Claritin - whoa

denverpilot

denverpilot

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DenverPilot
So...

Got a quick lesson in why darn near anything one takes needs to be evaluated for personal effect today.

First off, I know Claritin isn't FAA approved. I had no intentions of stepping anywhere near an airplane anytime soon.

Been sniffling a tiny but annoying amount for a couple of weeks. Standard seasonal hayfever type allergies. Nothing earth-shattering. Not even enough to ground myself for it. Mostly annoying in the mornings per my usual. Wake up, rub mildly itchy eyeballs, sniffle, sniffle, usually gone by second cup of coffee at the office, for the most part. A couple weeks a year it's a little worse and lasts for half a day before I either ignore it subconsciously or it stops. Not really sure which. Computer screens dry out eyeballs that don't blink enough, so that's probably a factor. Bad eyeball ergonomics combined with watery eyeballs equals normal somewhere along the day. Ha.

Also will toss out there that I really try to avoid pharmaceuticals, even OTC stuff, actively. I feel we're a nation of pill poppers and don't trust Big Pharma any further than I can throw them. The occasional dose of antibiotics from the Doc maybe once in two or three years, ibuprofen, and an occasional heartburn med is about all that passes my lips. Certainly a combo "severe cold" remedy if I'm completely laid out in bed which doesn't happen much.

Wife's a nurse and always has various stuff around the house for her or in one of her kits of miscellaneous remedies for the 170+ women in her chorus.

Last night in one of my weaker moments, I spied a package of OTC Claritin my wife had purchased sometime in the past (yeah, probably should check the date, huh?) in the downstairs cabinet and thought to myself, "I'm kinda tired of sniffling. Screw it." and took one. This was the "24 hour" version.

I went to bed. Slept great. So great in fact that I woke up an hour late. Wow.

I have a four mile commute. During this tiny drive I realized I felt "buzzy" for lack of a better word and that my reaction times were way off. I started leaving a large gap between me and the in front of me. Wow.

At work, even simple things seemed to come slowly. Wasn't like being drunk (well, not that I've ever been drunk at work, but I have used a computer keyboard drunk a few times from the comfort of home... Haha...) , but typing was slow and deliberate and thinking was very linear. One thing at a time.

A conversation with a co-worker about his upcoming trip to Pagosa Springs and for the life of me, I could remember most of the lyrics, but not the song title of Wolf Creek Pass. (Had to sing/speak the whole thing up to the chorus to jog my memory... He laughed and I'd already told him I was "fuzzy" and he agreed.)

Effect seemed to slowly wear off after lunch.

Not touching that stuff again unless my head threatens to to explode in a puff of mucus and itching (never happened yet) and I plan on just staying away from operating machinery.

Holy crap.

By the way, back when we lived near a big open field that must have been home to something related to these seasonal allergies and during my 8 years away from aviation, I had a prescription for Allegra for a few bad weeks one year. That stuff worked flawlessly on me, and I haven't looked in a while, but I think that one is FAA approved with Doc and patient saying there's no adverse side effects, so if I really really had to get something, it'd be that.

At least I know that already and it's available in my "back pocket" for a bad year.

I have done a completely unscientific study and determined that when the mold index is up, is when my allergy symptoms arise, and we had rain here enough to find a couple of dead worms on the sidewalk at work today and some spontaneously growing mushrooms in the landscaping... Very rare for our dry climate. So it matches up still in my little personal study. We also sleep with the bedroom windows open at night most nights until it gets too cold to do so.

Anyway... No more Claritin for me... Whew. That was too weird.
 
denverpilot said:
First off, I know Claritin isn't FAA approved. I had no intentions of stepping anywhere near an airplane anytime soon.
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Claritin (loratadine) is approved if you have no side effects.
Anyway... No more Claritin for me... Whew. That was too weird.
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Looks like you had side effects.
 
Nate, I've taken Claritin on occasion primarily because it has no side effects for me. Might you have per chance taken Claritin -D which is Claritin with a decongestant? The "D" really messes me up. But not the plain Claritin. You might want to check that package.
 
claritin and claritin-D work great for me. i'm definitely better on it than off this time of year, based on how lousy i felt last weekend.
 
Claratin doesn't do jack for me. To get any relief I have to take Zyrtec or one of its buddies. I don't do it if I need to do anything the next day, I am usually zombified. And I don't take one 48 hours before a flight, either.
 
steingar said:
Claratin doesn't do jack for me. To get any relief I have to take Zyrtec or one of its buddies. I don't do it if I need to do anything the next day, I am usually zombified. And I don't take one 48 hours before a flight, either.
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Just as a note, I understand the FAA now suggests/requires a waiting period of 5 times the dosing interval. So for a "take every 12 hours" medication that affects you, wait 60 hours before flying.
 
Nate - Plain Claritin should never have the effects you describe - I echo the comment that you must have gotten the "D" variant. I know people who take Claritin (or its generic equivalents) prophylactically during allergy season, without hint of effect.
 
