Speaking as one of those people who does the clinical studies of drugs (in fact Claritin is a drug I worked many tedious years on), we have to write down EVERY single thing that a person experiences when taking a drug in a study, and report it. Therefore if you were one of our test patients taking Claritin before it went to market, and you came in and said you had a headache, we have to write down "headache".
Now, if you poll the population of people reading this LJ right at this moment, I can guarantee you that at least 2% of them have a headache right now and probably have been nowhere near Claritin.
So when you look at a drug label and you see all kinds of side effects listed, it's important to keep that in mind. Common ones like headache, dry mouth, drowsiness, insomnia, that are listed for just about darn near every drug in the world, may or may not be drug related - but the FDA requires them to be listed just the same.
Ephedrine, pseudephedrine, ephedra, all pretty much the same thing. That's what puts the "d" in decongestant :)
And yes, to the poster above, you want to take an antihistamine in response to a histamine-producing sting, because it isn't the sting that is bothering you - it's your bodies overreaction to it. Some people get a sting or bite or poison ivy or what have you, and just feel a tiny bit of discomfort. Some people who are really allergic, swell up like balloons, and can even die if their breathing gets constricted (I have that reaction to bees). That severe reaction is caused not by the allergen, but by the reaction of your body's immune system. Overproducing histamine is what CAUSES the runny nose, itching, watery eyes, hives and swelling.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-08-29 05:58 am (UTC)Now, if you poll the population of people reading this LJ right at this moment, I can guarantee you that at least 2% of them have a headache right now and probably have been nowhere near Claritin.
So when you look at a drug label and you see all kinds of side effects listed, it's important to keep that in mind. Common ones like headache, dry mouth, drowsiness, insomnia, that are listed for just about darn near every drug in the world, may or may not be drug related - but the FDA requires them to be listed just the same.
Ephedrine, pseudephedrine, ephedra, all pretty much the same thing. That's what puts the "d" in decongestant :)
And yes, to the poster above, you want to take an antihistamine in response to a histamine-producing sting, because it isn't the sting that is bothering you - it's your bodies overreaction to it. Some people get a sting or bite or poison ivy or what have you, and just feel a tiny bit of discomfort. Some people who are really allergic, swell up like balloons, and can even die if their breathing gets constricted (I have that reaction to bees). That severe reaction is caused not by the allergen, but by the reaction of your body's immune system. Overproducing histamine is what CAUSES the runny nose, itching, watery eyes, hives and swelling.
/end science lesson for the day