My husband and I have been on zyxal since before it was a valuable over the counter. It is the only thing that works for me and Texas hill county allergies are pretty bad here. I also flush with a neti pot and when its super bad Flonase. Even my kids with bad allergies use Flonase and they do well on Claritin.
My husband and daughter have really bad seasonal allergies. My husband takes Claritin daily and Flonase. My daughter uses Children's Flonase. I myself prefer Nasacort spray because it does not have as strong an odor as Flonase.
What I have found is of the most common OTC allergy meds, one of them will work better than the other for you as they are all different medications. For me, Zyrtec works best, for my daughter, Claratin. You may have to experiment a little bit.
Zyrtec Allergy Relief is something that always works for me. I have been taking it since I was a little kid. Ask your doctor to prescribe it to you, it comes out cheaper. Nothing else seems to work on the same level. However, if you have problems with a nose, then a nasal spray is a must. Take it once a day. It doesn't work right away. You must give it a week or two to feel the effects.
My allergies are heinous and the only thing that brings me absolute relief is Advil Cold and Sinus (if you don't have the sinus pressure you can get away with Allegra). You have to purchase this at the pharmacy and you are limited to 1 package every month.
Since allergies are usually related to an overload response, I usually incorporate a spoonful of local honey into my daily diet to help acclimate to local pollens, then I also will drink a tea made of ginger root, Apple cider vinegar and honey for a few days to help with any lingering inflammatory response!