If you have ever suffered from severe allergy attacks, you must know how important maintenance medicine is. It may feel somewhat inconvenient to have to take anti-allergy medicines daily... but if you have ever stopped taking them and felt the sting of allergy attacks, you can appreciate how vital it is for you to include medication in your daily routines! And when it comes to anti-allergy maintenance medication, you need not look further than over-the-counter (OTC) drug Claratyne.

Claratyne is a brand name of loratadine, a mild antihistamine which suppresses allergic reactions in the skin and inside the nasal passages. This makes for an effective defense not only against the most common allergic rhinitis attacks, such as hay fever, but also against skin allergies like hives.

Unlike traditional antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (better known by its market name, Benadryl) Claratyne does not cause drowsiness. This makes it ideal for people who need to take their maintenance medicine on the go. One 10 mg tablet should be taken with water, once every 24 hours.

As it is a non-drowsy drug, you can take it at any time of the day, not just bedtime, which is the best time to take a drug that may impair your reflexes and concentration. Moreover, if you miss a dose of Claratyne, you can take it as soon as you remember, and base your regular intake on your new schedule. However, if it is almost time to take your next dose, you can just take it in your next dose, and preserve your original medication routine. To maximize the protective properties of Claratyne, it is best to take it daily at a strict schedule.

This drug is also known by the brand name Claritin, an established OTC antihistamine trusted by millions of satisfied users around the world. It is spelled differently in different regions - another alternative spelling is Clarityn, which is used in countries like the United Kingdom and Austria. Claratyne is the name this drug is known by in Australia and New Zealand.

Regular OTC Claratyne is normally safe for use by adults of all body types, barring certain conditions. If you have a liver or kidney disease, for example, it is best to consult your doctor before taking this medicine. If you are taking high blood pressure medication, or "beta blockers" such as Parnate and Nardil, be aware that these medications may conflict with Claratyne, so it is best to get your health worker or pharmacist's okay before taking this drug.

This drug is even safe for use by children ages 2 and up! Children aged 2-12 and weighing under 30 kg may take half a tablet once a day. Since the drug comes at a 10 mg loratadine preparation, halving it would mean you are dispensing a much milder dosage of 5 mg.

For children younger than 12 years old, however, Claratyne Syrup was specially formulated to be a tastier line of defense against allergic attacks. If you are having trouble making your little angel take his or her medicine in pill form, you might have an easier time with the syrup form, which comes with a delicious peach flavor. This syrup may come with a little sugar (sucrose) but does not come with gluten, lactose or artificial coloring. It also comes with a dropper, which would allow you to dispense smaller doses for infants. The dose you will administer will depend on your baby's age and body weight.

Claratyne is non-addictive, which means you can do away with fears of addiction. However, some Claratyne preparations may come imbued with a pseudoephedrine element, which would have a higher risk of being habit-forming. For this reason, among others, these preparations are not commonly dispensed without a prescription.

Claratyne Cold and Claratyne Decongestant are the brand names of the loratadine + pseudoephedrine double strength comnbo. Pseudoephedrine would allow an antihistamine such as loratadine to suppress allergic attacks, while alleviating cold symptoms. This stimulates the central nervous system, thus potentially creating a craving that is commonly associated with addiction. Prolonged use of medication with a pseudoephedrine element could cause the body to create a tolerance to it, so exercise care in using these medicines. Only follow the doctor's orders!