Antihistamines and seizure risk...

[Poppeye]

With the hayfever season here again, I bought some over the counter medication...and for once, I read the warnings that come with them.

Both types (Cetirizine and Loratadine) mentioned the risk of causing seizures in people with epilepsy. Does anyone have any "real world" experience of the level of this risk.

The information leaflet suggests asking your doctor or pharmacist, but they are unlikely to know enough to give a useful answer. Hayfever is an inconvenience...but I would much rather put up with it than have another seizure...

[GillyA]

I generally find pharmacists are better at drug interactions than GPs (their qualifications are specifically in drugs) also my consultant is pretty relaxed, but my seizures are well controlled. May be worth an email to your consultant’s secretary or epilepsy nurse if you have one.

[Mybraveface]

I have suffered badly with hayfever since a child, used piriton and other antihistamines for many years, but currently use mometasone furoate prescribed by my GP as antihistamines no longer help with my hayfever.

Since neurosurgery in 1989, I developed epilepsy, and used AED medications which have controlled my seizures - mainly carbamazepine and clobazam, recently switched from carbamazepine onto lacosamide. During all of this time I have had skin rashes as a side-effect of the AED medications, and I successfully control/reduce the rash by taking antihistamine (loratadine).

The antihistamine does not seem to cause/interfere with seizure control for myself.

As suggested by another, a word with a pharmacist or epilepsy specialist may help you understand this better.

Best wishes, Paul

[Partner20]

A pharmacist has had many years training in medications, involving such things as medication interactions and suitability of prescriptions. They will often point out to a GP, for instance, that certain combinations of meds cannot be prescribed, and will carry out new medication checks on patients. Your dismissal of their abilities is completely unfounded, I can assure you.

[Poppeye in reply to Partner20]

I am not dismissing their abilities, but I use an online pharmacist who doesn't know me, and he doesn't know anything about the type of seizures that I have and therefore the level of risk involved. The information that came with the packaging is clear, the medication can cause seizures. It must have been written by a pharmacist or it wouldn't have been there at all.