Claritin, once only available by prescription, is now available as a prescription strength, over the counter medication. Claritin is an antihistamine that is used to combat allergy symptoms. Many allergy sufferers prefer this medication to other antihistamines because Claritin is non-drowsy. Those taking the allergy medication do not have to worry about side effects such as drowsiness or adhere to restrictions that come with many antihistamines such as avoiding heavy machinery or driving.

Claritin comes in four different forms:

· RediTabs · Original · Claritin-D · Children’s Claritin

RediTabs are a fast dissolving, twenty-four hour form of Claritin that is taken by mouth and dissolves on the tongue. Though the results are not as fast as it dissolves, this form is much more convenient for many people, especially parents of children six or older that are particularly difficult to administer medication to, are too old for the liquid form, or are simply just not ready to swallow pills.

Claritin-D is a non-drowsy, twenty-four hour or twelve-hour form of Claritin with a decongestant. This formula is for those suffering from sinus pressure and nasal congestion, along with other symptoms of allergies.

The original Claritin is among the most popular allergy medicine around. Doctors have prescribed this medication for allergies suffers for years and now many people enjoy the same strength in an over the counter form. This is available for children aged 6 through adult.

Children’s Claritin is for allergy suffers two years old and older. It is also a twenty-four hour dosage and works well to provide allergy relief for even the tiniest little ones suffering from allergies.

Allergy sufferers usually experience watery and itchy eyes, stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, and sometimes hives. This is where Claritin comes in, however, even though the medication is generally safe, there are some precautions that you should take. For example, if you currently have kidney or liver disease you may still be able to take the medicine just in lower doses.

You should be aware of some side affects that may occur. Some common side effects include sleepiness, headaches, fatigue, and dry mouth. Even though it is a non-drowsy formula, older adults and those suffering from kidney or liver disease may experience excessive sleepiness.

Furthermore, while Claritin is relatively safe to take with other medications you should talk to your physician or pharmacists about possible interactions with Nizoral or Tagamet.

Many people get headaches as a response to physical strain, cramped muscles, and pinches nerves. These muscular headaches can be brutal, and are usually reoccurring to a very persistent degree. Usually, there is some level of tightness in or soreness in the area the muscle strain is occurring, like your neck or back area.

Because your nerves in that region are all connected and ultimately lead to your head, strain in your neck, shoulders, or back can produce headaches. Usually these kinds of headaches start out very localized, but can often spread over your entire head. Cures for headaches of this kind are difficult, as you have to cease doing whatever it is that is causing the strain, and may need extensive physical therapy to help your muscles recover.

Then there are sinus headaches. These are especially nasty, but fortunately are rarely a constant reoccurring phenomenon. Sinus headaches result from pressure in your sinuses, as a result from allergies, colds, or a sinus infection. If you get sinus headaches a lot, you may be suffering from allergies. Cures for headaches of this type can range from allergy treatments, to decongestants. My favorite is Claritin.

Unfortunately, headaches are one of the most complicated and poorly understood phenomenons in the medical world. Have you ever tried asking your doctor about cures for headaches? If you ask ten different doctors about headaches, you’ll get ten different answers.

The reason why doctors give you so many different answers is because headaches can have so many causes, and a lot of them aren’t really clear. If you get a lot of headaches, the first step you should do is try and figure out what kind of headaches you’re getting. From my understanding, there are a few different kinds.

Last but certainly not least, are migraines; everyone’s favorite and the least understood of the headache family. There are so many potential causes for migraines its not funny. If you suffer from migraines often, like me, it’s a good start to keep a kind of headache log.

Record hours you slept, how well you slept, what you ate and drank, what you did during the day, anything you can think of and see if you can detect patterns with your headaches. If you can’t get your finger on it there’s always painkillers. While they’re certainly not cures for headaches, they are better than nothing.

If you suffer from frequent headaches like me, finding some effective cures for headaches has probably been a personal goal of yours. I know for me it has been like the search for the Holy Grail. I would gladly sell my soul for some kind of magic pill of treatment that would serve as a once and for all cure for headaches.

Absorption: Loratadine was rapidly absorbed following oral administration of 10 mg tablets, once daily for 10 days to healthy adult volunteers with times to maximum concentration (Tmax) of 1.3 hours for loratadine and 2.5 hours for its major active metabolite, descarboethoxyloratadine. Based on a cross-study comparison of single doses of loratadine syrup and tablets given to healthy adult volunteers, the plasma concentration profile of descarboethoxy-loratadine for the two formulations is comparable. The pharmacokinetics of loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine are independent of dose over the dose range of 10 mg to 40 mg and are not altered by the duration of treatment. In a single-dose study, food increased the systemic bioavailability (AUC) of loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine by approxi-mately 40% and 15%, respectively. The time to peak plasma concentration (Tmax) of loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine was delayed by 1 hour. Peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) were not affected by food.

Pharmacokinetic studies showed that CLARITINREDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) provide plasma concentrations of loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine similar to those achieved with CLARITIN Tablets. Following administration of 10 mg loratadine once daily for 10 days with each dosage form in a randomized crossover compari-son in 24 normal adult subjects, similar mean exposures (AUC) and peak plasma concentrations (Cmax) of loratadine were observed. CLARITINREDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets)mean AUC and Cmax were 11% and 6% greater than that of the CLARITINTablet values, respectively. Descarboethoxyloratadine bioequivalence was demonstrated between the two formulations. After 10 days of dosing, mean peak plasma concentrations were attained at 1.3 hours and 2.3 hours (Tmax) for parent and metabolite, respectively.

