Matt's Drug Review: Loratadine (aka Claritin®)

[mmcirvin]

1. Loratadine is effective, almost astonishingly so. I take one of these pills (I got the store-brand generic ones) and I have no allergies clogging up my head for about 24 hours.
2. Side effects are less intense and have the opposite sign than those of Benadryl, which puts me in a narcotic haze for maybe twelve hours.
3. However, in my case the main side effect of loratadine is still strong enough to be irritating for the first four or five hours of the dose. Specifically, it seems to be a stimulant of some sort, which makes me feel sleepless, anxious, and easily bothered—kind of like the effect of drinking two or three big mugs of coffee. (I didn't get the decongestant kind that has pseudoephedrine in it; I imagine that would have me bouncing off the walls.)
4. This may be psychosomatic, but it seems to cause an occasional itching sensation in my lips as well. It's not that bad.
5. Because of all this, the least disruptive time for me to take the pill is in the morning, when I can just cut back my caffeine intake correspondingly. However, this has the slight disadvantage that the dose has mostly worn off by wake-up time the next day, so I get up with congestion and itchy eyes.
6. For these reasons, I conclude that the stuff is still best for occasional use as needed during the heaviest allergy seasons. Beats the heck out of Benadryl, but it's not good for taking before bedtime.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and if you follow my advice you might die.

Comments

[lots42.livejournal.com]

If you discover anything good for allergies that doesn't involve stimulants, please tell me. I'm 90 percent sure caffiene is the cause of many of my bitch migraines

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

Well, the old standby Benadryl is basically a sleeping pill that suppresses allergies as a secondary effect. So I suppose that would count as non-stimulant, but it goes way too far in the other direction.