what are the benefits and dangers of using antihistamines

Full Answer

What are the long term effects of taking antihistamines?

They can result in:

• stomach ulceration
• cataract formation (opacity of the eye lenses)
• osteoporosis (reduced mineral content of bones resulting in weaker fracture-prone bones)
• muscle weakness
• hyperglycemia (abnormally high blood sugar levels)
• Delayed growth when used in children
• Increased blood pressure

Is taking too many antihistamines bad for You?

Antihistamines are a class of medication that treat allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, and itching. As with any medication, taking too much can be harmful.

Which antihistamine has the least side effects?

Which Allergy Medicine Has the Least Side Effects?

• A new generation of allergy medicine. If you have suffered from allergies long enough, you may remember older medicines like Benadryl. ...
• OTC Allergy medicine designed for the least side effects. ...
• Side effects of allergy medicine could be worrisome for children. ...
• Other ways to deal with allergy symptoms. ...

Are antihistamines bad for your immune system?

Sawlani agrees that OTC meds like antihistamines and nasal sprays, and certainly eye drops, “should not have a significant clinical impact on your immune system.” Bassett explains that it’s...

What are the benefits of using antihistamines?

Antihistamines are medicines often used to relieve symptoms of allergies, such as hay fever, hives, conjunctivitis and reactions to insect bites or stings. They're also sometimes used to prevent motion sickness and as a short-term treatment for insomnia.

Can taking antihistamine everyday be harmful?

Experts say, it's usually okay. “Taken in the recommended doses, antihistamines can be taken daily, but patients should make sure they do not interact with their other medications,” says Sandra Lin, MD, professor and vice director of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at John Hopkins School of Medicine.

What are the side effects of long term use of antihistamines?

These common side effects include sedation, impaired motor function, dizziness, dry mouth and throat, blurred vision, urinary retention and constipation. Antihistamines can worsen urinary retention and narrow angle glaucoma. The antihistamines rarely cause liver injury.

What is the safest antihistamine?

Loratadine, cetrizine, and fexofenadine all have excellent safety records. Their cardiovascular safety has been demonstrated in drug-interaction studies, elevated-dose studies, and clinical trials. These three antihistamines have also been shown safe in special populations, including pediatric and elderly patients.

What are the two types of antihistamines?

And since there’s a lot of pain involved, the necessity for an antihistamine also arises… which, for medicinal purposes, have been classified into two categories: first and second generation antihistamines. The first type sedates the person while the second type does not, and that’s really one of the few differences between these two.

What are the first generation antihistamines?

Some of the first-generation antihistamines are Brompheniramine, Chlorphen iramine, Clemastine, Dimenhydrinate and Diphenhydramine, and these are a part of popular medications such as Dimetapp, Dramamine, Bromphen, Dimetane, Nasahist, Chlor-Trimeton, Allerhist, Tavist and Benadryl.

What is the reaction of histamines to the immune system?

In carrying out this normal body function, there is a manifestation of swelling and redness in the affected area.

Why are companies so used to instant?

Most of us are not used to the long and arduous processes, even though we think we do. You may have noticed the impatience of most people especially when it comes to services . They want to have what they want right now, and this is why most companies adapt to the situation.

Can you take muscle relaxers with antihistamines?

Another situation where complications can arise is when you take muscle relaxants, sedatives and sleeping pills along with first generation antihistamine medication.

Is there a fine line between medication and addiction?

This whole issue with prescription drug abuse actually begins when you need to self-medicate, and while dealing with an allergy might not be such a big problem as opposed to other popular diseases, it’s still important to understand that there is fine line between medication and addiction.

Is it true that there are too many people who need prescription drugs?

If there’s anything that’s true of medicine, it it the fact that there are too many people who tend to need prescription drugs for every little reason. It’s become so bad that people tend to associate their use of it with prescription drug abuse which in some cases, can’t be helped, thanks to some people’s inability to cope with pain without it.

Why do people take antihistamines?

Antihistamines are most commonly used by people who have allergic reactions to pollen and other allergens. They are also used to treat a variety of other conditions such as stomach problems, colds, anxiety and more.

When were antihistamines first used?

They began to be approved in the United States in the 1930s and are still prescribed today.

What is the chemical that causes coughing and sneezing?

Antihistamines. When histamine, a chemical created by your immune system, overreacts to an allergen such as pollen and pet dander, it can cause symptoms such as coughing, sneezing and watery eyes. Antihistamines are medications that help with allergies, and also with stomach problems, cold, anxiety and more. Antihistamines are a class of drugs ...

Should you discuss antihistamines with your healthcare provider?

You and your healthcare provider should discuss specific antihistamines and decide together if the potential benefits of an antihistamine outweigh its potential side effects.

Does Benadryl cause dementia?

Long term use of some antihistamines may increase your risk of dementia. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is vital for memory and learning. Diphenhydramine increased the risk of dementia by 54% in one 3,000 patient study followed for seven years.

Can antihistamines pass through breast milk?

Antihistamines can pass into breast milk, so you should consult with your healthcare provider before using antihistamines if you are breastfeeding. Children and the elderly are more sensitive to the effects of antihistamines, so special consideration will be given to the use of these products in these patients.

