Desloratadine

What is Desloratadine?

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

It’s estimated that between 10% and 30% of the population worldwide have hay fever, so it’s very common. It’s caused by a response to allergens such as 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 the immune system from allergens. It’s used in cells that come into contact with the environment including those found in the toes, throat, mouth, lungs and skin.

If your body detects a foreign substance that it sees as being a threat to the immune system, it triggers its cells to make histamine. This is useful and often 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 immune system. 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. You should take one tablet a day.

If the dose prescribed does not offer relief from your symptoms, you can speak to our clinician about using an alternative treatment. You just need to sign in to your account and send them a message.

How to take Desloratadine

Desloratadine is taken once a day with water. It can be taken with or without food. A clinician will advise you whether it’s best for you to take it in the morning or in the evening. 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, you can send a message to one of our expert clinicians.

How long does it take Desloratadine to work?

Desloratadine gets to work within an hour. It reaches its maximum level of effectiveness after three hours. If you find that Desloratadine isn’t working quickly enough, you should contact our clinician because 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.