Taking Claritin-D everyday

[Descartes]

I sometimes take a Claritin-D or Allegra-D depending on what's available. Claritin makes me feel really weird. Light-headed, dizzy, very antsy, etc.

If I'm not having severe sinus problems I usually just take a regular antihistamine and a few Ibuprofen. It helps keep the inflammation of my sinuses down while preventing the reaction that causes it in the first place (histamine reactions).

IMO, people take a decongestant for the wrong reason. Most people aren't even congested, and they're popping Claritin-D and other allergy meds like candy. It's more likely that you're simply suffering from inflammation, and for that an anti-inflammatory can actually work better.

 

[Doggiedog]

I've got really bad allergies and found that if I use a certain medicine for a prolonged period, I develop a resistance to it. Claritin no longer works on me, Allegra never worked on me and Zyrtec doesn't work as well as it did initially. I'm also taking stuff like Nasicort and Rhinocort but those don't help me as well.

 

[timswim78]

Originally posted by: jacktackle
I have horrible allergies and nasal congestion all of the time, so i started taking claritin-D (only non-drowsy allergy medication that seems to work for me). Is it ok to take it every day? Is there anywhere i can buy claritin-D (or a clone of it) in bulk for cheap? They didn't have claritin-D at my local costco.

If you have a doctor, talk to him/her. I was buying generic Claritin at Rite Aid, and it was $10 for 20 pills. Not too bad.

He prescribed fexofenadine (generic Allegra), which works much better than Claritin, and the prescription is much less expensive than the generic over-the-counter- Claritin was.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

Used to take Claritin-D whenever I had really bad allergies, but it never really helped much. Talked to my doctor, he put me on Allegra-D instead; whenever I wake up with nasty allergy symptoms I just take one 24hr Allegra-D and all is well

 

[deejayshakur]

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: eits



yes, it's a bad idea to take allergy medicine everyday. it could lead to side effects and it could decrease the effectiveness.

"Taking any medicine everyday can't be good for you. "

where are you guys getting this stuff from?
Every doctor/allergist I've been to has said it is perfectly fine- no side effects. If one drug stops working you can try a different one. And as a side note- there are plenty of medicines DESIGNED to take every day...so not sure why you think its always bad to take medicine every day...
For those of you w/out bad allergies, you dont understand that there are days when I NEED somthing to be a functioning part of society- running nose, sneezing, bright red eyes- I wouldnt be able to go out anywhere with out somthing. Last year it was like that every day for months so I had to take the medicine every day for around 4 months. This year I've been lucky so far though (*knocks on wood*) and havnt had to take it much at all

as a general rule, any medication will alter your body's biochemical makeup, if only slightly. still, this adds up and you body will compensate by downregulating natural process that goes on in response to the added chemical. any human physiology class will teach you this. you are probably right in that the side effects of these anti-histamines are very minimal. it's the sum total of all the drugs together that may be detrimental (i'll let the clinical trials determine that).

however, as an allergy sufferer myself, i think it is okay to take it when you feel it is your last resort in order to function at a minimal level. like you said, if allergies are affecting your activities of daily living, popping a pill may be your only fix. you just need to weigh the pros and cons of taking it daily, and try to cut down if you don't need it. there are other ways to decrease histamine exposure like minimizing outdoor activity and even wearing a mask.

lastly, i'm sure the drug companies (and any doctor pushing their products) would love for you to take their drugs everyday, but it's your own body. then again, i may just be an overly paranoid medical student. hopefully another healthcare professional will back me up. and good luck with your allergies.

 

[LordMaul]

I take Allegra-D every day, and have for a couple years now...

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: timswim78

Originally posted by: jacktackle
I have horrible allergies and nasal congestion all of the time, so i started taking claritin-D (only non-drowsy allergy medication that seems to work for me). Is it ok to take it every day? Is there anywhere i can buy claritin-D (or a clone of it) in bulk for cheap? They didn't have claritin-D at my local costco.

If you have a doctor, talk to him/her. I was buying generic Claritin at Rite Aid, and it was $10 for 20 pills. Not too bad.

He prescribed fexofenadine (generic Allegra), which works much better than Claritin, and the prescription is much less expensive than the generic over-the-counter- Claritin was.

Allegra doesn't work on me. I was on it for a couple months a few years back and it did nothing for me. The only thing that worked really well for me was Seldane but that supposedly caused kidney failure and was removed from the market Zyrtec used to work well but alone its not enough. I need Nasicort along with it. My allergist said my allergies are so bad I need to take an epipen with me in case I go into anaphalectic shock.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Insurance Companies wouldn't put it on the covered list so it stayed outrageously high for longer than it should've and required Doctor visits.

