Another allergy, (Allegra-D), question

[luvflorida]

I posted a few days ago about my DD14 and possible allergies. The doctor gave us samples of Allegra-D for her to take. We have a follow up appointment in a few weeks. The doctor seemed hurried and gave us the samples and said she could take two pills a day. She also neglected to tell her not to take them with food. I did some internet research and discovered that bit of info on my own.

The school nurse called me today and said my daughter wasn't feeling well, so I went in to pick her up and I talked to the school nurse. I told her what the doctor prescribed and the school nurse seemed hesitant when I said my daughter was taking two Allegra-D a day. She asked how much my daughter weighed, (95 pounds), and thought one a day was right, but she said if the doctor prescribed two then that was probably okay.

I have always been paranoid about medications and hate to give or take them, so I'm a little concerned. Does anyone here have a 14/15 year old, or a child weighing around 95 pounds, that takes Allegra-D? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Blondy876]

That does seem like a high dosage. I weigh 150 and I only take one Allegra D each morning. Can you call the doctors office and ask them what her dosage should be?

 

[Pam]

I would definitely call the Dr. and clarify the dosage.

Maybe you could check with a pharmacist tonight? And what does Allegra's website suggest?

 

[Karel]

My Allegra D only lasts 12 hours, so its one at morning and one at night. I can feel when it wears off! I'm a lot older and bigger than your daughter though.

I didn't know I wasn't suppose to take them with food though. Can you explain?

 

[bballmom56]

DD used to take it (she's 20 and about 110 lbs.). With the Allegra-D, the dosage was 2 per day. But with regular Allegra, it's just one per day.

 

[luvflorida]

I would definitely call the Dr. and clarify the dosage.

Maybe you could check with a pharmacist tonight? And what does Allegra's website suggest?

I'm going to call the doctor's office tomorrow and ask about the proper dosage. The Allegra website doesn't say anything about amount of pills or correlation of weight to dosage.

 

[luvflorida]

My Allegra D only lasts 12 hours, so its one at morning and one at night. I can feel when it wears off! I'm a lot older and bigger than your daughter though.

I didn't know I wasn't suppose to take them with food though. Can you explain?

The Allegra website, www.Allegra.com, doesn't say anything about how to take the pills, but I researched several other sites that have information about Allegra and some of them specifically say to take the pills an hour before eating or two hours after eating. Of course, I gave my daughter her first pill with her meal BEFORE I did the research.

 

[boo's mom]

When I take Allegra, I was told to take one in the morning when I get up and one before bed. From what I was told, you are supposed to take them 12 hours apart.

 

[gallaj0]

At that age and weight, I would consider taking one pill and splitting it; giving half in the morning, and half at night. The allegra-D is a normal allegra pill (or claritin, same ingredient; loratidine) with a built in decongestant. All that decongestant at once may be making her woozy.
I'd probably start with the smaller dose, and once you are maintaining the levels of allergy medicine and the runny nose, post nasal drip, etc. stop, I'd switch to the Allegra without the decongestant.

My son takes Allegra every day starting in March into summer, then starting again in hayfever season. I only add a decongestant if we miss a day and he gets stuffed up, then cut it out once he's clear.

 

[EdiePA]

Let's not practice medicine without a license. As a pharmacist, there is too much misinformation in this thread for me to keep my mouth shut.

One Allegra-D taken twice daily is not an overdose, even based on her 95 lb. weight. Allegra is not dosed by weight, but by age. The main concern is how developed the kidneys are to handle the dose. A lower dose is recommended as a starting dose for those with decreased renal function.

Also, Allegra is NOT the same as Claritin (fexofenadine vs. loratadine).

And Allegra itself does NOT have to be taken on an empty stomach. It is the D component (the decongestant, pseudoephedrine) that should be taken on an empty stomach. Also, many people, myself included, are hyper-reactors to pseudoephedrine. I can't take it bacause I get heart palpitations, insomnia, and anxiety.

If the doctor didn't have time to talk to you about all this, maybe it's time to try a new doctor.

HTH
Edie

 

[shelbyjosh]

I take this for my allergies and have never been told to take it with food. DD10 recently took some for bad allergies. Her MD said it was ok to take it every 12 hrs. If in doubt, check with your pharmacist or physician!

 

[LuvN~Travel]

Our daughter is 16 and really needs a decongestant (one big mucus factory) and she's only taking 1 a day. I'm surprised your daughter was told to take 2.
Kim

 

[magicfan]

I am far from weighing 95 pounds and I have been on a hunt for the right allergy medication that wont make me feel awful. I was just told by a pharmacist that anything with a "D" in it is a decongestant, and so far, those types knock me out (with only one dose). I took two different brands last week and all I wanted to do is sleep all day! I was a zombie. Maybe I am just sensitive. I dont know about Allegra. I know my DD didn't like it---it didn't seem to help her. She takes Singular and is fine with it. Although, she was advised to take it before bed because it would make her drowsy, but it has the opposite effect on her, so she takes it in the morning. I think everyone is different. If I were to take a decongestant twice a day, I'd have to call in sick. Talk to her doctor,for sure.

 

[always quiet]

This thread has really opened my eyes about something!! My DH, who's allergies this year are positively horrendous (constant dripping down his throat and since the throat is still somewhat tender from the radiation, it is very irritated ) and he went to our family doctor. The doctor prescribed Allegra D. He's been taking it for about 3 months now and has said that the dripping has gotten worse. IF the doctor has prescribed something that is a decongestant, it makes sense that it's running more!! He's going to the ENT specialist he went to who did the surgery on the cancer on Tues. I have a feeling he's going to prescribe something different!

 

[Kleo222]

Hello I really like this forum! I am new here! can you help me! I want to get new friends...

 

[golfgal]

My DS13 takes Allegra in the 120mg dose. He needs that much to even touch his allergies. DS10 takes the 60mg dose and that is enough for him. THey are both the same size. When DS13 started out on Zyrtec the label read take 1 to 2 teaspoons. Allergy med dosages are variable.

I took Claritin over the counter last summer for the first time and it made me feel kind of funky for the first couple days. After my body adjusted, it was fine. She probably needs a couple days to a week to get her body adjusted to the medication.

I would also make an appointment with and allergy specialist. The specialist will be able to give you more complete information and since they deal will allergies every day, all day, they will have more knowledge about the subject.

 

[zalansky]

I went to the doctor yesterday after two solid weeks of h*ll from allergies gone wild here in Florida. I've never had them so bad in my life....and even have sinusitis now and am on anti-biotics. The doctor also prescribed me Zyrtec - does anyone know how good/bad this drug is? I *think* I feel a little better but its been less then 24 hours. Thank God we leave for Cabo San Lucas in a few days....so I can stop sneezing. Forget the vacation, I'll be able to breathe.