Can you take more than one antihistamine at a time?

They are highly schooled in the actions and effects and side effects of drugs. You may need to try different antihistamines (but no more than one at a time unless directed by your physician) to find the best medication to manage your symptoms.

What are the side effects of antihistamines?

Common side effects of antihistamines include: 1 Drowsiness or sleepiness 2 Dizziness 3 Dry mouth, nose, or throat 4 Increased appetite and weight gain 5 Upset stomach 6 Thickening of mucus 7 Changes in vision 8 Feeling nervous, excited, or irritable

What is antihistamine used for?

An antihistamine is a type of medicine used to treat common allergy symptoms, such as sneezing, watery eyes, hives, and a runny nose.

How many people have nasal allergies?

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, nasal allergies affect about 50 million people in the United States. Certain antihistamines are also sometimes used to treat motion sickness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, cough, sleep problems, anxiety, and Parkinson's disease. The drugs work by blocking the effects ...

How do allergy medications work?

The drugs work by blocking the effects of histamine, a substance in the body that can cause allergy symptoms.

Can you take grapefruit juice with antihistamines?

Tell your doctor about all prescription, non-prescription, illegal, recreational, herbal, nutritional, or dietary drugs you're taking before starting on an antihistamine. You may need to avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice while taking an antihistamine, as they can affect how these drugs work in your body.

Can you take antihistamines while pregnant?

Antihistamines and Pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you're pregnant, or might become pregnant, while using an antihistamine. You'll have to discuss the risks and benefits of taking the medicine during pregnancy. Also, talk to your healthcare provider before taking antihistamines if you're breastfeeding. NEWSLETTERS.

What antihistamines are used to treat sedation?

As you probably know, sedation is one of the disturbing side effects of the oldest – and still commonly used – antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton), and clemastine (Tavist).

How to reduce allergic response?

Mind-body interventions, including hypnosis, can reduce allergic responsive ness in many people.

Is antihistamine a problem?

Antihistamines can be problematic. They’re among the drugs discussed in my new book Mind Over Meds: Know when Drugs are Necessary, When Alternatives are Better—and When to Let Your Body Heal on Its Own.

Can antihistamines cause depression?

Dr. Horwitz also warns that taking antihistamines can cause or worsen depression and interfere with thinking and concentration. Some evidence also links them with an increased risk of glioma, the most common type of malignant brain tumor. Fortunately, there are effective natural alternatives for allergy treatment.

What is the purpose of antihistamines?

Antihistamines are the medications that help to alleviate these allergies. Some antihistamines also help with some gastric problems, anxiety, and a lot more. In this regard, antihistamines are hereby classified based on the particular histamine receptor upon which they act.

What is antihistamine used for?

Quite a number of people usually use the term antihistamine to describe drugs used for the treatment of allergies. However, medical practitioners such as doctors, pharmacists, and other scientists use the term for describing a class of drugs that antagonizes the activities of histamine receptors present in the body. There are some specific biological receptors on the human cells. These receptors are called Histamine receptors. Therefore, antihistamines refer to drugs that bind to these receptors to oppose their natural roles.

What is the best medicine for hives?

Most of the otc drugs or prescription medication works best for swellings, runny nose, severe itching, and watery eyes. Pills are also the most effective antihistamine for hives. It is usually advised that persons on this medication should neither drive or operate heavy machinery as the drug causes drowsiness. Those that cause drowsiness are specifically Diphenhydramine and Chlorpheniramine.

What is the H3 receptor antagonist?

H-3 receptor antagonists, otherwise called H3 receptor blockers, are a classification of antihistamines that act on H-3 receptors. These receptors are primarily found in some brain cells. H-3 histamine antagonists have stimulant and cognition-modulating effects.

Why do allergy medications come in different forms?

The reason behind a specific route of administration is to ensure that the drug becomes effective in the shortest period via various channels. Antihistamine decongestant medication, whether pills, liquid, or nasal spray, are usually administered as quick and temporary relief of sinusitis and nasal congestion. Here are some major classifications based on the route of exposure.

Can you take antihistamines while pregnant?

Medical experts are in the best position to prescribe the safest antihistamine in pregnancy. It is also imperative to make sure that no other medication has the active ingredient in the antihistamine recipe as this may result in too much antihistamine in the system.

Which generation of a drug has the strongest sedating effect?

The first generation , being the most potent, has a strong sedating effect and is categorized as a schedule IIand schedule IIIdrug.

Why do people take antihistamines?

In order to gain control over histamine release, antihistamine is used. Anti histamines block histamine receptors thereby preventing allergic reaction symptoms for a person. Anti histamines are most useful for people suffering from allergic reactions from food, if the symptoms are strong antihistamines will help gain control over the reaction and bring back the person to normalcy faster.

Can you take antihistamines over the counter?

Antihistamines are prescription drugs, therefore these are not available over the counter, you will require consulting a doctor regarding your allergies so that you have constant supply of life-saving antihistamines to protect your against allergies. Antihistamines can also be mild and are great for those suffering from mild allergies in case the symptoms are unbearable. People with mild allergies can use antihistamines occasionally. 

