Antihistamines: Claritin

Claritin is the trade name of an antihistamine drug containing loratadine. It is used to provide relief from allergy symptoms, such as itchy, watery eyes, and a running nose. Common allergy symptoms are the result of your body’s overproduction of histamine, which is a natural chemical produced in response to foreign organisms. When your body produces too much histamine the common effects of an allergic reaction are felt. Claritin works by inhibiting histamine production, and reducing sensitivity to it, thus providing temporary relief from these allergy symptoms.

One of the most important things to remember when taking Claritin, or any medication containing loratadine, is the potential side-effect of dizziness and / or drowsiness. Although it is rare, in some people this dizziness / drowsiness can make it dangerous to operate vehicles and other heavy machinery.

Keeping this in mind, Claritin can be very effective in providing relief from seasonal allergy symptoms. Claritin is available as a syrup, as regular tablets, and as quick dissolving tablets called Reditabs (which are placed on the tongue where they dissolve rapidly without the need for water.) The most common form of Claritin is in regular tablet form, and the following things should be kept in mind: each dose should be accompanied by drinking a glass of water; do not chew, crush, or otherwise disfigure the tables; and never exceed the recommended daily dose of Claritin unless under the advice of a physician.

It is important to understand that Claritin itself does not address the cause of the allergic reactions, but merely relieves the symptoms of it. With other over the counter medication, particularly that used to treat colds, the fact that the medication doesn’t work towards a cure can make it debatable whether it’s worth using at all. Claritin, however, is different because it is usually used to treat allergic reactions, which are usually fairly brief and caused by a specific environmental condition. Because of this the temporary relief provided by Claritin can be extremely useful, as the person is often out of the allergic environment by the time the drug wears off. For almost all people, allergies are a seasonal effect, and unlike a cold virus that can last for a week or more, allergies come and go fairly quickly based on organisms in the environment. Claritin, therefore, is a very effective tool for many people in dealing with seasonal allergies like hay fever, as well as in relieving temporary allergy symptoms when in different environments.