Why is Benadryl the recommended antihistamine?

I believe it is because Benadryl along with others is a fast acting antihistamine. It has a short half-life that is why it can be taken a couple of times per day. Claritin on the other hand is an extended release antihistamine meaning the peak effect of this drug takes longer to achieve. It is slowly released through the body over a 24hour period. My daughter is on Atirax which works more like Benadryl and I was advised to give her this immediately in the case of an allergic reaction. Hope this helps. Cheri

If this is true, I want to switch back to benadryl. I changed from benadryl to claritin also. I didn't like atarax at all. I always find that the claritin works quickly.

Well...I wasn;t going to post for a bit..but...my kids take zrytec 10 mg a day..and if they have an allergic reaction they also get benedryl. So the zrytec is an everyday thing and the benedryl is in case they are having a reaction. We have used clariton too, but have found zyrtec to be better for our allergies. Benedryl has a specific antihistimine in it, which is: *Diphenhydramine HCI, which is a fast acting antihistimine and the best for an allergic reaction.

mkruby,
I'm just trying to understand, but why do your kids take Zyrtec everyday? Is this to prevent a reaction or for other allergies they may have? Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't you just use the antihistamine in case of a reaction instead of being medicated every day? Again, please don't think I'm trying to be rude, just trying to understand. Thanks!

My son takes Claritin everyday because the Zyrtec didn't work for his constant runny nose and nasal congestion. However, the pediatrician and allergist both recommended that he have this everyday to also ward off any reactions to begin with since he has so many allergies to everday foods (wheat, egg, dairy, peanuts, and tree nuts). I definitely notice a difference if I don't give it to him. It is kind of like his preventative asthma medicine..you hate to do it everyday but in the long run it wards off (to an extent) having to use stronger drugs to control a reaction. Trust me, sometimes I get tired of him being on so much medicine but nowadays it seems like sometimes we just have to accept that. Hope this helps...tkiaml

Linda-Jo ... Not offended in the least, you're just curious as to why.... look under the bravery thread under main discussion forum...if you read what our allergies are..you will understand why we take zyrtec everyday. My kids just don't have pa..pa is nothing compared to what we have to deal with here. We have everything listed there, plus asthma, and reflux.

My son also takes Zyrtec daily. It has done wonders for him. His is mainly for his environmental allergies but I have noticed a time where he had a very minor reaction to food but I feel it would be much worse if he did not have the Zyrtec in him.

Okay, I see why they use Benadryl because of it's faster acting ability. We don't have Zyrtec here in Canada, as far as I know. When I originally started giving Jesse a daily antihistamine it was Benadryl. Then, Kid's Claritin came out and only recently have we seen Kid's Reactine on the shelves here. I have tried that because it was less expensive than the Claritin but I think the Claritin actually works better for him. But, then there's the thing about building up your tolerance to one antihistamine so I don't mind switching between the two. But, I'm fairly clear that we don't have Zyrtec here. That's what confused me too in the emergency room, I thought because he had had Claritin that day he didn't need the Benadryl but I was wrong. Two totally different things and given for two totally different reasons. Also, the doctor had told me not to bother supplying the school with Benadryl to follow the epipen with. Do you think I should regardless?

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Thank you, mkruby! Now I understand. I didn't realize your children had other allergies. My daughter just has PA. On the other hand, I should have realized that as my dh takes AllegraD every day for his nasal allergies just to keep him functioning. I just thought it was something else for me to ask our Dr., maybe preventive or something. Thanks again!

no problem Linda... [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Cindy..Zyrtec and Clariton are both prescription drugs here in the USA, they can not be bought over the counter..thought you may want to know. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

I take Claritin every day for repiratory allergies. My allergist told me to still take Benedryl for a PA reaction. Benedryl has been the recommended medicine for fifty years. Thanks for the explanation on this thread. I wasn't sure why it was necessary to take both.

Hi Cindy

I just wanted to address your comment about giving the school benadryl to follow up the epipen. My emergency process with the school is to administer the epipen and call 911. The EMT and ER doctors can follow up with other meds as they see fit. I don't want my school having to make any decisions about the severity of the reaction so our protocol is to never monitor or wait but to always use the epipen and call an ambulance right away. I personally prefer this - especially since everything I have read states that the most important thing is to administer the epipen as early as possible!

Anyway, this is why I don't give my school benadryl.......

take care

deb

DebO, thank-you for your response. That was probably my family doctor's line of thinking to when he said not to give the school the benadryl. They have the two epipens, and as you said, it is for others to follow-up. Also, because Jesse also has to receive two puffs of Ventolin following the epipen shot, that's probably enough on their plate. To add benadryl to the equation may leave more room for confusion, etc. Thanks a lot. I know that I did feel comfortable all year with the two epipens there and no benadryl but sometimes you feel unsure. Now I don't, thank-you.

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Just wanted to add some information about Zyrtec (citirizine) in Canada. In the US Zyrtec is available in liquid and tablet form. In Canada Zyrtec is only available in tablet form, is a prescription drug and is not recommened for administration to children under age 12. Zyrtec is a direct action metabolite that acts to relieve itchy eyes and hives.

Benedryl (diphenhydramine) is available in capsules, tablets and liquid form in both Canada and the US. Benedryl is an antihistamine, antiemetic and antispasmodic that acts more quickly than Zyrtec and acts on a greater number of symptoms.

I used the Canadian CPS and the US Complete Drug Reference to compile the above facts.

Hope this informs. Sincerely, your happy librarian, Kathryn.

Simply re-raising. [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

Best wishes! [img]http://uumor.pair.com/nutalle2/peanutallergy/smile.gif[/img]

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