Original Post
Written by
Edited February 7, 2023
at 07:55 AM
by
Okay, I had to post this after picking this up at Costco the other day. First of all, Costco is a madhouse on Sundays - don't recommend going on Sundays. I knew there was a coupon for $7.50 off on Costco's Allegra generic, called
Aller-Fex [costco.com]. It's been posted on SD, before, and even went Front Page. That said, I found it striking how damn expensive even the GENERIC version of Allegra is at Costco... even after the coupon... Costco is selling a 180 count bottle for $28.49 *after* coupon. The Zyrtec generic I'm posting (and finally decided to buy) is only $11.89 after coupon for over twice as many pills -- 365.
Prior to purchasing Costco's generic Zyrtec called Aller-Tec vs the generic Allegara called Aller-Fex, I did a quick google on my phone. Turns out that Allegra and Zyrtec are pretty much dead even in effectiveness. The difference seems to be that Allegra is less likely to make you drowsy, but Allegra takes about 2 hours to work whereas Zyrtec is effective within one hour. Also, and here's the kicker... Zyrtec is effective *longer* than Allegra. So, you can get the Zyrtec generic at Costco (with free shipping) for a bit over 3 cents per pill ($.03258 per pill, to be exact), while the Allegra generic costs almost 16 cents per pill (and that's after a $7.50 coupon)!
https://www.drugs.com/medical-ans...e-3130012/
Features:
- Compare to Zyrtec® Active Ingredient
- Cetirizine HCL/Antihistamine 10 mg.
- Indoor/Outdoor Allergy Relief
- Non-Drowsy
- FSA Eligible Item
The active ingredient in Aller-Tec® is Cetirizine Hydrochloride, 10 mg, an antihistamine approved for the treatment of both indoor and outdoor allergy symptoms. One dose of Aller-Tec® works for a full 24 hours.
Aller-Tec® is approved to temporarily relieve indoor and outdoor allergy symptoms in adults and children 6 years and over.
Compare to Zyrtec® active ingredient
All-Day allergy relief
Original prescription strength
For indoor and outdoor allergies
24-hour relief of: sneezing; runny nose; itchy, watery eyes; itchy throat or nose
https://www.costco.com/.product.11312465.html
42 Comments
Your comment cannot be blank.
Featured Comments
The moment I stop, allergies come back full force.
Loratadine has far fewer side effects, but isn't as effective. But heck I'd rather have some small allergy symptoms than be hooked on Zyrtec all my life.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
The moment I stop, allergies come back full force.
I've been taking Kirkland Aller-tec for probably 15 years now. It's really brilliant because it's sold in a qty of 365 pills and Costco puts it on coupon every February. So if you get your own bottle, take one every day and are careful not to lose (m)any then you will run out exactly in time for the next sale.
I shudder to think of how much money I would have wasted had I been buying name brand Zyrtec all that time. It astounds me that people do that.
RE: Aller-fex... unfortunately, for some people fexofenadine works better than cetirizine, and even though it's more expensive than Aller-tec, Aller-fex is still much cheaper than name-brand Allegra.
OP, what was the price you paid for Aller-tec in the warehouse--$9.99? Usually prices are a buck or two cheaper when buying at the B&M versus having it shipped. Not that $2 would be worth making a special trip to Costco, but if you're planning to go anyway during the current coupon book then it makes sense to just buy it then.
I've been taking Kirkland Aller-tec for probably 15 years now. It's really brilliant because it's sold in a qty of 365 pills and Costco puts it on coupon every February. So if you get your own bottle, take one every day and are careful not to lose (m)any then you will run out exactly in time for the next sale.
I shudder to think of how much money I would have wasted had I been buying name brand Zyrtec all that time. It astounds me that people do that.
RE: Aller-fex... unfortunately, for some people fexofenadine works better than cetirizine, and even though it's more expensive than Aller-tec, Aller-fex is still much cheaper than name-brand Allegra.
OP, what was the price you paid for Aller-tec in the warehouse--$9.99? Usually prices are a buck or two cheaper when buying at the B&M versus having it shipped. Not that $2 would be worth making a special trip to Costco, but if you're planning to go anyway during the current coupon book then it makes sense to just buy it then.
Also, as far as Aller-Fex vs Allegra. I actually bought both bottles on previous sales. I did notice that the Allegra packaging shows that Allegra, which is manufactured by Sanofi, of France, is actually made in Germany. The Aller-Fex, I noticed on my previous bottle was manufactured in the Czech Republic.
I won't get into the rabbit hole of COO when it comes to drugs, but if you've read the book Bottle of Lies [amazon.com] (which you can get in hardcover for $5 + $4 shipping, Used on Amazon) -- you'll know why a COO of Germany, Czech Republic and USA is preferable. That said, the brand name Allegra isn't as significantly more expensive as you'd expect. The regular Costco price for generic Aller-Fex is 20 cents per pill, while the brand name Allegra is about 35 cents per pill. I did notice, however, that when I looked for the COO on the Aller-Fex bottle, that it was no longer listed. It no longer listed Czech Republic as COO - so I'm not sure where it's being manufactured, today. Although to be fair, I can't find a COO on the bottle of Aller-Tec I bought at Costco, either.
One other quick useful piece of info -- expiration date on the bottle of Aller-Tec I purchased was June 2024.
Also, as far as Aller-Fex vs Allegra. I actually bought both bottles on previous sales. I did notice that the Allegra packaging shows that Allegra, which is manufactured by Sanofi, of France, is actually made in Germany. The Aller-Fex, I noticed on my previous bottle was manufactured in the Czech Republic.
I won't get into the rabbit hole of COO when it comes to drugs, but if you've read the book Bottle of Lies [amazon.com] (which you can get in hardcover for $5 + $4 shipping, Used on Amazon) -- you'll know why a COO of Germany, Czech Republic and USA is preferable. That said, the brand name Allegra isn't as significantly more expensive as you'd expect. The regular Costco price for generic Aller-Fex is 20 cents per pill, while the brand name Allegra is about 35 cents per pill. I did notice, however, that when I looked for the COO on the Aller-Fex bottle, that it was no longer listed. It no longer listed Czech Republic as COO - so I'm not sure where it's being manufactured, today. Although to be fair, I can't find a COO on the bottle of Aller-Tec I bought at Costco, either.
One other quick useful piece of info -- expiration date on the bottle of Aller-Tec I purchased was June 2024.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
I've been taking Kirkland Aller-tec for probably 15 years now. It's really brilliant because it's sold in a qty of 365 pills and Costco puts it on coupon every February. So if you get your own bottle, take one every day and are careful not to lose (m)any then you will run out exactly in time for the next sale.
I shudder to think of how much money I would have wasted had I been buying name brand Zyrtec all that time. It astounds me that people do that.
RE: Aller-fex... unfortunately, for some people fexofenadine works better than cetirizine, and even though it's more expensive than Aller-tec, Aller-fex is still much cheaper than name-brand Allegra.
OP, what was the price you paid for Aller-tec in the warehouse--$9.99? Usually prices are a buck or two cheaper when buying at the B&M versus having it shipped. Not that $2 would be worth making a special trip to Costco, but if you're planning to go anyway during the current coupon book then it makes sense to just buy it then.
I ordered generic Cetrizine during the last sale and it's pretty useless so I'm giving this a shot. Loratidine has been helpful
I seemed to have recently developed a pollen allergy, so I am new to this game. Can you expand on taking the meds in the evening to allow for "building up"?
Looking for any relief (Clogged Ears).