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Spring is the time of year you long for, when everything slowly comes to life after winter, turns green and blooms. Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy these treasures on a daily basis, and their preparations for spring are quite different.
For all types of allergy sufferers, the end of winter often turns out to be a moment of dread or at least a great deal of discomfort. The pollen in the air irritates the nose, eyes and all skin, causes burning and itching that suffocate the joy of the new season. Of course, an allergy doesn’t just happen in spring, and it can also apply to many other things. It is nothing more than an immune reaction of our cells to a variety of foreign substances. It is usually a significantly exaggerated, pathological reaction leading to damage to one’s own cells. Very often, allergies happen to us for genetic reasons, less often due to external factors, infections or the presence of parasites. Most of us react by sneezing, tearing or changes in the skin, but it may happen that the effect of allergies is anaphylactic shock, which can lead to health loss or even death. Fortunately, there are many medications and treatments available to prevent allergic reactions.
Desloratadine for allergy
Desloratadine is a second-generation antihistamine, which means that it has no negative effects on the liver. It also has no direct effect on the central nervous system. It can be purchased both as an oral solution and in the form of ODT tablets. As a result, the drug dissolves immediately in the mouth, which makes it much easier for patients to take it (especially if they are not used to it). In addition, it works extremely quickly, because we can feel its effect after 30 minutes, and it lasts up to 27 hours.
Safety of use
It is a safe drug because it does not cause drowsiness, fatigue and does not interact with most medications. It is extremely important especially for people who take medications related to heart or vascular diseases on a regular basis. So it is suitable for elderly patients. It can also be used for skin irritations, i.e. urticaria, redness and rashes of allergic origin. In the form of a syrup, it also supports the treatment of both dry and wet cough.
Contraindications
When it comes to contraindications to the use of preparations containing desloratadine, as with all drugs, it is worth finding out if we are allergic to any component of the drug or if it does not interact inappropriately with other drugs that we take. For prolonged use, as with all medications, consultation with a doctor is recommended.
Is desloratadine a steroid?
Many patients wonder whether their prescribed allergy remedy belongs to the infamous group of steroids. Preparations containing desloratadine belong to the group of antihistamines, which means that they block the action of histamine receptors, which cause symptoms commonly associated with allergies (redness and itching of the skin or hay fever). Although the treatment of allergies is often aided with steroids, antihistamines are completely different substances. They focus mainly on alleviating symptoms, they do not completely eliminate the cause of allergies, but they can make our daily struggle with it much easier.
Desloratadine for a dog?
Sometimes a domestic pet falls victim to allergies – then we wonder if the drugs that are effective in our case will also be suitable for them. It is worth realizing that dog metabolism has a different specificity than human metabolism and not everything that is good for us will serve our pets. Vets are most likely to prescribe the use of steroids in dogs with allergic reactions because they have a much more reliable effect than antihistamines. This type of treatment is sometimes used when steroids are strongly contraindicated, but the efficacy of desloratadine, ciloratadine or cetirizine is limited in canine patients. It is certainly not a good idea to use the drug on a pet without seeking veterinary advice – even if the antihistamine would be effective, it will be necessary to select the dose appropriate to the animal’s needs.