Funny, I took it when I was younger and my insurance covered it. It's actually more expensive for me now that it's OTC than it was when it was covered by my insurance.

ZV

 

[Accipiter22]

Originally posted by: jacktackle

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Topic Title: Taking Claritin-D everyday
Topic Summary: bad idea?

Probably shouldn't do the D version daily.

Becasue...?

I know there's many generic versions of the normal claritin out there, but are you guys talking about generic version of claritin-D? I haven't seen generics of those around, but then again i haven't really looked.

Your parasympathetic nervous system controls 'vegetative' functions....it controls digestive juices, salivation, nasal secretions, and also reduces heart rate and blood pressure.

it's a parasympathetic suppressant. (pseudonephrine)....basically supresses vegetative functions, such as nasal secretions (which you WANT it to do), but also supresses secretion of digestive juices. Since it supresses the whole parasympathetic nervous system your heart rate and blood pressure will also go up. Probably not a good idea to take it everyday. long term wear and tear and all

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Accipiter22

Originally posted by: jacktackle

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Topic Title: Taking Claritin-D everyday
Topic Summary: bad idea?

Probably shouldn't do the D version daily.

Becasue...?

I know there's many generic versions of the normal claritin out there, but are you guys talking about generic version of claritin-D? I haven't seen generics of those around, but then again i haven't really looked.

Your parasympathetic nervous system controls 'vegetative' functions....it controls digestive juices, salivation, nasal secretions, and also reduces heart rate and blood pressure.

it's a parasympathetic suppressant. (pseudonephrine)....basically supresses vegetative functions, such as nasal secretions (which you WANT it to do), but also supresses secretion of digestive juices. Since it supresses the whole parasympathetic nervous system your heart rate and blood pressure will also go up. Probably not a good idea to take it everyday. long term wear and tear and all

hrmm.. interesting... what would be an alternative to it then.. because it's a bit difficult to do work and interact with people when I have to blow my nose every 10 minutes

 

[Triumph]

I say we lobby Congress to ban spring entirely. I hate this time of year.

 

[fustercluck]

Thanks for the the information folks.

Anyone have a good alternative for fighting allergies that won't make me sleepy or have any bad side effects? Allergies are real bad. I took a Clartin-D today and still had bad allergies here and there, not as bad as i would usually have them, but still bad. What can i do? *sneeze*

 

[Shadowknight]

Clariting knock-off for itching eyes. Get a prescription for Flonase for nasal allergies. I had bad cat allergies, but after a doctor's assistant put me on this, I've had zero symptoms.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: deejayshakur

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: eits



yes, it's a bad idea to take allergy medicine everyday. it could lead to side effects and it could decrease the effectiveness.

"Taking any medicine everyday can't be good for you. "

where are you guys getting this stuff from?
Every doctor/allergist I've been to has said it is perfectly fine- no side effects. If one drug stops working you can try a different one. And as a side note- there are plenty of medicines DESIGNED to take every day...so not sure why you think its always bad to take medicine every day...
For those of you w/out bad allergies, you dont understand that there are days when I NEED somthing to be a functioning part of society- running nose, sneezing, bright red eyes- I wouldnt be able to go out anywhere with out somthing. Last year it was like that every day for months so I had to take the medicine every day for around 4 months. This year I've been lucky so far though (*knocks on wood*) and havnt had to take it much at all

as a general rule, any medication will alter your body's biochemical makeup, if only slightly. still, this adds up and you body will compensate by downregulating natural process that goes on in response to the added chemical. any human physiology class will teach you this. you are probably right in that the side effects of these anti-histamines are very minimal. it's the sum total of all the drugs together that may be detrimental (i'll let the clinical trials determine that).

however, as an allergy sufferer myself, i think it is okay to take it when you feel it is your last resort in order to function at a minimal level. like you said, if allergies are affecting your activities of daily living, popping a pill may be your only fix. you just need to weigh the pros and cons of taking it daily, and try to cut down if you don't need it. there are other ways to decrease histamine exposure like minimizing outdoor activity and even wearing a mask.

lastly, i'm sure the drug companies (and any doctor pushing their products) would love for you to take their drugs everyday, but it's your own body. then again, i may just be an overly paranoid medical student. hopefully another healthcare professional will back me up. and good luck with your allergies.

high 5 to you. i didn't feel like explaining that all over again... i've done it already in other medicine threads.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Insurance Companies wouldn't put it on the covered list so it stayed outrageously high for longer than it should've and required Doctor visits.

Funny, I took it when I was younger and my insurance covered it. It's actually more expensive for me now that it's OTC than it was when it was covered by my insurance.

ZV

walmart sells the non-d version in bulk for 120/$18.

 

[Blayze]

I've taken allergy medicines everyday for the past 19 years. I have terrible allergies, and without them I get sick pretty fast. Currently taking Zyrtec, which I have been on for several years now.