SCCutler said:
Nate - Plain Claritin should never have the effects you describe - I echo the comment that you must have gotten the "D" variant. I know people who take Claritin (or its generic equivalents) prophylactically during allergy season, without hint of effect.
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I take it prophylactically year round, with FAA's blessing. Though my dx is allergic rhinitis, I've never had seasonal allergies -- just dust -- and could never figure out what kind of exposure could be causing my 365/year stuffiness. Then last night we had a power outage. I had a hard time getting my Linux box to spin up again, which is "normal", however the fans sounded like the motors were straining against some kind of load. So I opened up the case and holy mausoleum Batman! There were layers of dust literally 2-3 cms thick lining the interior of the case, the boards, and, of course, the various fans. After some dusting and vacuuming, everything was working again... except for my nasal passages, which were considerably worse.

Anyway I concur with the others. Either you used Claritin-D, or (another possibility) you had an "idiosyncratic reaction" to the stuff most people take without side effects. It happens, live and learn.
 
Actually, regular Claritin makes me a bit drowsy, always has. Different medications affect different people differently. I have no doubt that someone could have the effects described by the OP from it.

Had a friend in school who got kept up by barbiturates and put to sleep by amphetamines. I had a case of gout get inflamed beyond belief by Vicodin. These things happen.
 
denverpilot said:
Will check on the -D. Yesterday was definitely Mr. Toad's Wild ride.
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Fairly easy to tell them apart:

Regular Claritin is small white pill with a chalky surface:

SHC04580.jpg


-D is a larger tablet with a shiny surface:

SHC06350.jpg


I take Claritin with absolutely no side effects. Since I have hypertension, I must avoid the -D, but my daughter takes it occasionally, so it's in the cabinet.
 
I had the same exact same reaction to Claritin. I called it a "startling case of the stupids" and did not get any allergy reduction benefit either. After being encouraged to stick with it a week by MD, the stupids did go away, but the allergies stayed. Allegra has worked a charm for me, and it is OTC and generic now, though not nearly as cheap as generic Claritin or Zyrtec.
 
Didn't know Allegra was OTC these days. Shows how long it's been. I know it was still when we lived in our condo, so at least 11-12 years ago. ;)
 
I'm glad with these 2 broken ribs that I have moved away from a climate that causes me to sneeze . . .

Claritin, plain old nothing else in it does exactly the same thing to me that it does to Nate . . . I don't take it for that reason unless I WANT to feel stupid.

Hey Dr. Bruce - so is it 4 of 5 times efficacy?

I also have a question - I've been self grounded for a week now with these 2 broken ribs mainly because A) I can't pull the airplane out of the hangar and (B) I'm taking Norco.

actually 2 questions - every 4-6 hours means 24 hours before I fly . . . correct? and

Lets assume that pilot A stops taking Hydrocodone on Friday, and goes flying on Monday. Lets say he has an incident and they want a drug test. Well, given its been inside 7-10 days he is going to test positive for opiates. However, he was obeyed the rules and not taken the drug for ten times its effective period . . . how do they handle that? The person obviously lacks the urine level to be under the influence but its still positive. . . .
 
comanchepilot said:
I'm glad with these 2 broken ribs that I have moved away from a climate that causes me to sneeze . . .

Claritin, plain old nothing else in it does exactly the same thing to me that it does to Nate . . . I don't take it for that reason unless I WANT to feel stupid.

Hey Dr. Bruce - so is it 4 of 5 times efficacy?

I also have a question - I've been self grounded for a week now with these 2 broken ribs mainly because A) I can't pull the airplane out of the hangar and (B) I'm taking Norco.

actually 2 questions - every 4-6 hours means 24 hours before I fly . . . correct? and

Lets assume that pilot A stops taking Hydrocodone on Friday, and goes flying on Monday. Lets say he has an incident and they want a drug test. Well, given its been inside 7-10 days he is going to test positive for opiates. However, he was obeyed the rules and not taken the drug for ten times its effective period . . . how do they handle that? The person obviously lacks the urine level to be under the influence but its still positive. . . .
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They handle that with a medical review officer. However, to fly in 24 hours is bad judgement. Give it 72 hours.

And, if you're on the stuff, prolonged.....you'll get tolerant and after 3 weeks of the stuff you really need off a good week to clear all the dependency stuff.

If you're on 6 weeks, you're really going to have issues that will take a month or two to deal with and the brain won't work right in Hydrocodone Withdrawal.

Sorry to hear about the rib. It's pretty disconerting to have a screwdriver jabbing at you everytime you turn or breathe. :(
 
Dr. Bruce - they gave me SIXTY 10mg Norco - I think I've taken 10 in the last 10 days since it happened. I know about all the issues and thats what I only took it during the acute phase of the pain - I've broken my rib before - twice - one in a hang glider and once on a bike on pavement - at least this time was on dirt.

