Common allergy medication’s risks outweigh its usefulness, experts say

Dr. Anna Wolfson said that the allergy drug differential in the clinic every day has seen a dangerous abuse.

Wolfson, an allergist at Massachusetts General Hospital, said, “If someone has a food allergic reaction, people will say ‘don’t worry, there’s a differenhydramine in my bag’ and ‘really, I can say’ really, epinephrine food allergies ‘, the Massachusetts General Hospital,’ allergic.

Dipenhydramine can be harmful if people take an allergic reaction to food, because the best known to the Benadryl brand makes them sleepy and may cause them to miss signs that their symptoms are worse.

“It is time to continue. For each indicator that people use differential, there are more effective drugs in treating symptoms that people are trying to treat with less side effects,” he said. “I have experienced patients, whose Difenhydramin was worried about driving or fully disrupts the capabilities of driving or fully participating in daily lives.”

Wolfson is not alone in choosing alternatives. One review San Diego, an allergic experts of Johns Hopkins University and California University, called for removal of differential from the US counter and prescription markets in the United States and said it was outdated, dangerous and kept by safer alternatives.

A first generation approved in 1946 is widely used for a antihistamine, differenhydramine allergies, sleep aid and cold symptoms. According to the American Pharmacists Association, people are a common prescription drug consisting of sneezing and flowing nose caused by insect bites or toxic ivy and grass and pollen allergies.

Despite its long -term presence in American homes, the new investigation says that the authors of the authors poses more disproportionate risks than new antihistaminics for children and elderly adults.

“Patients should try alternative agents such as Loratadine, Claritin or Feksofenadin or Feksofenadin with allergy to alleviate allergy symptoms”, Dr. James Clark.

OTC medical industry representing the Association of Consumer Health Products, diffinhydramine -containing products associated with common side effects are explained on the label, he says. However, “These products are not designed for long -term use.”

Benadryl’s producer Kenvue said on behalf of Kenvue, “When used as guided, these drugs provide well -established therapeutic benefits for common health disorders such as allergies, colds, movement disease, small skin irritation and occasional insomnia,” he said. “Like all medicines, responsible use is very important, and consumers should always monitor instructions and warnings on drug facts labels and consult health care providers if they have questions.”

Dipenhydramine risks

Antihistamines work by blocking receptors called H1, which is part of the body’s response system to allergens, and triggers symptoms such as sneezing, itching and nose discharge. However, old drugs, such as Dipenhydramine, do not only prevent receptors associated with allergies, but may also affect other parts of the brain. Authors usually cause sedation, cognitive disorder and dangerous cardiac effects in some cases.

In elderly adults, the drug may remain in the body for up to 18 hours, which can lead to an increase in sleepiness, orientation disorder and the risk of falling. The examination also emphasized a possible connection with the use of long -term differenhydramine. dementia.

Risks in children may be even more pronounced. The authors of the investigation accidentally refers to overdose cases; Paradoxical reactions such as agitation, excessive sedation and coma; And even death, especially with pediatric formulations, due to accidental swallows. Drug, several children were associated with hospitalization and death during viral “Benadryl Struggle” Tiktok.

General Pediatric and Emergency Care Director at Texas University Medical Branch. Manuela Murray says Diphenhydramin should not be used gently ”.

Murray should always be used under the guidance of a medical expert and are not only indicated to treat movement and movement disease, Mur Murray wrote.

The drug is often abused and said, “It does not offer a benefit for the treatment of cold symptoms and is not a safe sleeping aid medicine.” In fact, children may have the opposite effects, which leads to hyperactivity.

Texas Pediatrics and Children’s Medical Director Dr. Alyssa Kuban said that he did not treat directly and used excessively used differentiated alternatives for symptoms.

“I see that some families use differentiramine when children have cold or upper respiratory tract infection, thinking that they will help congestion and help them sleep better at night,” he said. “This is not effective for these cold symptoms, nor is it too safe.”

The hive recommends sequel on the counter to treat children with seasonal allergies or anchored rash. Setirizin says that it is not as long as longer and soothing as differentiating.

Murray acknowledges that Loratadin and Setirizin are safer for children for more than 6 months, and that the saline drops and sucking are better alternatives for babies.

‘Time to say one last goodbye’

Difenhydramine usually occurs in more than 300 OTC formulation involved in combination products for cough, colds and flu. The authors of the investigation, like pseudoephedrine products, say that difhadramine should at least move behind the counter and allow pharmacists to direct patients to the second generation of alternatives.

The American Pharmacists Association says that patients should be careful with cold products containing combination cough and diffenhydramine.

Pharmacists may propose alternative drugs for elderly adults who have cognitive influences of certain drugs, and the Group encourages patients and parents/caregivers to ask for the most appropriate treatment suggestion for their symptoms for their symptoms ”.

The authors of the study also emphasize that differential is not a powerful clinical data that can show that it works better than other options. Although it can reduce symptoms such as sneezing and itching, it has a minimum effect on nasal congestion and does not perform better than the second generation of drugs in randomized studies. New options, such as oral sequel, offer a 24 -hour scope with less negative events.

However, in the US, the drug remains a fiber. According to the investigation, more than 1.5 million prescriptions are written annually without counting unmistable OTC purchases.

“In the past, it has been a useful drug that helps millions of patients, however, the existing therapeutic rate is matched or overcome with the second generation of antihistamines due to significant decreased adverse reactions.

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