Details

Desloratadine is an antihistamine that reduces the effects of the natural chemical histamine in the body. Histamine can produce symptoms of sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and runny nose. Desloratadine is used to treat the symptoms of allergies, such as sneezing, watery eyes, and runny nose. It is also used to treat skin hives and itching in people with chronic skin reactions. To make sure you can safely take desloratadine, tell your doctor if you have kidney disease or liver disease. Do not give this medication to a child younger than 2 years old without the advice of a doctor.

Typical Uses

Desloratadine is an antihistamine used to relieve allergy symptoms such as watery eyes, runny nose, itching eyes/nose, sneezing, hives, and itching. It works by blocking a certain natural substance (histamine) that your body makes during an allergic reaction.

Side Effects

Some of the side effects of desloratadine may include fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat fever, flu symptoms seizure (convulsions) or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Drug Interactions

• Desloratadine+histoplasmin- Desloratadine may interfere with your response to histoplasmin. If you are currently using or have recently used desloratadine, let your doctor know before you get tested with histoplasmin. It is generally best to discontinue desloratadine for 2 to 4 days before testing, but you should check with your doctor.

• Desloratadine+histamine phosphate- Desloratadine may interfere with your response to histamine phosphate. If you are currently using or have recently used desloratadine, let your doctor know before you get tested with histamine phosphate. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs.

Mechanism of action

Desloratadine is an oral, long-acting antihistamine that is similar chemically to loratadine (Claritin). It is used to treat the symptoms caused by histamine. Histamine is a chemical that is responsible for many of the signs and symptoms of allergic reactions, for example, swelling of the lining of the nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes. Histamine is released from histamine-storing cells (mast cells) and then attaches to other cells that have receptors for histamine. The attachment of the histamine to the receptors causes the cells to be "activated," releasing other chemicals which produce the effects that we associate with allergy. Desloratadine blocks one type of receptor for histamine (the H1 receptor) and thus prevents activation of H1 receptor-containing cells by histamine. Desloratadine does not readily enter the brain from the blood and, therefore, causes less drowsiness (sedation).

Pregnancy Category : C