I don't think you would have any problems taking it daily, but I would probably not take the D version daily.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I sometimes take a Claritin-D or Allegra-D depending on what's available. Claritin makes me feel really weird. Light-headed, dizzy, very antsy, etc.

If I'm not having severe sinus problems I usually just take a regular antihistamine and a few Ibuprofen. It helps keep the inflammation of my sinuses down while preventing the reaction that causes it in the first place (histamine reactions).

IMO, people take a decongestant for the wrong reason. Most people aren't even congested, and they're popping Claritin-D and other allergy meds like candy. It's more likely that you're simply suffering from inflammation, and for that an anti-inflammatory can actually work better.

an anti-inflammatory works differently for allergies than anti-allergy medicine. anti-allergy medicine blocks the histamine receptor sites in order to stop the allergy cascade so it doesn't produce allergy symptoms. anti-inflammatories don't do that.... they work by inhibiting production of prostaglandins by blocking cox enzyme.

 

[Kyle]

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: deejayshakur

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: eits



yes, it's a bad idea to take allergy medicine everyday. it could lead to side effects and it could decrease the effectiveness.

"Taking any medicine everyday can't be good for you. "

where are you guys getting this stuff from?
Every doctor/allergist I've been to has said it is perfectly fine- no side effects. If one drug stops working you can try a different one. And as a side note- there are plenty of medicines DESIGNED to take every day...so not sure why you think its always bad to take medicine every day...
For those of you w/out bad allergies, you dont understand that there are days when I NEED somthing to be a functioning part of society- running nose, sneezing, bright red eyes- I wouldnt be able to go out anywhere with out somthing. Last year it was like that every day for months so I had to take the medicine every day for around 4 months. This year I've been lucky so far though (*knocks on wood*) and havnt had to take it much at all

as a general rule, any medication will alter your body's biochemical makeup, if only slightly. still, this adds up and you body will compensate by downregulating natural process that goes on in response to the added chemical. any human physiology class will teach you this. you are probably right in that the side effects of these anti-histamines are very minimal. it's the sum total of all the drugs together that may be detrimental (i'll let the clinical trials determine that).

however, as an allergy sufferer myself, i think it is okay to take it when you feel it is your last resort in order to function at a minimal level. like you said, if allergies are affecting your activities of daily living, popping a pill may be your only fix. you just need to weigh the pros and cons of taking it daily, and try to cut down if you don't need it. there are other ways to decrease histamine exposure like minimizing outdoor activity and even wearing a mask.

lastly, i'm sure the drug companies (and any doctor pushing their products) would love for you to take their drugs everyday, but it's your own body. then again, i may just be an overly paranoid medical student. hopefully another healthcare professional will back me up. and good luck with your allergies.

high 5 to you. i didn't feel like explaining that all over again... i've done it already in other medicine threads.

Doctors get nothing for pushing drugs.

Speaking from somewhat experience (dad being a doctor) he never told patients to take drugs for ANY kind of personal benfit and its pretty outrageous you think they do that.
Drug companies, maybe...but any doctor worth ANYTHING would not be prescribing drugs to fatten his wallet.
Also- your body does NOT "down regulate" the same for any med. Steroid shots for allergys for example are really bad to rely on, because as you said, your body will have problems when you stop taking them. Same with OTC nasel spray.
This does not happen with OTC antihistamine...
Link some articles that show that it does and I will retract my statement

 

[Kyle]

oops..dp

 

[cmv]

Originally posted by: Kyle
Doctors get nothing for pushing drugs.

Speaking from somewhat experience (dad being a doctor) he never told patients to take drugs for ANY kind of personal benfit and its pretty outrageous you think they do that.
Drug companies, maybe...but any doctor worth ANYTHING would not be prescribing drugs to fatten his wallet.
Also- your body does NOT "down regulate" the same for any med. Steroid shots for allergys for example are really bad to rely on, because as you said, your body will have problems when you stop taking them. Same with OTC nasel spray.
This does not happen with OTC antihistamine...
Link some articles that show that it does and I will retract my statement

Your dad is reputable. Not all Drs are like him. Ask him.

 

[deejayshakur]

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: eits

Originally posted by: deejayshakur

Originally posted by: Kyle

Originally posted by: eits



yes, it's a bad idea to take allergy medicine everyday. it could lead to side effects and it could decrease the effectiveness.