Its reached the point now where 400mg of Vitamin M controls it during the day - so I have not taken a Norco since Wednesday . . . prob gonna wait til Monday to fly.

I can see why people get hooked on this stuff - but I don't like it at all. I get the itching and nausea . . . two ribs actually - no chips, no sharp edges. And it really does not hurt much until I lie down to sleep . . . so I'm not sleeping well which obviously delays the healing.

Anyway - thanks for the head up - 72 hrs it is but its too hot out here anyway to take a GA airplane anywhere 14 hours of the day. was 105 at the house today and we're at 1500MSL - I'm sure Ontario got to 109 or so.
 
ChrisK said:
Wow. I don't even trust myself to cross the street on pseudoephedrine.
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And it shouldn't cause drowsiness. The opposite is usually true. Denverpilot should have had trouble getting to sleep, not waking up an hour late.

Not really safe stuff, either. Wiki has this:

Adverse effects

Common adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with pseudoephedrine therapy include: CNS stimulation, insomnia, nervousness, excitability, dizziness and anxiety. Infrequent ADRs include: tachycardia and/or palpitations. Rarely, pseudoephedrine therapy may be associated with mydriasis (dilated pupils), hallucinations, arrhythmias, hypertension, seizures and ischemic colitis;[13] as well as severe skin reactions known as recurrent pseudo-scarlatina, systemic contact dermatitis, and nonpigmenting fixed drug eruption.[14] Pseudoephedrine, particularly when combined with other drugs including narcotics, may also play a role in the precipitation of episodes of paranoid psychosis.[15] It has also been reported that pseudoephedrine, amongst other sympathomimetic agents, may be associated with the occurrence of stroke.[16]
Precautions and contraindications

It is recommended that pseudoephedrine not be used in patients with: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, severe or uncontrolled hypertension, severe coronary artery disease, prostatic hypertrophy, hyperthyroidism, closed angle glaucoma, or by pregnant women.[13]
Patients who are prone to anxiety or panic attacks should use pseudoephedrine with caution, as anxiety and restlessness are common side effects, mostly due to the drug's stimulant properties.
Since nasal congestion is considered to be a relatively minor ailment, alternatives are preferred in patients with these conditions. Appropriate alternatives may include saline sprays/instillations, depending on the patient's condition. Topical decongestants should be used with caution and for no longer than three days to avoid rhinitis medicamentosa.
People with bipolar disorder should take care when using pseudoephedrine, as it can cause insomnia and thus trigger a manic episode.


From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrine


Dan
 
Claritin does absolutely nothing for me. Have taken Allegra on flight status. Clearly mileage varies among people, as I have never had a response like you did. I guess the feds had a reason for controlling stuff like this after all :)
 
I've had the same problem with Claritin (I don't remember if it was the -D variety or not). I swore off all allergy medication for a while until my wife turned me on to Zyrtec, which works with no side effects.

She, by the way, has horrible allergies and during the worst of it takes a Zyrtec every day, in addition to going to a doctor every 3 months during the summer season for an allergy shot. And she still gets miserable.
 
bluesky74656 said:
I've had the same problem with Claritin (I don't remember if it was the -D variety or not). I swore off all allergy medication for a while until my wife turned me on to Zyrtec, which works with no side effects.
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I'm going to try that. That's for the feedback!

I took 50mg diphenhydramine last night and honestly it just makes me feel like I haven't slept almost as bad as not sleeping.
 
ChrisK said:
I took 50mg diphenhydramine last night and honestly it just makes me feel like I haven't slept almost as bad as not sleeping.
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That's what Zyrtec does to me. I avoid taking it like the plague, but when I get full on allergies, I can't function anyway, so the drug isn't that much worse. Usually one will be enough to break up an allergy cycle.
 
I take Zyrtec on the rare occasion I need one (about 10 days in the year when it gets really bad). No side effects. Had no idea I'm not supposed to fly on them - is that true?
 
I never felt drowsy with Claritin-d. I changed back to regular claritin just to stay legal for flying.

Dr. Bruce, would there be any health benefit to using Claritin-d again? Both seem to work equally well for me.
 
onwards said:
I take Zyrtec on the rare occasion I need one (about 10 days in the year when it gets really bad). No side effects. Had no idea I'm not supposed to fly on them - is that true?
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According to my understanding you are not allowed by the FAA to fly after taking Zyrtec. I had a nice link, but it pooped out on me. A quick google search will lead you to plenty of documentation.
 
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steingar said:
According to my understanding you are not allowed by the FAA to fly after taking Zyrtec. I had a nice link, but it pooped out on me. A quick google search will lead you to plenty of documentation.
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Ha. Good to know. Learn something new every day. Thank you.
 
My AME said Zyrtec caused drowsiness; so it wasn't approved. I do best on Allegra. Claritin doesn't hurt, but doesn't seem to help much either.

Best,

Dave
 
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