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Cheap hay fever tablets
Slash the cost of hay fever remedies
Updated 14 March 2023
Hay fever is not to be sneezed at. Dust and pollen allergies can be hard on the pocket as well as the nose, but you can get exactly the same allergy relief for less than half the price big brands will charge. Find dirt-cheap generic equivalents of your hay fever medication, then cut the cost further with online deals.
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How to find the cheapest tablets
Buying branded hay fever tablets is almost always more expensive than getting the generic equivalent. Yet if the active ingredient is the same, you're still buying the same product. When a company develops a drug, it is given unique rights to sell it for a number of years. Once the term ends, any company can make it, providing it meets the regulations. Most over-the-counter drugs have identical medical properties regardless of brand.
The key thing is to find what the 'active' ingredient of your usual remedy is. Then buy the cheapest with the same ingredient.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) says: "Regardless of cost, and whether they are branded or generic, all medicines are made to the same standards, so you can be reassured your medicine is safe. Branded and generic products are the same if the dose of the drug and the formulation (eg, tablet or a liquid) are the same."
For more on this, read the 20+ Medicine Savings guide.
Quick warnings before you start
Once you've got the correct active ingredient, you're ready to sniff out a bargain. However, before taking any replacement tablets there are some important points to check...
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Only shop at legitimate online pharmacies
We only include pharmacies registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the independent regulator responsible for setting standards of practice. It routinely inspects pharmacies and can take disciplinary action against pharmacists.
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All pharmacies, including online pharmacies, must be registered with the GPhC. It has a voluntary logo scheme to help to identify registered online pharmacies based in Britain. However, because it is a voluntary scheme not all online pharmacies use the logo. The GPhC website contains information on a number of further checks you can make to see whether an online pharmacy is registered.
We do as many checks as we can, but we're not medical experts. You need to make your own decision when buying pharmaceuticals online, and we can't take responsibility for that.
If you know of any other reliable online pharmacies which undercut these, please report them here to let us know.
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Cheap tablets: 180 for less than £5
Prices change regularly so always check before you buy, particularly at the height of the season when there are a lot of offers available. Remember this is just a guide – always check the packet of the remedy you commonly use to find the active ingredient.
Buying online won't be practical if you're in the middle of an attack, so if you're suffering right now, the high street might be your best bet. Shops often have generic and branded tablets on offer, so for the best deal always check the back of the packet and then go for the cheapest price.
Important: not all tablets are one-a-day. There are different types of drugs as we explain, but some tablets need to be taken more regularly than others, so consider this when comparing cost. For example, £1 for 10 one-a-day tablets may seem more expensive than 90p for 10 tablets which you take every four hours, but the one-a-day tablets will last MUCH longer.
Prices updated 14 March 2023. Prices can fluctuate and stores often have special offers, so always check before you buy 'em.
NHS description: Cetirizine is an antihistamine medicine that relieves the symptoms of allergies. It's used to treat conditions such as hay fever, conjunctivitis and eczema. It comes as tablets, capsules or a liquid.
Cheapest online deal we found: PharmacyFirst* 180 tablets for £4.79 all-in. Delivery's free, though you'll have to pay if ordering other non-offer items.
We've included the below to give an idea of how online prices compare to buying in store at big chains. However, our medicines investigation found discounters such as Poundstretcher were often the best places for hay fever tablets, eg, when we looked we found 14 cetirizine hydrochloride tablets for 50p.
Cheapest cetirizine 30-tablet packs in store
| Cheapest generic | Cheapest Piriteze, Zirtek or branded equivalent tablets |
| Asda: £2 Boots: £2.49 Morrisons: £2.89 Sainsbury's: N/A Superdrug: £2.49 Tesco: £2.90 Waitrose: £3.25 Wilko: £2.90 |
Asda: £11 Boots: £10.55 Morrisons: £10 Sainsbury's: £10 Superdrug: £10.49 Tesco: £11 Waitrose: £11.50 Wilko: £10 |
NHS description: Loratadine is an antihistamine medicine that relieves the symptoms of allergies. It's used to treat hay fever, conjunctivitis, eczema and hives. It's known as a non-drowsy antihistamine and comes as tablets or as a liquid.
