Claritin allergy medication and seizures

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KathyJJ

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Has Claritin allergy medication made you have more seizures? The reason I ask is I have allergies and I had finally found something that I could take and it helped. I can't take just anything and when I can, I can't take the normal dosage. If I do, it just builds up in me so that's why I have to be careful about how much I take. I was able to take it occasionally for a while but last week, I took one 24 hour Claritin when I went to bed. I got up the next morning and had a seizure where I fell. The next morning, I had another one at the same time. I hardly ever have this type of seizure and hadn't had one since last month. I didn't have another one until this morning. I had taken a half of a 24 hr. Claritin last night and this morning, I had another falling seizure at the same time as the others. It seems like too much of a coincidence for it not to be the Claritin causing them. I am not on any medications for my seizures because the doctors took me off. They said the side effects were worse than my seizures so that can't be it. Has it made you have more seizures?
 
It's so weird that you brought this up. I was taking Claritin for a few weeks and my blood pressure is way up. I'm also not feeling well with my E. I'm feeling out of sync. My Nero told me to switch to Allegra.

Good catch KathyJJ :clap:
 
Medicines that contain pseudoephedrine (such as Claritin D) can potentially trigger seizures. The regular Claritin (which does not contain pseudoephedrine) is less likely to do so, but some people are more sensitive to antihistamines in general.

It may also be the disruption to sleep that the allergies and the medication can cause that may have a triggering effect.
 
The last (and only) time I took Claritin, I had my first tonic clonic seizure in over a decade. I use Flonase nasal spray for allergies now.
 
Nakamova said:
Medicines that contain pseudoephedrine (such as Claritin D) can potentially trigger seizures. The regular Claritin (which does not contain pseudoephedrine) is less likely to do so, but some people are more sensitive to antihistamines in general.

It may also be the disruption to sleep that the allergies and the medication can cause that may have a triggering effect.
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I can't figure out what the difference is in these times and the months past. This was the regular Claritin that I took and I had been taking it before as needed without having seizures just as I did these 2 times. I had slept good all of those nights without any interruptions so I had ruled sleep out as a trigger. I guess it's possible that your body can change as to how we react to medications and I am sensitive to them.
 
zombelina said:
The last (and only) time I took Claritin, I had my first tonic clonic seizure in over a decade. I use Flonase nasal spray for allergies now.
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Thank you for this information! I will check into the Flonase and maybe I can take it at least "as needed" rather than every day. Because I am so sensitive, I can't take any allergy medications daily so I resort to "as needed" meaning when it gets so bad I can't stand it. Thanks again!
 
Same here--I took Claritin for about 5 days when it was a relatively new drug. At the time, I had gone about 14 years seizure free (completely). I had a series of complex partial seizures--had to be the Claritin, since it was the only thing that was different, and it broke a 14 year seizure free trend. I stopped taking it and was seizure free another 4 years, until I had a head injury. At the time, there wasn't any kind of recognition it could potentially cause seizures.
 
I suffer from E and have allergies, too. I've taken Claritin along with my AEDs and fortunately it hasn't seemed to interfere with my seizures. But, like Nakamova said, some OTC meds do contain pseudoephedrine which can trigger seizures for some.

Info from
http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures/over-counter-medications
Do over-the-counter (OTC) drugs affect seizures?
A few medicines that you pick up off the shelf at the drug store can potentially increase the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, or even cause first-time seizures. The most common one of this kind is probably diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in medications like Benadryl, which is used for colds, allergies, and to promote sleep. If you have epilepsy, you should talk to your doctor before you use it.

Medications for runny and stuffed noses containing pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine appear to be relatively safe, but there are reports of seizures caused by these drugs too.
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It says on packet not take it got e.Myself ignores instructions but I idiot.Maybe hompatic treatment be better
 
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