Jane... When I said that "Drixoral is not the safest or most effective medicine for allergies," I was referring to the fact that it is a first generation antihistamine combined with a decongestant. As a group, such drugs are NOT considered as safe and effective as the second generation antihistamines or 2nd generation antihistamine/decongestant combos. This is because:   - 1st generation antihistamines tend to have many more side effects than the second generation group, including drowsiness - Decongestants, while effective at clearing nasal congestion, can also cause sleeplessness, and are generally not to be used over the long term   Experts do consider such drugs as Claritin, Zyrtec and Allegra (as well as similar formulations available as nasal sprays) to be safer overall than their first generation counterparts. Singulair is another newer medicine that is often used these days to treat both allergies and asthma. Although most people can take Singulair without problems, some people have experienced depression and anxiety as a result of taking it, so again, it's not considered as safe as the first 3 I mentioned above.   There is much evidence in the literature for everything I have stated here. My conclusions were based on treatment standards in the field of allergies, not as you say on a vague and unfounded conclusion. What I said I couldn't find evidence of was that Drixoral is addicting (which is what the original questioner asked about), not whether it has side effects. The side effects are well documented.   But there's a lot of variety in how well each drug works for an individual, and for individual preference, so I'm not surprised to hear you had such a good experience with Drixoral. You're certainly not alone.   As to how the marketing and availability was handled by the pharmaceutical company that produced Drixoral, I can't speak specifically. However, I know that a number of decongestant formulations have been pulled (or made more difficult to obtain) partly because they were being used in the production of the street drug, meth.   Many drugs come and go over the course of time, as new and better technology is invented. It's always a difficult adjustment for those who find the original drugs to be perfectly effective when they are forced to change. But it seems to be the way of the world.   Best, Kathi