"Taking any medicine everyday can't be good for you. "

where are you guys getting this stuff from?
Every doctor/allergist I've been to has said it is perfectly fine- no side effects. If one drug stops working you can try a different one. And as a side note- there are plenty of medicines DESIGNED to take every day...so not sure why you think its always bad to take medicine every day...
For those of you w/out bad allergies, you dont understand that there are days when I NEED somthing to be a functioning part of society- running nose, sneezing, bright red eyes- I wouldnt be able to go out anywhere with out somthing. Last year it was like that every day for months so I had to take the medicine every day for around 4 months. This year I've been lucky so far though (*knocks on wood*) and havnt had to take it much at all

as a general rule, any medication will alter your body's biochemical makeup, if only slightly. still, this adds up and you body will compensate by downregulating natural process that goes on in response to the added chemical. any human physiology class will teach you this. you are probably right in that the side effects of these anti-histamines are very minimal. it's the sum total of all the drugs together that may be detrimental (i'll let the clinical trials determine that).

however, as an allergy sufferer myself, i think it is okay to take it when you feel it is your last resort in order to function at a minimal level. like you said, if allergies are affecting your activities of daily living, popping a pill may be your only fix. you just need to weigh the pros and cons of taking it daily, and try to cut down if you don't need it. there are other ways to decrease histamine exposure like minimizing outdoor activity and even wearing a mask.

lastly, i'm sure the drug companies (and any doctor pushing their products) would love for you to take their drugs everyday, but it's your own body. then again, i may just be an overly paranoid medical student. hopefully another healthcare professional will back me up. and good luck with your allergies.

high 5 to you. i didn't feel like explaining that all over again... i've done it already in other medicine threads.

Doctors get nothing for pushing drugs.

Speaking from somewhat experience (dad being a doctor) he never told patients to take drugs for ANY kind of personal benfit and its pretty outrageous you think they do that.
Drug companies, maybe...but any doctor worth ANYTHING would not be prescribing drugs to fatten his wallet.
Also- your body does NOT "down regulate" the same for any med. Steroid shots for allergys for example are really bad to rely on, because as you said, your body will have problems when you stop taking them. Same with OTC nasel spray.
This does not happen with OTC antihistamine...
Link some articles that show that it does and I will retract my statement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Additionally, three cases of severe liver damage have been described in patients taking loratidine. Two patients treated with loratidine and 1 patient, receiving loratidine and ketoconazole, developed liver injury. Two of the patients received a liver transplant.

from: Perez R, Rodrigo L, Perez R, de Francisco R. Acute cholestasis related to desloratidine. World J Gastroenterol. 2005 Jun 21;11(23):3647-8.

yes, it's a case study, but it goes to show that any drug has side effects, however unnoticeable.

did you know breathing has side effects too? respiration is an oxidative process, which results in the accumulation of free radicals over time. make sure you take your antioxidants.

one other thing: being a physician's son is one thing; being a physician is entirely different.

Doctors get nothing for pushing drugs.

i really really want to comment on that, but i really really won't even bother at this point as i have 12 exams coming up.

 

[deejayshakur]

Originally posted by: cmv

Originally posted by: Kyle
Doctors get nothing for pushing drugs.

Speaking from somewhat experience (dad being a doctor) he never told patients to take drugs for ANY kind of personal benfit and its pretty outrageous you think they do that.
Drug companies, maybe...but any doctor worth ANYTHING would not be prescribing drugs to fatten his wallet.
Also- your body does NOT "down regulate" the same for any med. Steroid shots for allergys for example are really bad to rely on, because as you said, your body will have problems when you stop taking them. Same with OTC nasel spray.
This does not happen with OTC antihistamine...
Link some articles that show that it does and I will retract my statement

Your dad is reputable. Not all Drs are like him. Ask him.

while you're at it, ask him if he gives his patients free samples of drugs too. or free baby formula (if he's a pediatrician or ob/gyn).

 

[eits]

medical doctors get a cut off of drugs they sell in their clinics... they buy x amount from drug reps and then they make a mark-up. i don't know why you think they don't. it's kinda like selling bawls at a lan party.

 

[deejayshakur]

Originally posted by: eits
medical doctors get a cut off of drugs they sell in their clinics... they buy x amount from drug reps and then they make a mark-up. i don't know why you think they don't. it's kinda like selling bawls at a lan party.

and even if they didn't sell drugs in their clinic, they can bill for the visit. and even if it's not the patient's primary doctor's office, they will seek the drugs at the nearest emergency department. and i know for a fact that emergency departments bill for the visit.

about free drug samples...it's not unlike the supermarket tactic of giving patrons free samples of jimmy dean sausage or manufacturers' giving away free samples in the hot deals forum--if they like it, they'll come back for more and bring in the profits. it's one of the many sad truths of medicine.

 

[dr150]

Make sure you take antihistamine regularly.

Allergies causes water to collect in the ear canal which can causes sensitivities to high frequencies/sounds. or muted hearing...........I had this problem and my doctor told me its VERY common and people don't know about curing it....

Take antihistimanine regularly....