Desloratadine

What is Desloratadine?

Desloratadine is an antihistamine used to treat allergies including hay fever and eczema.

It’s estimated that between 10% and 30% of the population worldwide have hay fever, so it’s very common.^[1] It’s caused by a response to allergens like pollen and pet hair. It produces cold-like symptoms such as a runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion. If it’s caused by pollen, it tends to be worse on windy days, particularly between March and September.

Eczema is a skin condition that causes skin to become dry, flaky and itchy. It can be a very painful condition and is often seen in children. Although it’s not clear what causes eczema, it’s quite commonly found alongside other allergies and produces a similar immune response to that seen in allergies. It’s also made worse by irritants such as soap powder, stress and extreme weather.

How does Desloratadine work?

Antihistamines block the effect of histamines and prevent them from causing the common symptoms of allergies such as hay fever.

Histamine is a natural chemical produced in the body. Its job is to protect your body from allergens. It’s used in cells that come into contact with the environment including those found in the eyes, throat, mouth, lungs and skin.

If your body detects a foreign substance that it sees as being a threat to the body, it triggers specific immune cells to make and release histamine. This is useful and happens without you knowing.

In some cases, the body overreacts to the foreign substance and triggers an extreme response from the body, and too much histamine is produced. This is what causes the symptoms of allergies. The histamines look for ways to clear the body of the allergen. They do this through releasing water from the eyes, mucus from the nose and causing the body to expel the foreign substance through sneezing.

In the case of eczema, the body considers the damaged skin cells to be a foreign substance and a threat to the body. The same response is triggered and histamine is produced to clear the body of the allergen.

What doses of Desloratadine are there?

Desloratadine is available in a 5mg dose tablet. The standard dose is one tablet a day.

If the dose prescribed does not offer relief from your symptoms, speak to your clinician about using an alternative treatment.

How to take Desloratadine

Desloratadine is taken once a day with water. It can be taken with or without food. You can take it anytime of the day, just make sure it’s around the same time every day.

If you are unsure about how to take Desloratadine you should refer to the patient leaflet that comes with your medication. If you can’t find the information that you need, or have any worries about how to take your treatment, get in touch with your clinician.

How long does it take Desloratadine to work?

Desloratadine starts to work within one to three hours and can last all day.^[1]

If you find that Desloratadine isn’t working quickly enough, let your clinician know. There may be an alternative treatment that will be more effective for you.

What should I do if I make a mistake when using Desloratadine?

If you forget to take Desloratadine, you should take it as soon as you remember and then continue to take it as you normally would. If it’s almost time for you to take your next dose, skip the dose you missed and carry on as normal.

Never take a double dose of Desloratadine. And if you take too much, seek medical advice straight away.