Antihistamines/Decongestant: Allegra D

Allegra D is the name of an allergy medication available only by prescription in the US. It contains an antihistamine, fexofenadine, and a decongestant, pseudoephedrine. Available in both 12 and 24 hour time release caplets, Allerga D can provide effective and relatively long term relief from common allergy symptoms, like a runny nose, itchy, watery eyes, and nasal and chest congestion.

Allegra D addresses allergy symptoms in two ways. The drug fexofenadine is an antihistamine, which works in the following manner: Histamine is the name of a chemical that your body produces naturally in response to foreign organisms. In some cases, your body will respond to foreign organisms in things like pollen or cat hair by overproducing histamine. This will overwhelm histamine receptors in the skin around your eyes and nose, creating typical allergy symptoms. Fexofenadine both reduces your body’s production of histamine and the skin’s sensitivity to it, which can provide temporary relief of allergy symptoms.

The other way Allegra D addresses your allergy symptoms is with the decongestant pseudoephedrine. Most over the counter allergy medication contains only an antihistamine, which makes it ineffective at dealing with nasal and chest congestion. Congestion is often caused by a swelling of blood vessels, and pseudoephedrine constricts blood vessels in order to reduce blood flow to the effected area, which in turn provides short term relief of nasal and chest congestion caused by an allergic reaction.

By relieving two kinds of allergy symptoms, Allegra D is a powerful tool in the battle against seasonal allergies. Side effects related to the product are rare and not usually severe. The most common side effects will likely be related to the pseudoephedrine, which can cause drowsiness and dizziness. For this reason it is advisable that you wait to see how the drug affects you personally before you operate a car or other heavy machinery while taking it. Pseudoephedrine can also cause insomnia in some people, and if this is persistent your physician should be contacted. You should always keep in mind that pseudoephedrine works by reducing blood flow, and so it can be dangerous to take the drug if you have blood pressure issues, or are taking an MAO inhibitor – inform your doctor if this is the case.

As with all allergy medication, remember that Allegra D only relives allergy symptoms – it doesn’t cure the allergies themselves. If you find yourself suffering from severe and regularly occurring allergies, you should consult your physician.