In a single-dose study with CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets), food increased the AUC of loratadine by approximately 48% and did not appreciably affect the AUC of descarboethoxyloratadine. The times to peak plasma concentration (Tmax) of loratadine and descarboethoxyloratadine were delayed by approximately 2.4 and 3.7 hours, respectively, when food was consumed prior to CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) administration. Parent and metabolite peak concentrations (Cmax) were not affected by food.

In a single-dose study with CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) in 24 subjects, the AUC of loratadine was increased by 26% when administered without water compared to administration with water, while Cmax was not substantially affected. The bioavailability of descarboethoxyloratadine was not different when administered without water.

Loratadine is a long-acting tricyclic antihistamine with selective peripheral histamine H1-receptor antagonistic activity.

Human histamine skin wheal studies following single and repeated 10 mg oral doses of CLARITIN have shown that the drug exhibits an antihistaminic effect beginning within 1 to 3 hours, reaching a maximum at 8 to 12 hours, and lasting in excess of 24 hours. There was no evidence of tolerance to this effect after 28 days of dosing with CLARITIN.

Whole body autoradiographic studies in rats and monkeys, radiolabeled tissue distribution studies in mice and rats, and in vivoradioligand studies in mice have shown that neither loratadine nor its metabolites readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Radioligand binding studies with guinea pig pulmonary and brain H1-receptors indicate that there was preferential binding to peripheral versus central nervous system H1-receptors.

Repeated application of CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) to the hamster cheek pouch did not cause local irritation.

Loratadine (10 mg once daily) has been coadministered with therapeutic doses of erythromycin, cimetidine, and ketoconazole in controlled clinical pharmacology studies in adult volunteers. Although increased plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of loratadine and/or descarboethoxyloratadine were observed following coadministration of loratadine with each of these drugs in normal volunteers (n = 24 in each study), there were no clinically relevant changes in the safety profile of loratadine, as assessed by electrocardiographic parameters, clinical laboratory tests, vital signs, and adverse events. There were no significant effects on QTc intervals, and no reports of sedation or syncope. No effects on plasma concentrations of cimetidine or ketoconazole were observed. Plasma concentrations (AUC 0-24 hrs) of erythromycin decreased 15% with coadministration of loratadine relative to that observed with erythromycin alone. The clinical relevance of this difference is unknown.

Adults and children 6 years of age and over: The recommended dose of CLARITIN is one 10 mg tablet or reditab, or 2 teaspoonfuls (10 mg) of syrup once daily.

Children 2 to 5 years of age: The recommended dose of CLARITIN Syrup is 5 mg (1 teaspoonful) once daily.

In adults and children 6 years of age and over with liver failure or renal insufficiency (GFR < 30 mL/min), the starting dose should be 10 mg (one tablet or two teaspoonfuls) every other day. In children 2 to 5 years of age with liver failure or renal insufficiency, the starting dose should be 5 mg (one teaspoonful) every other day.

Administration of CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets): Place CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) on the tongue. Tablet disintegration occurs rapidly. Administer with or without water.

Loratadine is a white to off-white powder not soluble in water, but very soluble in acetone, alcohol, and chloroform. It has a molecular weight of 382.89, and empirical formula of C22H23CIN2O2; its chemical name is ethyl 4-(8-chloro-5,6-dihydro-11H-benzo[5,6]cyclohepta[1,2-b]pyridin-11-ylidene) -1-piperidinecarboxylate.

CLARITIN Tablets contain 10 mg micronized loratadine, an antihistamine, to be administered orally. It also contains the following inactive ingredients: corn starch, lactose, and magnesium stearate.

CLARITIN Syrup contains 1 mg/mL micronized loratadine, an antihistamine, to be administered orally. It also contains the following inactive ingredients:citric acid, edetate disodium, artificial flavor, glycerin, propylene glycol, sodium ben-zoate, sugar, and water. The pH is between 2.5 and 3.1.

CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets)contain 10 mg micronized loratadine, an antihistamine, to be administered orally. It disintegrates in the mouth within seconds after placement on the tongue, allowing its contents to be subsequently swallowed with or without water. CLARITIN REDITABS (loratadine rapidly-disintegrating tablets) also contain the following inactive ingredients: citric acid, gelatin, mannitol, and mint flavor.

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature, away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom)and away from light. Use the orally disintegrating tablets immediately after you remove them from the blister package, and within 6 months after you open the outer foil pouch. Write the date that you open the foil pouch on the product label so that you will know when 6 months have passed. Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
In case of emergency/overdose

Symptoms of overdose may include:

* fast or pounding heartbeat
* drowsiness
* headache
* unusual body movements

Loratadine may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

* headache
* dry mouth
* nosebleed
* sore throat
* mouth sores
* difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
* nervousness
* weakness
* stomach pain
* diarrhea
* red or itchy eyes

Some side effects may be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, stop taking loratadine and call your doctor immediately:

* rash
* hives
* itching
* swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, throat, hands, arms, feet, ankles, or lower legs
* hoarseness
* difficulty breathing or swallowing
* wheezing

Before taking loratadine,

* tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to loratadine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in the type of loratadine you will be taking. Check the package label for a list of the ingredients.
* tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention medications for colds and allergies.
* tell your doctor if you have or have ever had asthma or kidney or liver disease.
* tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking loratadine, call your doctor.
* if you have phenylketonuria (PKU, an inherited condition in which a special diet must be followed to prevent mental retardation), you should know that some brands of the orally disintegrating tablets may contain aspartame that forms phenylalanine.