SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
See the CBC video and article at https://www.msn.com/en-ca/health/me...-medicine-cabinets/ar-BBXucOZ?ocid=spartanntp
- too much can cause difficulty breathing
Quote:
“These medications have significant side effects,” explains Doug Mack, a Burlington, Ont., paediatric allergist and assistant clinical professor at McMaster University, who is also on the board of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Immunology. That group published a statement on October 1st, 2019 regarding Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and other older antihistamines such as Atarax (hydroxyzine) and chlorpheniramine (found in some over-the-counter children’s cough and cold remedies), reiterating this recommendation (which allergists have actually been making less formally for years) and laying out the scientific evidence behind it.
What’s wrong with Benadryl?
Side effects of Benadryl and other first-generation antihistamines include impaired school performance in kids who use it regularly for seasonal allergies; drowsiness, agitation, hallucinations, and—rarely—seizures and even death. For instance, according to a study using data from 2003, that year, in the US, “there were six reports of fatalities (in children) related to first-generation antihistamine use,” Mack says. When the drug was released back in the 1940s “we didn’t have the same safety standards or requirements before over-the-counter medications were licensed for use,” he adds. And yet, in Canada, the drug is readily available over the counter, and, according to online surveys of physicians and pharmacists, Benadryl was the most recommended antihistamine for kids in each of the last seven years.
Newer, better antihistamines
Mack and other allergists say newer antihistamines, which include cetirizine (Reactine), loratadine (Claritin), fexofenadine (Allegra) and desloratidine (Aerius) are actually much safer. (These brands all offer kid-friendly versions). In fact, products with the brand name Benadryl sold outside of the US and Canada actually contain cetirizine, not diphenhydramine.
What’s more, studies have also demonstrated that these second- and third-generation medications, “actually do a better job,” Mack explains. “They last longer, they work quicker, and they don’t cause the same degree of sedation we find in first-generation antihistamines.” (The one down-side: they cost a bit more, but you can get cheaper generic versions.)
- too much can cause difficulty breathing
Quote:
“These medications have significant side effects,” explains Doug Mack, a Burlington, Ont., paediatric allergist and assistant clinical professor at McMaster University, who is also on the board of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Immunology. That group published a statement on October 1st, 2019 regarding Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and other older antihistamines such as Atarax (hydroxyzine) and chlorpheniramine (found in some over-the-counter children’s cough and cold remedies), reiterating this recommendation (which allergists have actually been making less formally for years) and laying out the scientific evidence behind it.
What’s wrong with Benadryl?
Side effects of Benadryl and other first-generation antihistamines include impaired school performance in kids who use it regularly for seasonal allergies; drowsiness, agitation, hallucinations, and—rarely—seizures and even death. For instance, according to a study using data from 2003, that year, in the US, “there were six reports of fatalities (in children) related to first-generation antihistamine use,” Mack says. When the drug was released back in the 1940s “we didn’t have the same safety standards or requirements before over-the-counter medications were licensed for use,” he adds. And yet, in Canada, the drug is readily available over the counter, and, according to online surveys of physicians and pharmacists, Benadryl was the most recommended antihistamine for kids in each of the last seven years.
Newer, better antihistamines
Mack and other allergists say newer antihistamines, which include cetirizine (Reactine), loratadine (Claritin), fexofenadine (Allegra) and desloratidine (Aerius) are actually much safer. (These brands all offer kid-friendly versions). In fact, products with the brand name Benadryl sold outside of the US and Canada actually contain cetirizine, not diphenhydramine.
What’s more, studies have also demonstrated that these second- and third-generation medications, “actually do a better job,” Mack explains. “They last longer, they work quicker, and they don’t cause the same degree of sedation we find in first-generation antihistamines.” (The one down-side: they cost a bit more, but you can get cheaper generic versions.)
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