I have heard ramblings and just read a bb's contest prep in the NNN to take an antihistamine the Thursday and Friday before the show.
Is this a good idea? Has anyone done it to dry out?

that is not going to dry you out, loading carbs preperly (to fill the balloon) and tapering water properly would have dried you out, that "trick" is grasping a straws in my opinion. 1 gram of carbs holds 2.7 grams of h20 in the cell so you LOAD carbs and taper water giving your body enough to saturate the muscle cell and not much more......

The reason that was suggested was to keep allergies and colds at bay that final week and it might have sleep aiding properties when its vital that you get rest. Not sleeping at night causes edema actually as body doesnt go through proper processes.

Take a tylenol pm night of show, you'll be good.

What Jason said is exactly correct.

I take an anti-histamine on Thursday and Friday night before a contest-- mostly for precautionary reasons. I almost never get sick or a cold, but sometimes with the diet and stress of contest prep your immune system can be down a little. Because it's cheap and possibly helpful, I use it to ward off possible edema.

In addition to the anti-histamine, I'll use some melatonin and ZMA to help me sleep better Friday night.

Thanks guys!

The purpose of the antihistimine is not to dry you out, but to reduce the severity of any abnormal reactions you may have at this critical time that could result in the "possibility" of retaining extra fluid. It is really just a precaution, but it WILL NOT aid in the drying out process.