What medicine can I get in Korea when an allergic reaction occurs? Let’s focus on over-the-counter medications. I will write down the brand name as well, but the brand stocked at the pharmacy you visit may be different.
Anti-allergy medicines consist of ingredients called ‘antihistamines’. There are different types of antihistamines. If you have a medication you usually take, you can choose that. Today, I will introduce you to the most commonly used – second-generation antihistamines.
Indication and usage(cetirizine tab. / MFDS)
- Seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, chronic idiopathic urticaria, and itchy skin.
- Eczema, dermatitis (combined use with hydrocortisone topical)
Type of antihistamine in korea
cetirizine
A medicine also called ‘Zyrtec’.
Direction : Cetirizine hydrochloride is administered orally at 10 mg once a day.(adult)
cetirizine(tablet) brand name in Korea : Zyrtec(지르텍), Conazine(코나진), allerB(알러비)
loratadine
A medicine called ‘Claritin’.
It has fewer drowsiness side effects than cetirizine.
Direction : Loratadine is administered orally at 10 mg once a day.(adult)
loratadine(tablet) brand name in Korea : Jeratadine(제라타딘), Claritin(클라리틴)
- Is ‘benadryl’ available in Korean pharmacies?
: Benadryl is a medicine containing diphenhydramine. Oral medicines consisting of diphenhydramine as a single ingredient are not marketed in Korea. There are medicines that combine diphenhydramine with several ingredients. – As a cough medicine.
Where to buy allergy medicine in Korea
The drugs mentioned above are available without a prescription at pharmacies.
Most pharmacies in Korea have them. I would dare to guess, 95%.
price : 10tab / $4 (It may vary by pharmacy.)
How should I say it?
Mentioning the brand and ingredient names is a good way to find the drug you are looking for. However, it can be difficult because there are so many different types.
What you need to tell your pharmacist more clearly is that you have a allergic reaction. And what dosage form you want. I’ll show you an example sentence below.
- 저는 항히스타민제(항알러지) 성분의 의약품을 찾고 있습니다.
Do they speak english?
Much of Korea’s compulsory curriculum is in English. So most pharmacists understand basic English. Even if they do not understand English in the rare case, you will be able to find the medicine you are looking for if you say “Cetrizine” or the brand name correctly.
Or, show the Korean sentence below to the pharmacy staff or pharmacist.
- 저는 Cetrizine세티리진 성분의 의약품을 찾고 있습니다.
- 저는 lotratadine로라타딘 성분의 의약품을 찾고 있습니다.
Side effects
drowsiness, dry mouth.
Be careful when driving and operating machinery.
Do not drink alcohol.