antinomy and antihistamines

[ewx]

antinomy mentioned something on Thursday evening about antihistamines which I'd not appreciated until now - that they can take several days to build up to full effectiveness. This bubbled back to the surface this morning and I had a quick look through the instruction leaflets that come with three different ones (Piriton, Benadryl Plus and the Boots version of Loratadine). None of them tell you this. Annoying, as it means that (unless you happen to have a conversation with a relevant expert) you end up thinking that they just don't work very well on you and switch to a different pill before they've had a proper chance to do any good.

Comments

[wednesday]

Waitaminit; isn't Piriton cetirizine? 'Cause Benadryl Plus is cetirizine, so in fact is the same thing.

Fexofenadine is the best, IMO, of the batch currently allowed on the market (terfenadine being the best of the ones that aren't), but you have to go to the doctor. If your doctor doesn't treat you like scum, you might wish to consult.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

I can second the Fexofenadine recommendation. Good for when your hayfever starts to feel like a proper cold/flu infection. Not so good for a more background level of allergic rhinitis (~1 pocket pack of tissues per day), but I've never found anything that is.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

According to the boxes,

Piriton = chlorpheniramine maleate

Benadryl = cetirizine hydrochloride

Benadryl Plus = acrivastine and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride

(i.e. Benadryl and Benadryl Plus are completely different things that just happen to have the same brand. I was initially confused, too.)

[wednesday]

My Benadryl vanilla is acrivastine, and there's a one-a-day Benadryl in an orange packet I haven't a unit of which is cetirizine. Argh, so I probably don't know from benadryl Plus.

I was thinking of Piriteze, I think, which is cetirizine. Augh. Stupid. Never mind. This is why I have no degree.