Cheapest online deal we found: PharmacyFirst* 180 tablets for £5.95 all-in.
We've included the prices below to give you an idea of how online prices compare to buying in store at big chains. However, our medicines investigation found discount stores such as Poundstretcher were often the best places for hay fever tablets, eg, when we checked we found 30 loratadine tablets for 79p.
Cheapest loratadine 30-tablet packs in store
| Cheapest generic | Cheapest Clarityn tablets |
| Asda: £2 Boots: £2.49 Morrisons: £2.89 Sainsbury's: £2.95 Superdrug: £2.49 Tesco: £2.90 Waitrose: £3.25 Wilko: £2.90 |
Asda: £10 Boots: £10.49 Morrisons: £10.40 Sainsbury's: £10.40 Superdrug: £10.49 Tesco: £10.40 Waitrose: £10.90 Wilko: £10 |
NHS description: Chlorphenamine is an antihistamine medicine that relieves the symptoms of allergies. It's used for hay fever, conjunctivitis, eczema, hives caused by food allergies and chickenpox, insect bites and stings.
Cheapest online deal we found: PharmacyFirst* 336 tablets for £13.94 all-in.
We've included the prices below to give you an idea of how online prices compare to buying in store at big chains.
Cheapest chlorphenamine 30-tablet packs in store
| Cheapest generics | Cheapest Piriton tablets |
|---|---|
| Boots: £2.99 Superdrug: N/A |
Boots: £4.39 Superdrug: N/A |
NHS description: Benadryl contains the active ingredient acrivastine. Acrivastine belongs to a group of medicines called antihistamines which help to reduce the symptoms of allergies such as redness, itching and swelling.
Here, there are no generic equivalents, so it's all about getting the cheapest Benadryl in stores, if that's the one you want.
Cheapest Benadryl 24-tablet packs (take up to three a day)
| Cheapest generics | Cheapest Benadryl tablets (in price order) |
|---|---|
| N/A | Tesco: £6.70 for Clubcard holders (normally £10) Superdrug: £8.99 Morrisons: £9 Wilko: £9 Boots: £9.99 Asda: £10 Sainsbury's: £10 Waitrose: £10.50 |
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Quick tips to reduce symptoms & other hay fever remedies
As well as cutting the cost of medication, there are a number of other ways to keep your summer sneezes to a minimum.
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Do the practical things such as checking pollen forecasts, and vacuuming regularly
Antihistamines can help reduce the symptoms of hay fever, but 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. The Met Office has a searchable pollen forecast online map.
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. Air cools and pollen descends in the evening, so bring in washing from outside before this to save it getting covered. Give it a good shake before bringing it in.
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Take eye drops or nasal sprays too
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While antihistamines should be enough to reduce hay fever 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). At Boots, the branded version is £6.49 (100 sprays). Alternatively, an unbranded version is £4.49*.
Sodium Cromoglicate Eye Drops (Opticrom/Optrex). The branded versions are £5-£6 at most major supermarkets. An unbranded version is £4.09 at Boots*.
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Don't pay over the odds for hay fever meds for under-12s
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Children under 12 and pregnant women should take special care when choosing hay fever meds.
Kids' versions of products can cost more than the adult versions, but the same MoneySaving principles apply. Branded syrups can share the same active ingredient, often only featuring different flavourings, and generic versions may be available.
Look at the ingredients and the dosage guidelines, rather than the spiel and fancy packaging, but remember you can always ask your pharmacist if you're unsure.
Children and pregnant women who don't pay for prescriptions can also get free hay fever medicine at some pharmacies via the Minor Ailments Scheme. See the 20+ Medicine Savings guide for more help.
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Check out alternative therapies - though do your research first!
For some sufferers, a couple of pieces of technology have been claimed to alleviate hay fever 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.
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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. Lloyds Pharmacy is currently selling one for £4.99 (normally £12.99). It's also worth checking Amazon*.
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- 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 £30, but it's sometimes possible to get them for about £15 via Amazon*. For more on air purifiers, see Wikipedia's air purifier entry.
For extra feedback on these, read MoneySaver Harryharp's useful forum thread.
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