Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Antihistamines?Allergy Medicine for ColdsCold and Allergy MedicineProductsOther Treatments
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Are Antihistamines?
Allergy Medicine for Colds
Cold and Allergy Medicine
Products
Other Treatments
Antihistamineshelp relieve allergy symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. The common cold causes similar symptoms, which antihistamines can sometimes help.
Combination cold medicine often contains antihistamines along with other symptom-relieving ingredients. If you take antihistamines for allergies, be careful taking cold medicine. Taking multiple antihistamines can cause unpleasant side effects.
This article discusses allergy medicine for colds. It looks at the current research on whether antihistamines relieve cold symptoms. It also explores combination cold and allergy medicines and addresses potential safety concerns.
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Your body can also release histamines in response to infections like influenza and thecommon cold.
Is It a Cold or Allergies?
Types of Antihistamines
Antihistamines are available over the counter (OTC). Older ones can cause drowsiness and are sometimes used as sleep aids. Newer antihistamines are less likely to cause side effects.
Older, first-generation antihistamines include:
Second-generation antihistamines are less likely to cause drowsiness and include:
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, antihistamines are not very effective for treating the common cold.However, the research is mixed.
A 2015 review found antihistamines make a cold somewhat less severe for the first two days but are not helpful beyond the second day.
A 2019 study found antihistamines combined with decongestants help to relieve cold symptoms. However, the same study found decongestants have the same benefit with or without antihistamines.
Is It Safe to Take Allergy Medicine for a Cold?
Adults can take allergy medicine for a cold. Antihistamines are considered safe for adults. While their effectiveness is uncertain, it is generally safe for adults to take allergy medicine.
Children under 4, however, should not be given antihistamines to treat a cold. Studies show no evidence that antihistamines helprelieve kids' cold symptoms.According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, in children, the risks outweigh the potential benefits of taking antihistamines to treat a cold.
Antihistamines can also have troubling side effects, including dizziness, drowsiness, lack of appetite, and feeling nervous, excited, or irritable.
Always check with your healthcare provider before taking a new medication.
Cold and allergy medicine are often combined into a single product. Multi-symptom allergy, cold, cough, and flu medications containseveral active ingredients, including:
A 2022 review ofcombination cold and allergy medicinesfound they offer some symptom relief in adults and children over 6 years old. However, they were not found to be effective in younger children.
Is It Safe to Take Cold and Allergy Medication Together?
Cold and allergy medicines can be combined safely in adults. Children under the age of 6 should not be given combination cold and allergy medicine unless under the guidance of a pediatrician.
Adults should also use caution when taking allergy medication along with combination cold medicines. If you take an antihistamine for allergies, do not also take a cold medicine that contains antihistamines.
Taking too many antihistamines at once can lead to an overdose. Signs of an antihistamine overdose include:
What Products Contain Both Cold and Allergy Medicine?
OTC products that contain cold and allergy medications include:
To avoid taking too many medications at once and prevent unpleasant side effects, non-medication cold and allergy treatments can help relieve symptoms.
Drug-free ways to ease cold symptoms include:
These may help when used alone or improve your response to cold and allergy medicine.
Things to Do When You Get the Flu
Summary
Histamine also plays a role in the common cold, which is why antihistamines may help ease cold symptoms. Antihistamines are a common ingredient in many OTC cold medicines. However, the research is mixed on whether allergy medicine will help you feel better when you have a cold.
Adults and children ages 6 and older can safely take combination cold medicines containing antihistamines. Younger children, though, should only take combination cold medicine under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
Children over age 4 can be given an older-generation antihistamine like Benedryl for nighttime cold symptoms. However, there is no evidence that antihistamines relieve cold symptoms, and they can have unpleasant side effects.
Use caution when mixing cold and allergy medicines. Antihistamines commonly found in cold medicine include brompheniramine, cetirizine, chlorpheniramine, desloratadine, diphenhydramine, fexofenadine, hydroxyzine, and loratadine.
Taking more than one antihistamine at a time can cause serious side effects. To prevent an accidental antihistamine overdose, always read the label of all medications you take.
A Word From VerywellIn addition to addressing treatment for allergies and colds, it’s also important to be mindful of the prevention strategies that can be used to avoid getting a cold, thus avoiding the need for taking medications and reducing the possibility of any medication side effects. These can include good hand hygiene, disinfecting surfaces, limiting close contact with symptomatic people, supporting your immune system through diet, and more.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
A Word From Verywell
In addition to addressing treatment for allergies and colds, it’s also important to be mindful of the prevention strategies that can be used to avoid getting a cold, thus avoiding the need for taking medications and reducing the possibility of any medication side effects. These can include good hand hygiene, disinfecting surfaces, limiting close contact with symptomatic people, supporting your immune system through diet, and more.—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
In addition to addressing treatment for allergies and colds, it’s also important to be mindful of the prevention strategies that can be used to avoid getting a cold, thus avoiding the need for taking medications and reducing the possibility of any medication side effects. These can include good hand hygiene, disinfecting surfaces, limiting close contact with symptomatic people, supporting your immune system through diet, and more.
—KASHIF J. PIRACHA, MD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Cold versus flu.
DeGeorge KC, Ring DJ, Dalrymple SN.Treatment of the common cold.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(5):281–289.
De Sutter AI, Saraswat A, van Driel ML.Antihistamines for the common cold.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(11):CD009345. Published 2015 Nov 29. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009345.pub2
Smith SM, Schroeder K, Fahey T.Over-the-counter (OTC) medications for acute cough in children and adults in community settings.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;2014(11):CD001831. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001831.pub5
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Antihistamines for allergies.
U.S. National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Cold and cough medicines.
De Sutter AI, Eriksson L, van Driel ML.Oral antihistamine-decongestant-analgesic combinations for the common cold.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;1(1):CD004976. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004976.pub4
Wang GS, Reynolds KM, Banner W, et al.Medication errors from over-the-counter cough and cold medications in children.Acad Pediatr. 2020;20(3):327–32. doi:10.1016/j.acap.2019.09.006
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Diphenhydramine overdose.
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