How to save money on antihistamines

Antihistamine tablets are an effective treatment for managing the symptoms of hay fever (also known as allergic rhinitis), such as itching in the back of the throat, sneezing, a blocked or runny nose, and itchy watery eyes. But if you’re a frequent hay fever sufferer, the ongoing costs can put a big dent in your budget.

There’s a number of antihistamine brands you can buy, with different active ingredients. We found you can save a significant amount of money by shopping around, buying larger packets or choosing a generic brand. Generic brands have the same active ingredients in the same quantities as the big-name brands.

Whatever medication you choose, there are basic safety precautions to follow. If you’re taking any other medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking hay fever remedies as well.

While some hay fever remedies are available over the counter, if you can’t get relief from these, see your GP to get an accurate diagnosis. Your GP may also refer you to an immunologist or GP allergist.

What are antihistamines?

Antihistamines work by counteracting the effect of the chemical histamine, produced when the immune system responds to an allergen. They come in different forms including tablets, capsules, syrups, nasal sprays and eye drops.

Antihistamine tablets or capsules are usually divided into two groups based on their active ingredient – ones that make you feel sleepy (sedating antihistamines) and ones that don’t (non-sedating antihistamines). Common active ingredients include cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine.

Their effectiveness can differ from person to person, so you may need to try several to find one that works for you. For most people, a non-sedating antihistamine is the best option, unless your symptoms stop you sleeping.

Antihistamine prices

We compared prices from online supermarkets and pharmacies for 11 commonly available non-sedating antihistamine tablets. We compared brands based on the active ingredients they contained.

For all 11 products, we found significant price differences from one store to the next, and within the same store for different sized packets. Not all brands are available at supermarkets.

Cetirizine 10mg

Zyrtec used to the big brand name associated with cetirizine, but the brand is no longer available in New Zealand. Histaclear and Razene are the two commonly available generic brands. Both are available at pharmacies, and we found a smaller pack of five Histaclear tablets at supermarkets.

Not surprisingly, buying a small packet is the most expensive option. At the eight supermarkets that stocked the Histaclear five-pack, you’ll pay $1.20 or more per pill. That’s six times the price of one pill if you buy a 90-pack from Chemist Warehouse (the cheapest retailer in our survey for Histaclear).

The cheapest way of buying Razene was a 120-pack from Chemist Warehouse (17¢ per pill). Bargain Chemist was the cheapest store to buy a 30-pack (28¢ per pill) – less than half the price of a 30-pack at Oakley Brown Pharmacy Group (67¢ per pill).

Loratadine 10mg

Claratyne (the big brand name for antihistamines with this active ingredient) is significantly more expensive than its generic equivalents Lora-Tabs and Loraclear.

On average, Claratyne will set you back more than $1 per pill, but you’ll get stung $1.60 or more if you opt for a small five-pack from a supermarket – the most expensive option in our survey.

Loraclear is also available at the supermarket in five or ten packs. But you’ll pay for the convenience – supermarket prices ranged from $1.00 to $1.45 per pill. It’s a lot cheaper to buy Loraclear in a pack of 90 from a pharmacy.

The most expensive store to buy Lora-Tabs was Net Pharmacy – nearly double the price of other online pharmacies, such as Chemist Warehouse and Pharmacy Direct.

Fexofenadine 180mg

You’ll also save money buying a packet of a generic fexofenadine (Hayfexo or Fexaclear) rather than the big-brand Telfast.

For a pack of 70, the cheapest price we found for Telfast would set you back 71¢ per pill at Chemist Warehouse, compared with 34¢ for Hayfexo (from Pharmacy Direct) and 39¢ for Fexaclear (from Chemist Warehouse). That’s a saving of $23 or more per pack.

If you want to stick to Telfast, check the price for different quantities. At Chemist Warehouse, the price was $1.40 per pill (in a packet of 10), compared with $1.17 (in a packet of 30). It was a similar story at Life Pharmacy – we found Telfast for 83¢ per pill in a pack of 60, $1.23 in a pack 30, and $1.80 in a pack of 10. If you’re taking antihistamines regularly, the difference in price can add up.

Other antihistamines in our survey

We also surveyed the prices of levocetirizine 5mg (Levrix and Levoclear) and bilastine 20mg (Labixten). The findings were the same – you can save money by shopping around and buying larger packets.

Are any antihistamines funded?

Some antihistamines (including cetirizine and loratadine) are fully funded by Pharmac, so with a doctor’s prescription you’ll pay a maximum of $5 at the pharmacy for a 3-month supply. There are also exemptions for people aged 13 years or under or 65 or older, people holding a Community Services Card and their dependent children, and people with a Prescription Subsidy Card.

However, if you don’t have a Community Services Card and are paying the full cost of a GP appointment for an adult, it might be cheaper to buy a large packet of a generic antihistamines at the pharmacy.

Top tips for saving money on antihistamines

• Shop around. We found big differences between stores for the same product.
• Go large. It’s usually cheaper to buy a larger packet.
• Choose a generic product. Ask your pharmacist about the options.
• Ask your GP if you’re eligible for a prescription for a fully funded antihistamine.