antihistamines

[Shannon Nelson]

What sorts of problems might be caused by taking daily doses of
Claritin (it's an OTC antihistamine, but I don't know exactly what)
for six months?

Can anyone give me a quick overview of what body systems might be
stressed by that--would the adrenals be involved, or ?

Thanks,
Shannon

[Joy Lucas]

There is so much info out there below are the usual recorded ones read somewhere they are <<< fertility. and everyone will react according to any weakness they already have in specific organs, body parts.
Other, less common side-effects, mainly from sedating antihistamines, include:

* headaches
* difficulty in passing urine
* dry mouth
* blurred vision
* feeling sick or vomiting
* constipation or diarrhoea
* skin or eye irritation (from creams, lotions and eye drops)

The following side-effects have also occasionally been reported:

* palpitations and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmia)
* high blood pressure
* allergic reactions (such as swelling, rash and breathing difficulties)
* dizziness
* confusion
* depression
* disturbed sleep
* tremor
* fits
* blood and liver disorders
* over-excitement in children

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

[MM]

Side-effects
As a non-sedating antihistamine, loratadine causes less sedation and psychomotor retardation than the older antihistamines because it penetrates the blood brain barrier only to a slight extent.

Although drowsiness is rare at the common 10 mg dose, patients should nevertheless be advised that it can occur and may affect performance of skilled tasks (e.g. driving); excess alcohol should be avoided.
Drowsiness , headache, psychomotor impairment, and antimuscarinic effects such as urinary retention, dry mouth, blurred vision, and gastrointestinal disturbances are the most common side effects.
Hypotension , extrapyramidal effects , dizziness, confusion, depression, sleep disturbances, lower back pain, tremor, convulsions, palpitation, arrhythmias, hypersensitivity reactions (including bronchospasm, angioedema, and anaphylaxis, rashes, and photosensitivity reactions), blood disorders, liver dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, and angle-closure glaucoma are less common side effects.
Cautions and contraindications
Loratadine should be used with caution in hepatic disease and dose reduction may be necessary in renal impairment. Caution may be required in epilepsy . Children and the elderly are more susceptible to side-effects (see Side-effects section above). Loratadine is a category L-2 (classified by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a drug "Usually Compatible With Breast-feeding " ) and category B in pregnancy

[Shannon Nelson]

Thanks--some of this is information I'd found, but some is new to me.
She does have renal impairment and is also epileptic.
Sounds like she should look for an alternative---she's going to try cutting back, and looking at a couple of other things too. I'll pass this added information along.
Thanks again,
Shannon

[Joy Lucas]

Additionally it should be noted that almost regardless of the
potential side effects that these drugs can cause in themselves it is
all about suppression so you have to think on an individual level and
look towards what this is suppressing and how it will shape shift into
another disease, which it inevitably could and would do if used for
long enough.

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

[Shannon Nelson]

Yes, that's a huge concern!
The immediate thing it's suppressing, of course, is anaphylaxis... Suppressing possible death while we try to figure out a better approach--I guess that's the thinking...

She's been using Apis 6 or 30 to counter reactions that do come up--so I guess they still do even through the Claritin--I need to clarify more--but she's understandably nervous about the situation!

The other remedy I'm trying to look into--would love more input!--is Carbolic acid. It has a number of touch-points with her case, but it's a remedy I know very little about (other than as "the other remedy for anaphylactic shock", so to speak). Parts of what I see--mostly so far just through trolling rubrics--seems relevant to her prior, chronic case; some parts seem to suit her current sxs, and of course there's the anaphylaxis. I won't have much reading time for the next few days, unfortunately--but if anyone (Joy?) has more info on the remedy (esp. possible chronic or "constitutional" picture??) and/or can point me to other good sources, I'll be grateful!

(Previously she had initially promising response to Carcinosin, and I very much assume she'll need and benefit from that at some point, but it hasn't been able to "grab hold" of the physical stuff at this point.)

Thanks,
Shannon

[Joy Lucas]

What you are dealing with it would seem is someone who is exceptionally allergic - what substance? They are in a hypersensitive state (beware potency and dose when prescribing for someone like this). Could be any number of rx but if memory serves me well I think it is Lou Klein that has written about Carbolic acid and allergies - yes it is a big rx for this. It was an article in the SoH Journal, I will see if I still have it.

I don't mind writing something about it but will be next week, I am away for the weekend. Is there anything specific you wanted to focus on, apart from the affinity to allergies?

Joy

http://www.joylucashomeopathy.com
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/homeopathystudy/

[Joy]

Found it Summary, as I don't have a scanner anymore.

Modern rx because parents lived through an age of allergy shots - a constituent of these shots was phenol = carbolic acid so a rx to consider when you have nbws allergy shots. Main allergens = foods and bee stings - chronic hypersensitivity, asthma, environmental allergies and any substance that contains phenol - chronic state of collapse - faint feeling, drained, chronic weakness might look like other carbons such as Graphites and Amm carb - weakness all over - can look like pic-ac - when the anaphylaxis goes a very weak state is left looks like chronic fatigue syndrome - so weak cannot even produce a reaction anymore - life threatening asthma - excretions are foetid, putrid, septic states, cancers - emotionally a mix of carbons and acids - strong work ethic and issues with the father (gets this latter notion from Scholten I think but he must have seen it in clinical practice - Joy) - like all acids they give all then depletion - father figure might have been absent - they expect a lot from their partners, they give a lot and expect it back then get disappointed (you can see the carcinosin aspect - Joy) - when depleted their allergies are at their worst - when well they overwork - always trying to prove themselves - emotions and sexual energies are explosive - they have zest for life then depletion (most of the acids are like this - Joy) - they are expressive, sudden and intense, very reactive to criticism, explosive temper - likens the rx also to veratrum - phenol means made of alcohol - might be a history of alcoholism - or made from illuminating gas.

I would add they can become absent minded as an intermediate stage from working intensely but before the depletion sets in, try to stay on top of things but basically completely worn out - seem like they are in a dream world - they are always trying to fight that stage of depletion, hate to give in to it so that intermediate stage is always the worst, you will see what looks like alternating states such as irritable but then sulking; over the top happy and then completely dull; restless and fearful and then out of it.

Joy
--- In minutus@yahoogroups.com, Joy Lucas wrote:

[Shannon Nelson]

Ah, *wonderful*!!! Sounds very promising indeed.

Re your prior note, yes she's exceptionally allergic (and gradually increasingly so, it seems), and seems to be reacting to a wider range of substances. That I'm aware of, that includes mold, spinach, tomatoes--but I'll have to ask what else. She's mentioned reacting to a neighbor's perfumed laundry detergent... My impression was that she hasn't always *known* what set it off, but it suddenly occurs to me I'm not sure.

Hypersensitive yes. *Usually* her reactions to remedies have been quite "average" and manageable--have used potencies between 6 and 200, also low LMs, usually no problem, BUT there were a few (three, I think?) exceptions. I'd be only guessing about why. Interesting to see the similarities with carcinosin--well, thanks very much!

Re what else I'd want to know about it, I'll do more reading on what i can find so far (sigh, in spare moments), but the "bigger picture" in general is what I've found so little on, and this article summary is a real help. Next week I might have more specific questions--and more specific information.

THanks again!!
Shannon