Know Your Allegra Ingredients


Allegra, also known as fexofenadine hydrochloride, is known as one of the most effective allergy medications in the marekt today. But different allergy medications act differently within the human body - how can you tell if a particular allergy medicine is right for you? You have to know how they work. And if you wish to know how Allegra works, you need to be familiar with the Allegra ingredients, and how they do their job.

Among the Allegra ingredients, the most active one is fexofenadine. This is a third-generation histamine H1-receptor antagonist, or antihistamine. Being a third-generation antihistamine means it is more selective and relatively milder than its first-generation market counterparts diphenhydramine (brand name Benadryl), brompheniramine (Dimetane), clemastine (Tavist), carbinoxamine (Clistin) and chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton). These first-generation antihistamines may have been in the market longer and are more widely-known, but they are swiftly being overtaken by newer, more refined allergy medications. Some doctors will still say they are more effective in treating coughs with colds, however.

Second- and third-generation antihistamines do not course to the brain through the bloodstream as easily as first-generation antihistamines do, so they cause less drowsiness. Allegra's fexofenadine content ensures that the drug is generally non-drowsy - however, it does have some recorded side effects, such as headache, backache and nausea.

A second-generation antihistamine that was the predecessor of fexofenadine was terfenadine, which was known under the brand names Seldane (US), Teldane (Australia) and Triludan (UK). Terfenadine was marketed as an anti-allergy medication. However, it was discovered to be cardiotoxic - that is, contributory to heart muscle damage - when mixed with certain substances, such as erythromycin and grapefruit juice. It was pulled from the market and replaced with its much safer metabolite, fexofenadine.

Fexofenadine hydrochloride or HCl is also the generic name of another popular allergy drug, Telfast. In its purest form, fexofenadine HCl it is a white to off-white powder. It can also be packaged as a suspension, which may be flavored for easier ingestion. Small dosages of this form would be ideal for small children, who may not yet be ready to take "adult-sized" tablets and capsules.

Allegra's fexofenadine HCl content works by blocking histamines, a chemical produced by the body as a sort of defense mechanism against allergenic substances. There are many types of allergenic substances - pollen, animal hair and dust are just a few of them, and not all of them are airborne. The amount of histamines released by the body in reaction to these substances also varies greatly. If a person's body has determined that a substance is allergenic, the release of histamines could produce something as simple as an itchy and runny nose, or something as severe as an uncontrollable sneezing fit, or even breathing problems.

The two allergic attacks against which fexofenadine HCl is known to be most effective are hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis or SAR) and hives. Allegra is a brand of fexofenadine HCl that is recognized all over the world. Knowing your Allegra ingredients enables a person to better appreciate exactly why this particular medication is now known as a "blockbuster drug" in pharmacies everywhere.