Should people with allergies take antihistamines?

People suffering from severe allergies should keep an antihistamine inject ion ready with them so that they can take care of themselves and administer a dose as fast as they start feeling symptoms of the allergic reactions. In these cases antihistamines can be life saving.

Can you smoke if you have an allergy?

However, it is advisable to avoid usage of alcoholic drinks and smoking if you have taken an antihistamine dose. For personal safety is it also advisable to avoid activities like driving, swimming etc.

Can antihistamines cause sleepiness?

Antihistamines might differ in their performances, it depends on how powerful each drug is, therefore you should know the severity of your problem before you decide to take an antihistamine, some antihistamines are especially useful since these last longer than most. Antihistamines induce sleepiness however, some of these with usage of modern medical science can avoid sleepiness and help in healthy recovery from the allergy. Doctor will guide you regarding the antihistamine you should be taking if your symptoms are severe.

What is an antihistamine?

The term “antihistamine” generally is used to describe those medications that antagonize histamine activity at H1 receptors. These include the first-generation H1 antagonists, or sedating antihistamines (eg, diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine), and second-generation H1 receptor blockers, or nonsedating antihistamines (eg, loratadine, cetirizine).

Why is it important to educate older patients about antihistamines?

Educating older patients and their caregivers is especially important because of the widespread OTC availability of these antihistamines. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease are at particular risk as caregivers may purchase these medications without understanding the associated risk of exacerbating the disease.

What are H1 sedatives?

These antihistamines have low receptor specificity and interact with both peripheral and central histamine receptors and readily cross the blood-brain barrier. This leads to significant central nervous system side effects, including sedation, drowsiness, somnolence, fatigue, cognitive decline, psychomotor effects, and loss of coordination.

What should pharmacists do when using OTC medications?

Prescribers and nurses should discuss the potential risks of OTC medications during routine patients’ physician visits, and pharmacists should be proactive in seeking additional information from patients, including asking questions about OTC product use. It is also important to encourage patients to read product warnings and seek advice from healthcare providers before using OTC medications.

Why are older people more sensitive to antihistamines?

Older adults are especially sensitive to the central nervous system- and anticholinergic-related side effects of sedating antihistamines because of decreased cholinergic neurons or receptors in the brain, reduced hepatic and renal function, and increased blood-brain permeability.

What is the most common first generation antihistamine?

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) is the most common first-generation antihistamine found in OTC sleep aids, whether used alone or in combination with pain relievers, including acetaminophen (eg, Tylenol PM), ibuprofen (eg, Advil PM), and aspirin. Other sleep aids often contain the antihistamine doxylamine (eg, Unisom).

Why are hallucinations a risk for antipsychotics?

Because delirium and hallucinations can result from the use of anticholinergics including sedating antihistamines, patients receiving these medications are at risk of being prescribed antipsychotic medications. Cognitive decline, falls, and behaviors such as hallucinations, delirium, and agitated aggressive behaviors may result in affected patients being hospitalized or admitted to long term care facilities.

How do antihistamines work?

Antihistamine medications bind to histamine receptors on cells throughout the body, blocking them from setting off the immune system response downstream . In that way, they can help manage allergy symptoms. Both first- and second-generation antihistamines do this by specifically blocking the H1 histamine receptor (there are other types of histamine receptors, but H1 is the one that matters most for allergic reactions). But, in addition to H1, earlier antihistamines can also cross into the brain and bind to receptors for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in muscle contraction and blood vessel dilation. That made it possible for them to also cause more wide-ranging side effects and may even come with an increased risk for dementia.

What to do if you have been victimized by an antihistamine?

Raise your hand if you’ve been personally victimized by an antihistamine.

What is the name of the antihistamine that is nonsedating?

Then there are the newer, second-generation antihistamines (also sometimes called nonsedating for reasons which will become obvious), which include many of the oral allergy medications you’ll find at the drugstore, like cetirizine (Zyrtec), levocetirizine (Xyzal), fexofenadine (Allegra), and loratadine (Claritin).

Which antihistamines cause the most sedation?

Newer antihistamines tend not to cause as much sedation, but they still can in some people, Dr. Lane says. In his experience, Zyrtec has the highest incidence of sedation followed by Xyzal, Claritin, and Allegra, respectively.

What happens when an allergen binds to an antibody?

This happens when the proteins in an allergen bind to IgE antibodies on the surface of mast cells, which causes the cell to release histamine, Dr. Lane explains. That histamine goes on to bind to histamine receptors, which then sets off reactions such as a runny nose, watery eyes, and other classic allergy symptoms.

What are the two major classes of antihistamines?

There are two major classes of antihistamines, Charles Joseph Lane, M.D., a board-certified allergist based in Lynchburg, Virginia, tells SELF. First, there are the older medications, referred to as first-generation antihistamines, which include drugs like diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and chlorpheniramine.

Can antihistamines cause side effects?

But antihistamine side effects —some of which may be unexpected—can make taking these drugs a complex experience. Of course, all drugs come with the risk for some side effects, and even with those side effects, the benefits of taking a medication may still be worth it.