New Antihistamines: Not So Nonsedating?
Review of 18 Studies Shows "Blurred" Difference Compared With Older Allergy Drugs
April 25, 2003 -- Timely research for the start of hay fever season: Despite their higher cost, the newer, so-called "second generation" of more expensive "nonsedating" prescription antihistamines may be no more effective at preventing fatigue and memory lapses than older over-the-counter formulas such as Benadryl.
So concludes a new study published in the current issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in which researchers compared 18 previous trials investigating antihistamine-caused sedation levels in 1,500 people between ages 8 and 81. Most of the studies reviewed used doses that were twice the recommended amount -- 50 milligrams -- of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and other
first-generation "sedating" allergymedications.
"We're not saying that there's not a difference," says lead researcher Bruce G. Bender, PhD, of National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. "The first-generation antihistamines are more sedating, but the distinction isn't as black-and-white as the marketing of the newer products may lead you to believe. The difference between them is really blurred."
"Under some circumstances, the nonsedating formulas do cause sedation and in some cases, these sedating formulas do not," he tells WebMD. "In some studies we reviewed, some people actually experienced more sedation with the newer, nonsedating formulas than with the older, sedating products. The question, is it necessary to spend the extra money?"
These newer products, which include Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin, generally cost between 10 to 20 times as much as the older, "first-generation" products. And there is no evidence, Bender says, that either type is better at suppressing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
"My advice is that you shouldn't make up your mind based exclusively on what you hear in advertising," says Bender, a psychologist who serves as an assembly chairman of the American Thoracic Society. "The newer prescribed medications are very expensive, and until you try it, you don't really know whether an old-fashioned, 5- or 10-cent, first-generation capsule will take care of your symptoms without causing sedation."
But others studies show a big difference -- including one trial conducted at the University of Iowa three years ago in which researchers gave patients simulated driving tests after administering either Allegra, Bendryl, a placebo, or enough alcohol to make the patient legally drunk.
New Antihistamines: Not So Nonsedating?
Review of 18 Studies Shows "Blurred" Difference Compared With Older Allergy Drugs
April 25, 2003 -- Timely research for the start of hay fever season: Despite their higher cost, the newer, so-called "second generation" of more expensive "nonsedating" prescription antihistamines may be no more effective at preventing fatigue and memory lapses than older over-the-counter formulas such as Benadryl.
So concludes a new study published in the current issue of Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in which researchers compared 18 previous trials investigating antihistamine-caused sedation levels in 1,500 people between ages 8 and 81. Most of the studies reviewed used doses that were twice the recommended amount -- 50 milligrams -- of diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and other
first-generation "sedating" allergymedications.
"We're not saying that there's not a difference," says lead researcher Bruce G. Bender, PhD, of National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver. "The first-generation antihistamines are more sedating, but the distinction isn't as black-and-white as the marketing of the newer products may lead you to believe. The difference between them is really blurred."
"Under some circumstances, the nonsedating formulas do cause sedation and in some cases, these sedating formulas do not," he tells WebMD. "In some studies we reviewed, some people actually experienced more sedation with the newer, nonsedating formulas than with the older, sedating products. The question, is it necessary to spend the extra money?"
These newer products, which include Allegra, Zyrtec, and Claritin, generally cost between 10 to 20 times as much as the older, "first-generation" products. And there is no evidence, Bender says, that either type is better at suppressing histamine, which causes allergic reactions.
"My advice is that you shouldn't make up your mind based exclusively on what you hear in advertising," says Bender, a psychologist who serves as an assembly chairman of the American Thoracic Society. "The newer prescribed medications are very expensive, and until you try it, you don't really know whether an old-fashioned, 5- or 10-cent, first-generation capsule will take care of your symptoms without causing sedation."
But others studies show a big difference -- including one trial conducted at the University of Iowa three years ago in which researchers gave patients simulated driving tests after administering either Allegra, Bendryl, a placebo, or enough alcohol to make the patient legally drunk.