablets (Packs of 7 tablets unless stated)
Active ingredient	Cheapest branded, eg, Zirtek	Cheapest store's own brand
Cetirizine Hydrochloride (Zirtek)	Asda: £1.50 Boots: £3.29²	Tesco: £1 (14) Asda: £1 (14) Superdrug: £1.19 (14) Morrisons: £1.19 (14) Boots: 99p² Sainsbury's: £1.50 (14)
Loratadine (Clarityn)	Superdrug: £2.45 (14) Sainbury's: £4.99 (14)¹ Tesco: £3.30¹ Boots: £3.15² Asda: £3 Morrisons: £3.30	Asda: £1 (14) Tesco: £1 (14) Morrisons: £1.19 (14) Boots: 99p² Sainsbury's: £1.50 (14) Superdrug: £1.69 (14)
Chlorphenamine (Piriton)	Boots: £3.59 (30)²	Boots: £5.89 (60)²
Acrivastine (Benadryl)	Superdrug: £2.99 (12) Boots: £3.99 (12)² Tesco: £3 (12) Sainsbury's: £3.80 (12) Asda: £4.50 (12)	N/A
Prices updated 16 Apr 2013 from Sainsbury's press office, Superdrug press office, Tesco.com, Asda.com, Boots.com & Morrisons. Prices can fluctuate so always check before you buy. ¹Also listed as BOGOF/2for1. ²Also listed as buy one, get second half price.

If you spot any cheaper deals, please report them in the
Cheap Hayfever Remedies discussion

Other hayfever remedies

If you're buying for kids, are pregnant, or simply find that antihistamine tablets don't work well for you, here are the cheapest alternatives. Prices can fluctuate rapidly, so always double-check:

Hayfever remedies for under-12s

Children under 12 and pregnant women should take special care when choosing hayfever meds. For kids, antihistamine syrups can be the best bet, but even here large pharmaceutical firms make extra cash through clever marketing.

Childrens' versions of products can cost more than the adult versions, even though the contents are identical. Similarly, branded syrups can share the same active ingredient, only featuring different flavourings, and generic versions can also be available.

So again, the hard and fast rule is to go by the ingredients listed and the dosage guidelines, rather than the spiel and fancy packaging.

• Benadryl Syrup (70ml): (Cetirizine Hydrochloride) £4 from Tesco, Sainsbury's or Morrisons stores, or a generic 200ml version is £2.15 (+£2.95 delivery) from Chemist-4-U*.

• Piriton Syrup (150ml): (Chlorphenamine Maleate) £3.99 from Boots for its own-brand version, or a generic version for £2.98 (+£2.95 delivery) from Chemist-4-U*.

Eye drops and nasal sprays

While antihistamines should be enough to reduce hayfever symptoms for most, they're unlikely to totally relieve nasal congestion or streaming eyes. So it may be worth investing in a separate nasal spray, and/or eye drops.

Again there are various types to watch out for, and look out for generic equivalents. If you're unsure what to try first, consult your pharmacist.

• Beclometasone (Beconase)
  This is £2.69 in store at Superdrug (100 sprays). Alternatively, a 200-spray unbranded version is £2.49 (+£2.95 delivery) at Chemist-4-U*.

• Sodium Cromoglicate Eye Drops (Opticrom)
  A generic 10ml version's available for £1.99 in Morrisons, or £1.79 (+£2.95 delivery) for an unbranded version at Chemist-4-U*.

Light therapy and air purifiers

For some sufferers, a couple of pieces of technology have been claimed to alleviate hayfever symptoms without using any drugs. Anecdotal feedback has generally been positive, though as ever with alternative therapies, usefulness is in the eye (or nose) of the beholder.

• 

  Light therapy. This is based on the idea of using red light to desensitise nasal passages in a bid to defend you from allergic reactions and reduce inflammation.
  
  There's a range of different models available. They can be pretty expensive at full price, retailing for as much as £40 or more, but it's possible to get them for about £20 on Amazon*.
  

• Air purifiers. If you struggle to sleep at night because of the pollen swirling around your bedroom, air purifiers may also be helpful.
  
  These often mildly noisy devices work to clean the air in any room, either by filtering (HEPA-type) or ionising air molecules.
  
  These generally cost upwards of £20, but again, it's sometimes possible to get them for under £10 via Amazon*. For more on air purifiers, see Wikipedia's air purifier entry.

For extra feedback on these devices, read MoneySaver Harryharp's useful forum thread.