Antihistamines/Decongestant: Claritin D

Claritin D is a common prescription medication that addresses allergy symptoms. The active medical ingredients in the drug are loratadine and pseudoephedrine. Claritin D should be taken as directed on an empty stomach, either 1 hour before or 2 hours after consuming food.

Loratadine is the antihistamine component of the drug. It works by blocking histamine receptors in the skin, and reducing the body’s histamine production. Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical that your body produces in response to a foreign organism. In some cases, your body will overreact to an organism (like pollen, for example) and produce too much histamine, which will in turn irritate your eyes and nose: the typical symptoms of an allergic reaction. Loratadine helps stop this process and in doing so can relive allergy symptoms.

Pseudoephedrine, the other active drug in Claritin D, is primarily a decongestant. Congestion is often the result of swelled blood vessels in the nose and chest. Pseudoephedrine works by constricting blood vessels, which in turn reduces blood flow and allergic congestion. Because it affects blood flow, pseudoephedrine should never be used if you have blood pressure issues without first consulting a physician. The drug should also not be taken in combination with MAO inhibitors.

Both Loratadine and Pseudoephedrine have the common side effects of causing drowsiness or dizziness, and you should not operate a car or other heavy machinery while taking the drug without first seeing how it affects you personally. Pseudoephedrine in particular can cause insomnia in some people, and if the problem persists, your physician should be consulted.

Unfortunately, Pseudoephedrine is also used by some people in home labs to create methamphetamine. Because of the relative ease in which Pseudoephedrine can be converted to methamphetamine, some US states are considering (or have already enacted) polices by which products containing pseudoephedrine are kept behind the pharmacy counter and the names and addresses of purchasers are kept on file.

Claritin D can be effective at relieving both itchy, swelling eyes (the antihistamine component) and nasal and chest congestion (the decongestant component.) It is important to keep in mind though that a drug like Claritin D will only relive allergy symptoms, and due nothing to cure the ailment itself. Claritin D should also not be taken repeatedly on a regular basis. Keeping these facts in mind, however, Claritin D can be an excellent solution for relief of a particularly harsh allergic reaction: one that causes both congestion and a histamine reaction.