The non-drowsy antihistamines work okay for runny nose/sneezing with colds as well; it doesn’t have to be just Benadryl. You could at least start with a non-drowsy one, and see if that cuts it for you.

Personally I think the main benefit of something like Benadryl when you have a cold is that it puts you to sleep, not necessarily that it works better on the cold symptoms.

Source: I’m a pharmacist.