Antihistamines

[cartwheels]

Hi all again thanks to everyone who replied to my recent post about steroids. Now my question is about the use of antihistamines,at present my dermatologist has said take two 180 mg fexofenadine a day which I have been when flares appear . Again is the a danger of overuse ? He says no but I don't like to keep taking them but at present I'm struggling to keep my vasculitis under control so experience es and advice is welcome

[Investigator1]

Hi Cartwheels, I was the same as you when I was first diagnosed, I wasn’t aware of what I could take with my treatment it was all part of the journey. I suffer from hay fever, well I did when I had an immune system. In the early days of my diagnoses when I was just being dampened down for 6 months I suffered that summer. I am only talking about Zirtek but was worried about reactions and getting hold of my consultant was like trying to get an RSVP from Lord Lucan so I emailed my GP, to be told “no problem” since then I have taken them for Bee stings, rashes etc while on Rituximab with no problems. Nick.

[citygirl1234]

Hi Cartwheels,

I’d check with your pharmacist, but as someone with GPA and a moderate to severe allergy myself who is on the same dose of fexofenadine to treat the allergy, I have asked this question of my pharmacist before and was told that it increases the likelihood of side effects (most likely to be drowsiness), but was unlikely to be harmful as the benefit (treating the allergy in my case) outweighed the possible side effects. It’s not unusual to see large doses of fexo in allergy clinics for long term use. I’d suggest you ask your pharmacist to be sure as we can’t give medical advice on the internet, but I think the answer is likely to be the same as it’s the same drug, just being used in a slightly different way. It’s not a drug that you can become addicted to physically.

Ultimately, the pharmacist would not have allowed you to pick up the medication if they believed it would be harmful to you, as it is their job to make sure everything the doctor prescribes and that they dispense is safe. They could lose their license to practice if they dispensed something unsafe. They’re usually happy to answer questions.

If it works for you, I’d suggest you keep taking it as prescribed and then revisit it with your doctor when everything is under control.

[cartwheels in reply to citygirl1234]

Thanks I have been told by dermatologist that I can take 3 x 180 mg a day if I need to instead on 1 and he says it's fine. But thought I would ask as I'm new and you all have greater knowledge then myself and experience