Loratadine

What is Loratadine?

Loratadine is an antihistamine used to treat allergies, including hay fever and hives.

Hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen and dust mites, and it’s commonly a seasonal condition, but it can also last all year round.

Hives results in the appearance of raised, red patches on your body. It’s triggered by high levels of histamine being released in your skin. Medicines, stings or insect bites can cause this to happen.

How does Loratadine work?

When your body feels like it’s under attack, it releases an endogenous chemical messenger named histamine.^[1] This causes swelling and dilation of vessels, resulting in unpleasant symptoms.

When you have allergies, your body overreacts to harmless substances, releasing histamine unnecessarily. For example, with hayfever, your body thinks that pollen and dust mites are a threat. This is why the symptoms of hayfever are often stronger and happen more often during certain times of the year when the pollen concentration in the air is higher.

Antihistamines stop this process from happening, therefore eliminating the unpleasant symptoms of allergies, such as congestion, watery or dry eyes, itchy throat, and sneezing.

What doses of Loratadine are there?

Loratadine is only available as 10mg tablets and 5mg/5ml syrup (which we don’t supply at the moment). The typical dose is one tablet daily.

How to take Loratadine

Take one tablet with some water at the same time every day. You can have Loratadine with or without food.

How long does it take Loratadine to work?

Loratadine takes effect relatively quickly, you’ll be able to feel the benefits of taking it within one hour. You’ll feel the effects of Loratadine up to 24 hours after taking it, so ideally you should take your tablet at around the same time every day.

What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Loratadine?

If you forget to take a tablet, you should take it as soon as you remember. But if it’s almost time or time for the next dosage, you should skip the missed one and continue your treatment as usual. Don’t take a double dose to make up for a missed dosage.

If you take more Loratadine than you’re supposed to, you might get some side effects. If you’re concerned, call 111 or your doctor for medical advice.